HERC Seminar: Current Trends in Environmental Research 20.9.2007 New Models in Nature Resource...

HERC Seminar: Current Trends in

Environmental Research 20.9.2007 New Models in Nature Resource Management

Erland EklundIn collaboration with Susanna Björkell & Ville Klemets20.9.2007

Svenska social- och kommunalhögskolan

April 20, 2023


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Objectives & aims of the NERM study

analysing new models of co-management in nature resource management

models targeted to meet tasks especially at the regional and local level of environmental administration

-implementation of specific biodiversity regulations in protection programmes

-new environmental regulation concerning agricultural and forest land

-regulation concerning leisure / tourist use of private land

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Objectives & aims (2)

Test together with regional authorities and other regional and local institutions & associations the model in one or two actual tasks

Chosen region: the Kvarken coast & archipelago. Cases based on Kvarkenrådets (Kvarken Council) development projects in environmental administration (Kvarken miljö)

Analysing multiple forms of knowledge”The quest for participation and co-

management”

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Historic local

knowledge on use

of nature and its

regulation

Multiple forms of knowledge

Professional /expert knowledge on

nature and its formal regulations

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Personnel

Susanna Björkell, PhD student (biology)

Erland Eklund, Senior Researcher (sociology; Professor of Rural Studies)

Ville Klemets, Pol.Stud., Sociology

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International co-operation

a) Two Swedish-Norwegian-Finnish workshops on ”Förvaltning av omstridda naturresurser – nordiska trender och utmaningar” (Management of disputed nature resources – Nordic trends and challenges). Book will be published late 2007 (in Sweden). Eds. Eva Falleth & Camilla Sandström

b) Cornell University Workshop, October 2007 on Sustainability and project management (Prof. Steven Wolf)

c) Comparative research on sustainability and rural development Wales-Ostrobothnia. (Marsden, Eklund, Franklin)

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Study sites

Bergö-Malax outer Archipelago (Rönnskären)

Köklot village (Mustasaari / Korsholm)

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Study sites

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Natura 2000 areas in Kvarken

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Foto:Carina Järvinen

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Foto: Carina Järvinen

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Methods

Interviews with key persons / actorsParticipatory observation at formal & informal

meetingsPublic documents, working documentsComparative seminars with researchers on co-

management in other countries

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The quest for citizen participation in nature resource management

General acceptance of the need for more participatory planning & decision making in nature protection (& nature resource management). “Lets forget Natura 2000!”

See e.g. B. Gilligan, N. Dudley, A. Fernandez de Tejada,

H. Toivonen 2005: Management Efectiveness Evaluation

of Finland's Protected Areas. Metsähallitus. Series A 147

BUT:Different laws on nature resource management

give different room for participation: Nature Conservation Act (&) Decree is extremely poor in this sense; Land Use and Building Act gives much room for citizen participation

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Case 1: Use and Management Plan for Bergö-Malax outer Archipelago (Rönnskären)

What is a U&M Plan?

Nature Conservation Act 1996, Section 19:

“A special plan shall be drafted for the management and use of

a national park, specifying the measures necessary for

attaining its conservation objectives. As necessary, a

management plan may also be drafted for a strict nature

reserve or other nature reserve. The management plan

shall be drafted by the authority or agency in charge of the

nature reserve. The plan shall be ratified by the Ministry of

the Environment”

-a handbook where users – authorities and the citizens - are

informed about what can be done or not done in the area

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Content of U & M Plan

1. General information about the site & planning process

2. Site description and state of knowledge & documentation (geology, cultural history, land use, specificity of nature etc)

3. Use and protection guidelines; endangered species, risks, restrictions of building, movement, hunting etc.

U & M Plan for Bergö Malax is worked out with extra financial support from the Kvarken Council in order to fulfil high expectations on participation and co-management. Metsähallitus in charge of the U & M planning work.

