Developing a collaborative model for environmental planning and management

Abstract

/ Methods for involving the public in natural resource management are changing as agencies adjust to an increasingly turbulent social and political environment. There is growing interest among managers and scholars in collaborative approaches to public involvement.Collaboration is conceptually defined and elaborated using examples from the natural resource management field. This paper then examines how collaboration theory from the organizational behavior field can help environmental managers to better understand those factors that facilitate and inhibit collaborative solutions to resource problems. A process-oriented model is presented that proposes that collaboration emerges out of an environmental context and then proceeds sequentially through a problem-setting, direction-setting, and structuring phase. Factors constraining collaboration are also specified, including organizational culture and power differentials. Designs for managing collaboration are identified, which include appreciative planning, joint agreements, dialogues, and negotiated settlements. Environmental managers need new skills to manage collaboration within a dynamic social and political environment. Further research is needed to test the propositions outlined here.Methods to involve the public in environmental planning and management are changing rapidly as agencies attempt to pursue management objectives within an increasingly turbulent social and political environment. The traditional role of the environmental manager as a technician, exercising professional judgment on behalf of the public (Baskerville 1988), is being challenged. Increasingly, public interest groups exercise their legal right to delay and at times halt the implementation of land management plans and timber sales through law suits and administrative appeals. Managers face a crisis of control as resource policy and management plan disputes are increasingly resolved by Congress or in the courts (Wondolleck 1988).Among resource management agencies searching for solutions to these problems, there has been a growing interest in collaborative approaches to natural resource decision making. Either voluntarily or induced by public pressure, agencies have improved

Developing a destination image through the perceptions of stakeholders: A case study

“…The authors argue that the consonance between the elements of a community is a key factor in deriving fuller benefits related to the sustainable use of natural and cultural resources. According to stakeholder participation theory, prevalent in recreation and tourism planning, disagreement between different levels of stakeholders is one of the major problems in developing participatory processes for planning and management (Gray, 2004;Ladkin & Bertramini, 2002;Selin & Chavez, 1995). According to Gartner (1993, p. 206), "… induced image formation programs must be focused on specific destination images and budgeted for long term exposure … therefore, consistency is a requirement for long term image change using induced formation agents".…”

Solid Waste Management in Small Island Destinations

“…In the field of natural resource and environmental management there has been growing interest and application of collaborative approaches to management and decision-making (Selin and Chavez, 1995). Gray (1989: 5) defines collaboration as "a process through which parties who see different aspects of a problem can constructively explore their differences and search for solutions that go beyond their own limited vision of what is possible."…”

Lack of Stakeholder Partnerships in Destination Management: Lessons Learned from Labuan Bajo, Eastern Indonesia

“…The above points are vague and idealistic given that the stakeholders themselves hold different views and values (Jamal and Stronza 2009). Hence, stakeholder collaboration is a dynamic strategy that must remain flexible enough to engage the challenges stakeholders face individually and collectively (Selin 1999, p. 262;Selin and Chavez 1995). This study's focus is the Komodo National Park (KNP) and Labuan Bajo, which combine agritourism and marine-based tourism.…”