Abstract

The article explores the interdependence of state, civil society, and market actors in resolving environmental conflicts through new governance arrangements. Based on policy documents and in-depth interviews, the study shows that the government-led Land and Resource Management Plans concerning the coastal rainforests in British Columbia depended for their success on governance efforts that environmental organizations and forestry corporations initiated and carried through independently outside the formal planning processes. These nonstate actors, on the other hand, chose to engage with the provincial government, the First Nations, and the planning processes representing a large number of stakeholders, in order to gain the necessary legitimacy, certainty, and resources for the solutions created during their bilateral negotiations. The results show that when able to consciously coordinate separate processes and roles in the governance of forests, actors can create space for new solutions in seemingly intractable situations.

Keywords

forest conflicts; forest planning; governance; Great Bear Rainforest

Published in

Society and Natural Resources
2012, Volume: 25, number: 9, pages: 900-914
Publisher: TAYLOR & FRANCIS INC

SLU Authors

• Raitio, Kaisa

  • Department of Urban and Rural Development, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Communication Studies
Political Science (excluding Public Administration Studies and Globalization Studies)


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/08941920.2011.642462

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/40987