摘要
A better understanding of the actual demands of local people with respect to the use of natural resources is one of the best practices to improve management and conservation action. As part of a broader long-term study, this paper is aimed at understanding the rationale underlying the relationship between estuarine communities and their adjacent environment. The conceptual framework addresses key aspects of the Amazonian and the estuarine reality which are: (i) the degree of interdependence between local activities and natural resources; (ii) the way local people understand the territorial and biological limitations of the natural environment; and (iii) their ability to deal with conservation issues.