/ Watershed-based planning has been held as a vanguard for integrated ecosystem management based on a collaborative process. Watershed managers, however, must contend with conflicts that run much deeper than interests for economic development versus sustaining ecosystem health. With data from a survey of members of watershed organizations, we characterize the valued-based conflicts that watershed managers are likely to face in planning. We propose that utilizing collaborative decision-making strategies is important, but successful long-term watershed planning requires rebuilding a community-based infrastructure that can support important social and bioregional networks and partnerships.KEY WORDS: Conflict resolution; Watershed planninghttp://link.springer-ny.com/link/service/journals/00267/bibs/24n1p1.html
For the past decade, we at CONCUR have been mediating complex environmental disputes and using the technique of joint fact‐finding as a cornerstone of our model of practice. In this article, we present and reflect on this body of experience, with the goal of better informing both our colleagues in the field and other potential users of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) about the elements and preconditions for successful use of joint fact‐finding. We also aim to contribute actively to current initiatives on best practices.
The goal of Louisiana's 1990–1991 comparative risk project, also called the Louisiana Environmental Action Plan (LEAP), was to incorporate risk assessment into state environmental planning and policymaking. Scientists, government officials, and citizens were brought together to estimate the relative risk to human health, natural resources, and quality of life posed by 33 selected environmental issues. The issues were then ranked according to their relative estimated risks. It was hoped that this ranking of “comparative risks” would enable state policymakers to target the most important environmental problems and allocate scarce public resources more rationally and efficiently. As a result of the project, the governor issued an Executive Order forming a permanent Public Advisory Committee to continue this type of comparative risk assessment in Louisiana.
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