As influências dos compromissos ideológicos e das teorias de base para as concepções ambientais da Associação de Defesa Etnoambiental Kanindé

The environmental organizations aim at boosting the implementation of public policies for the defense of the environment among rural, indigenous, riparian and other communities. These organizations are influenced by environmental conceptions, ideological commitments and basic theories that support them. The objective of this study is to understand the influences of the ideological commitments discussed by Eduardo J. Viola and of the socioeconomical, “environmental knowledge” and “environmental rationality” basic theories, discussed by Enrique Leff, on the environmental conceptions that conduct the management and operation of the Association Kanindé (Kanindé) for Ethno‐environmental Defense. Located in the Brazilian part of the Amazon rainforest, KanindÉ’s goals are to combat the installation of hydroelectric stations that degrade the environment, to take part in local councils and to provide the indigenous and riverine populations with projects aimed at sustainability. Three strategies for data collection were used: interviews, documental analysis and participant observation. The results identified the ecosocialist and ecorealist ideological commitments and the socioeconomical and “environmental knowledge” basic theories as influences on the environmental concepts and on the ways of operation and management of this organization. The ecofundamentalist and ecocapitalist commitments and the theory of the “environmental rationality” were not identified as influences on the performance of the organization.