Perceptions of public land governance from two Canadian provinces: How is the social agenda being met through sustainable forest management? |
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| Institution: | 1. The Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management at the University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada;2. The Laurentian Forestry Centre, Natural Resources Canada, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada;1. The Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management at the University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada;2. The Laurentian Forestry Centre, Natural Resources Canada, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada;1. School of Economics, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, PR China;2. Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, PR China;3. Key Laboratory of Regional Sustainable Development Modeling, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, PR China;4. Department of Science and Technology, Parthenope University of Naples, Centro Direzionale, Isola C4, 80143, Naples, Italy;5. School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, PR China;1. Department of Economics and Statistics “Cognetti de Martiis”, University of Turin, Italy;2. Department of Agriculture, Forest and Food Sciences, University of Turin, Italy;3. Research Centre for Rural Development of Hilly Areas, University of Turin, Italy;1. School of Public Administration and Policy, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, PR China;2. Laboratory for Systems Ecology and Sustainability Science, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, PR China;3. School of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China;4. School of Information Resource Management, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, PR China;5. Department of Real Estate and Construction, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR;6. State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, PR China;7. School of Applied Economics, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, PR China;1. East-West Center, Honolulu, HI, United States;2. Department of Geography, UC Santa Barbara, United States;3. University of Colorado, Population Program and Geography Department, United States;4. University of Florida, Department of Geography and the Emerging Pathogens Institute, United States;1. Hacettepe University, Department of Geological Engineering, 06800 Beytepe, Ankara, Turkey;2. Istanbul Technical University, Institute of Eurasia Earth Sciences, 34469 Sariyer, Istanbul, Turkey |
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| Abstract: | This article presents a comparative assessment of current spaces for public involvement in Crown (public) land management in the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. More specifically, it addresses the barriers to public participation by examining the agency-client relationship – specifically, through the theoretical lens of capture – as an impediment to the inclusion of values that are outside the traditional, technocratic management realm of public forest management. Without public input, the public’s needs, values, and desires are not articulated and the social side of sustainable forest management is likely to be neglected. Low levels of trust in public land management agencies in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, coupled with minimal space for public involvement, have created the perception of a policy network that is dominated by industry and/or government and provides minimal space for other interests. The primary research method is an online survey informed by forty-two interviews. The survey was administered to 89 key forestry stakeholders in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Participation observation and a document analysis are utilized to complement the survey. This research finds that (1) although survey participants come from diverse affiliations and two provinces with different forest policy and unique approaches to public participation, there is essential consensus of the need for an improvement of public involvement processes for public land; (2) trust in the forest industry and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is extremely low in both provinces. Even with recent participatory efforts in Nova Scotia, the trust level is lower than in the neighboring province of New Brunswick. Some participants connect this distrust to privileged access for certain interest groups and a closed policy network; (3) barriers to participatory processes differ between provinces, especially a fear of retribution, which is specific to New Brunswick; and (4) key stakeholders identify barriers to engagement that they perceive to be different for themselves and the general public. |
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| Keywords: | Public participation Sustainable forest management Capture Clientelism New Brunswick Nova Scotia |
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