Interplay and Cooperation in Environmental Conservation: Building Capacity and Responsive Institutions Within and Beyond the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, Canada

Abstract

Although protected areas (PAs) have become pivotal components in the pursuit of environmental sustainability, they have had mixed success in achieving environmental goals, in part due to internal factors such as governance design and insufficient ability to operate within, and connect to, wider social, economic, and institutional frameworks. A growing body of scholarship reveals that there are fundamental mismatches between rhetoric and practice in state-driven “participatory” conservation, and that state–community cooperation is extremely challenging. This study draws on data from qualitative research on institutions and interactions in conservation planning and management to examine factors influencing collaboration between Parks Canada and Nuu-chah-nulth communities adjacent to the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. We consider the evolution of policies, institutional arrangements, state-community interactions, and socio-cultural and legal frameworks within which state-led conservation takes place to assess progress in multilevel cooperation. We found that despite differences in degrees of authority and decision-making power, and a land tenure framework that favors the state, there is a shift from domination toward negotiation in the interplay between the federal government and grassroots actors. That shift is linked to the recognition of First Nations’ ancestral tenure and custodianship, and the particularities of grassroots and state leadership. The findings suggest significant progress in sustaining the PA as a multilevel effort, and that cooperation in conservation helps all parties to build capacity for environmental stewardship beyond the PA and to fashion conservation institutions that are responsive to changing social–ecological conditions.

Research on Motivational Mechanisms and Pathways for Promoting Public Participation in Environmental Protection Behavior

“…Public involvement theory has a lengthy history. Public participation has drawn increased attention in theory and practice since 1990 [ 14 ]. The idea of governance and the practice of public participation have evolved from an early concentration on coalition networks to a change to meta-governance emphasizing coordinated governance procedures and a shift to spontaneous involvement [ 15 ].…”

Place-making: From a Residents’ Initiative to a Participatory Effect: The Case Study of BOMBAST

“…Colonial management seeks to protect an area of land from all disturbances (Devin & Doberstein, 2004). There are some examples of working co-management situations between government agents and Indigenous groups (see Devin & Doberstein, 2004;Nisga'a & BC Parks, 1997;Orozco-Quintero et al, 2020); however, Banff National Park remains exclusively managed by Parks Canada.…”