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Background

Long time Kvarken-Interreg co-operation on participatory methods in nature conservation management:

”skapa förutsättningar för en dialog och delaktighet mellan medborgare, politiker och tjänstemän i naturskyddsfrågor; engagera fler aktörer i naturvårdsarbetet”

Natura 2000: Bergö-Malax outer Archipelago (Rönnskären) has an endangered population of greater scaup (lapasotka, bergand). Preservation required according to the Bird Directive. A Use and Management Plan needed.

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Case study 2 : Köklot village vision

Objective: A plan for sustainable development of the village

Original strategy: local meetings without steering from public agencies with the objective to put together a common (sustainable) vision for the village community. Parallel case in Sweden

Not enough local interest at the startAlternative strategy: Questionnaire to find out

about common visions for the future → guest harbour / marina suggested

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For the moment: a village association is being founded in order to take care of the marina project and the future work on a village plan for sustainable development

Köklot case indicates: Participation has to be regarded as relevant by the participants

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Design for participation, Bergö-Malax U&M Plan

Info meetings for the publicThematic working groups: hunting, fishing, tourism & recreation,

history & culture biotops OBS! Co-production of text (local citizens &

planners) for the Use and management plan

Follow-up teamUsing the Web for information & document

publication

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Stakeholder representation at the opening meeting

Local associations for fishery Local associations for ancient monuments Local associations for hunting The board of local community landowners (skifteslag,

jakokunta) The Bergö island council (Bergö is the closest inhabited

village) The municipality of Malax Seasonal inhabitants The Swedish Ostrobothnian hunting district The regional environment centre

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Key form of participation: open thematic meetings

A series of open stakeholder / thematic meetingsAll the parts sit together and discuss, exchange

knowledge and write the text for the planLandowners, users, local visitors and distant visitors

etcCivil servants have an important role – set the

agenda and steer the meetings

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Results and reflexions (1):two management regimes - in dialog

Historical local

co-management of

village commons –

common pool

resources. OBS the

landelevation

process

Public efforts to enhance

participation in nature

conservation planning

(establish co-

management?)

The peasant state regime The ecological state regime

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Results and reflexions (2): Participation or co-management

Co-management:A collaborative and participatory process of regulatory decision-making among representatives of user-groups, government and research institutions (Jentoft et al. 1998)

The Bergö-Malax case: local stakeholders & their knowledge are influencing

the process (“hörda i sak”) but not co-partner in decision making

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Some key questions

How ”far” can the civil servants go (if they want) in ”compromising” / follow local suggestions / recommendations? Do regional authorities have mandate to truly make regional / local U& M Plans? (“regional derogations”, NC Act, 16)

Can a new co-management regime be developed within the frame of the NC Act? Or must the NCA be reformed?

From “hands off” to “hands on” in nature conservation policy?

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Some key questions

What will happen if the representatives of the local land & water owners (skifteslaget) do not accept the U&M Plan

Who are participating on the behalf of the local community? Are there important “internal voices” that have not been heard?

To which degree can the U & M planning be described as a “learning process”

The question of administrative continuity (change of personal during the process); the “projectification tendency”

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Results and reflexions (3)

Re-framing of the U & M planning process during the last year:

The status of Bergö-Malax archipelago as a Unesco World Natural Heritage Site (www.kvarken.fi)

Some consequences:-less conservation and more tourist development

discourse-some hope of getting more development

resources for the village

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Results and reflexions (4): what could “protecting cultural heritage” be?

”Cultural heritage in the spotlight” (Metsähallitus Natural Heritage Service Annual Report 2006)

“Protecting cultural heritage is becoming increasingly interlinked with the NHS nature conservation work” (p.10)

Innovative understanding of Cultural heritage needed: Cultural heritage is built every day among people living in nature preservation areas. Nature preservation needs the presence of the all people living today in the area.

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Reflexions on method

Researching co-management / participation requires participation of the researchers – practical problems of time & costs & transports

In the NERM project a large amount of empirical findings has been gathered - key person interviews, written materials from meetings – gives room form more analyses and comparisons with development in other countries

The question of timing: how to synchronize ”real” planning processes with research projects

Multidisciplinary: biology & sociology & policy studies is a very fruitful compot

HERC Seminar: Current Trends in Environmental Research 20.9.2007 New Models in Nature Resource...

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