Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-fbnjt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-02T23:28:08.809Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

COMMENTARY: Matching the Forum to the Fuss: Using Coorientation Contexts to Address the Paradox of Public Participation in Natural Resource Management

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 November 2007

Kirsten M. Leong ,
Katherine A. McComas  and
Daniel J. Decker
Kirsten M. Leong
Affiliation:
Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
Katherine A. McComas
Affiliation:
Department of Communication, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
Daniel J. Decker
Affiliation:
Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
Get access

Abstract

Public participation in natural resource management has been described as paradoxical: citizens want the best science to guide natural resource management decisions, but not to the exclusion of their input; agencies want meaningful citizen involvement in their management decisions, but they also want citizens to trust their scientific expertise. As a result, many studies have focused on developing criteria for designing successful participatory processes. Rather than definitive guidelines, however, studies to date typically indicate broad rules of thumb, which may differ in situation-specific application depending on political and historical context. These observations suggest the need to identify contextual elements that influence the varying success of participatory process designs. One such element is the degree of understanding, or coorientation, between stakeholders and managers. This article expands the concept of coorientation to “coorientation contexts” to describe the real and/or incorrectly perceived barriers and opportunities for communication between natural resource managers and stakeholders. Examining participation philosophies and corresponding techniques reveals that certain types of communication are better suited to certain coorientation contexts. Tailoring participation strategies to the appropriate coorientation context throughout the evolution of public issues, i.e., “matching the forum to the fuss,” may ultimately result in more informed, equitable, and sustainable management decisions. Future empirical testing of this approach may improve natural resource managers' abilities to navigate successfully the paradox of public involvement in natural resource management.

Environmental Practice 9:195–205 (2007)

Type
FEATURES & REVIEWS
Information
Environmental Practice , Volume 9 , Issue 3 , September 2007 , pp. 195 - 205
Copyright
© 2007 National Association of Environmental Professionals

