ABSTRACT
The Pantanal wetland and the surrounding Upper Paraguay River Basin (UPRB) are some of the most unique hydrological and ecological systems in the world. This chapter examines how the distinct characteristics and behaviours of interested stakeholder groups, and their inter-organizational relationships, lead to highly rationalized beliefs about environmental management and the utility of multi-party collaborative planning approaches. It illustrates the broader patterns, such as trends in stakeholder engagement in environmental management across the Upper Paraguay Basin. The chapter focuses on the representative sets of organizational actors that can be used to make inferences about the way different members of the Pantanal organizational field perceive collaborative multi-party environmental planning efforts. The Pantanal management experience illustrates opportunities for sociologists to contribute increased understanding of the organizational complexity surrounding environmental problems and in particular how these factors facilitate and impede efforts to promote more collaborative approaches to managing natural resources.
