Ecoa - Ecologia e Ação is a non-governmental organization that emerged in 1989, in Campo Grande, capital of Mato Grosso do Sul, formed by a group of researchers working in different professional segments, such as: biology, communication, architecture, social sciences , engineering and education. The main objective was, and still is, to establish a space for reflection, formulations, debates, in addition to developing public projects and policies for environmental conservation and sustainability in both rural and urban areas.

The organization aims to promote actions to preserve the environment , associates scientific research and political action in the broad sense of the term, and involves communities, educational and research institutions, governmental institutions and other non-governmental organizations. As tools, it promotes campaigns and processes of multisectoral dialogues to create spaces for reflection, negotiation and decision regarding priority issues for environmental conservation and sustainability.

One of the main characteristics of the institution is the permanent support for the emergence and development of networks, forums, articulations and local organizations in Brazil and other countries. It also participates in events, such as workshops for discussing environmental laws, especially on the Pantanal.

The Pantanal and the Prata River Basin , in this perspective, were identified as the priority regions, and in the Pantanal regions and - even in Cerrado areas - community-based actions are concentrated, also indicating one of the reasons for creating the organization.