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Arnstein, S. 1969. A Ladder of Citizen Participation. Journal of the American Institute of Planners 35(4):216–224.Google Scholar
Baer, S. D. 1988. The Public Trust Doctrine: A Tool to Make Federal Administrative Agencies Increase Protection of Public Land and Its Resources. Boston College Environmental Affairs Law Review 15:385–436.Google Scholar
Beierle, T. C., and J. Cayford. 2002. Democracy in Practice: Public Participation in Environmental Decisions. Resources for the Future, Washington, DC, 147 pp.
Bright, A. D., H. K. Cordell, A. P. Hoover, and M. A. Tarrant. 2003. A Human Dimensions Framework: Guidelines for Conducting Social Assessments. General Technical Report SRS-65. Department of Agriculture, US Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Asheville, NC, 83 pp.
Broom, G. M., and D. M. Dozier. 1990. Using Research in Public Relations: Applications to Program Management. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 414 pp.
California Environmental Quality Act. 1986. Cal. Pub. Res. Code §21000 et seq.
Charnley, S., and B. Englebert. 2005. Evaluating Public Participation in Environmental Decision-Making: EPA's Superfund Community Involvement Program. Journal of Environmental Management 77(3):165–182.Google Scholar
Checkoway, B. 1981. The Politics of Public Hearings. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science 17(4):566–582.Google Scholar
Chess, C., and K. Purcell. 1999. Public Participation and the Environment: Do We Know What Works? Environmental Science & Technology 33(16):2685–2692.Google Scholar
Connelly, N. A., and B. A. Knuth. 2002. Using the Coorientation Model to Compare Community Leaders' and Local Residents' Views about Hudson River Ecosystem Restoration. Society & Natural Resources 15(10):933–948.Google Scholar
Covello, V. T., and P. M. Sandman. 2001. Risk Communication: Evolution and Revolution. In Solutions to an Environment in Peril, A. Wolbarst, ed. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD, 164–178.
Cvetkovich, G., and R. E. Lofstedt, eds. 1999. Social Trust and the Management of Risk. Earthscan Publications, London, 256 pp.
Decker, D. J., T. L. Brown, and W. F. Siemer. 2001. Human Dimensions of Wildlife Management in North America. The Wildlife Society, Bethesda, MD, 447 pp.
Decker, D. J., and L. C. Chase. 1997. Human Dimensions of Living with Wildlife: A Management Challenge for the 21st Century. Wildlife Society Bulletin 25(4):788–795.Google Scholar
Decker, D. J., C. C. Krueger, R. A. Baer Jr., B. A. Knuth, and M. E. Richmond. 1996. From Clients to Stakeholders: A Philosophical Shift for Fish and Wildlife Management. Human Dimensions of Wildlife 1(1):70–82.Google Scholar
Department of the Interior. 2004. Cooperative Conservation: Success through Partnerships. Washington, DC, 48 pp.
Enck, J. W., and T. L. Brown. 1996. Citizen Participation Approaches to Decision-Making in a Beaver Management Context. Human Dimensions Research Unit Publication Series Number 96-2. New York State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 71 pp.
Fisher, R., and W. Ury. 1981. Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement without Giving In. Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 163 pp.
Forester, J. 1999. Dealing with Deep Value Differences. In The Consensus Building Handbook, L. Susskind, J. Thomas-Larmer and S. McKearnan, eds. Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA, 463–493.
Foster, S. 2002. Environmental Justice in an Era of Devolved Collaboration. Harvard Environmental Law Review 26:459–498.Google Scholar
Frewer, L. J. 1999. Risk Perception, Social Trust, and Public Participation in Strategic Decision Making: Implications for Emerging Technologies. Ambio 28(6):569–574.Google Scholar
Frewer, L. J., J. Scholderer, and L. Bredahl. 2003. Communicating about the Risks and Benefits of Genetically Modified Foods: The Mediating Role of Trust. Risk Analysis 23(6):1117–1133.Google Scholar
Gangl, A. 2003. Procedural Justice Theory and Evaluations of the Lawmaking Process. Political Behavior 25(2):119–149.Google Scholar
International Association for Public Participation. 2004. The IAP2 Public Participation Toolbox, http://www.iap2.org/associations/4748/files/toolbox.pdf. Accessed May 19, 2006.
Jacobson, S. K. 1999. Communication Skills for Conservation Professionals. Island Press, Washington, DC, 351 pp.
Karl, H. 2005. Telephone interview. Co-Director, MIT-USGS Science Impact Collaborative, Ithaca, NY. February 18.
Kasperson, R. E. 1986. Six Propositions on Public Participation and Their Relevance for Risk Communication. Risk Analysis 6(3):275–281.Google Scholar
Kellert, S. R. 1996. The Value of Life: Biological Diversity and Human Society. Island Press, Washington, DC, 263 pp.
Lauber, T. B., and B. Knuth. 2004. Effects of Information on Attitudes toward Suburban Deer Management. Wildlife Society Bulletin 32(2):322–331.Google Scholar
Leong, K. M. 2007. Formative Coorientation Research: Development of a Tool to Improve Communication between Small Groups of Decision Makers and Large Groups of Stakeholders. In Biological Resource Management in a Changing World: Capacity for Local Community Participation in Wildlife Management Planning for National Parks (Dissertation), Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 210–235.
Leong, K. M., D. J. Decker, J. Forester, P. D. Curtis, and M. A. Wild. In press. Expanding Problem Frames to Understand Human-Wildlife Conflicts in Urban-Proximate Parks. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration.
Leong, K. M., D. J. Decker, M. Wild, and J. Karish. 2006. Application of an Issue Evolution Model to Wildlife Issues in National Parks. George Wright Forum 23(1):62–71.Google Scholar
Lewicki, R. J., B. Gray, and M. Elliott. 2003. Making Sense of Intractable Environmental Conflicts: Frames and Cases. Island Press, Washington, DC, 469 pp.
McComas, K. A. 2003a. Citizen Satisfaction with Public Meetings Used for Risk Communication. Journal of Applied Communication Research 31(2):164–184.Google Scholar
McComas, K. A. 2003b. Trivial Pursuits: Participant Views of Public Meetings. Journal of Public Relations Research 15(2):91–115.Google Scholar
McComas, K. A., and C. W. Trumbo. 2001. Source Credibility in Environmental Health-Risk Controversies: Applications of Meyers' Credibility Index. Risk Analysis 21(3):467–480.Google Scholar
McLeod, J. M., and S. H. Chaffee. 1973. Interpersonal Approaches to Communication Research. American Behavioral Scientist 16(4):469–499.Google Scholar
National Environmental Policy Act. 1969. 42 USC §4321 et seq.
National Park Service. 2006. Management Policies 2006. National Park Service, Washington, DC, 168 pp.
National Park Service. 2007. Director's Order #75A: Civic Engagement and Public Involvement. National Park Service, Washington, DC, 18 pp.
National Park Service Organic Act. 1916. 16 USC §1.
National Park Service Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program. 2003. The Community Toolbox for Public Participation, http://www.nps.gov/phso/rtcatoolbox/index_comtoolbox.htm. Accessed June 21, 2006.
National Parks Omnibus Management Act. 1998. PL 105-391 (S 1693).
New York State Environmental Quality Review Act. 1978. 6 NYCRR, Part 617.
Papa, M. J., and E. A. Pood. 1988. Coorientational Accuracy and Organizational Conflict. Communication Research 15(1):3–28.Google Scholar
Perloff, R. M. 1993. The Dynamics of Persuasion, Communication Textbook Series. General Communication Theory and Methodology. L. Erlbaum, Hillsdale, NJ, 411 pp.
Plough, A., and S. Krimsky. 1987. The Emergence of Risk Communication Studies: Social and Political Context. Science Technology & Human Values 12(3–4):4–10.Google Scholar
Purnine, D. M., and M. P. Carey. 1999. Dyadic Coorientation: Reexamination of a Method for Studying Interpersonal Communication. Archives of Sexual Behavior 28(1):45–62.Google Scholar
Riley, S. J., D. J. Decker, L. H. Carpenter, J. F. Organ, W. F. Siemer, G. F. Mattfeld, and G. Parsons. 2002. The Essence of Wildlife Management. Wildlife Society Bulletin 30(2):585–593.Google Scholar
Rogers, E. M. 1995. Diffusion of Innovations, 4th Edition. Free Press, New York, 519 pp.
Sandman, P. M. 1987. Risk Communication: Facing Public Outrage. EPA Journal 13:21–22.Google Scholar
Shanks, R. E. 1992. The Role of Environmental Paradigms in Communication between NYS Bureau of Wildlife and NYS County Legislators (Master's Thesis), Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 198 pp.
Siegrist, M., G. T. Cvetkovich, and H. Gutscher. 2001. Shared Values, Social Trust, and the Perception of Geographic Cancer Clusters. Risk Analysis 21(6):1047–1053.Google Scholar
Susskind, L., S. McKearnan, and J. Thomas-Larmer. 1999. The Consensus Building Handbook. Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA, 1147 pp.
Tyler, T. R. 2000. Social Justice: Outcome and Procedure. International Journal of Psychology 35(2):117–125.Google Scholar
Tyson, C. B. 2002. Strategic Communication for Influencing Environmental Behaviors. Anthology Pro, North Chelmsford, MA, 251 pp.
Wackman, D. B. 1973. Interpersonal Communication and Coorientation. American Behavioral Scientist 16(4):537–550.Google Scholar
Walesh, S. G. 1999. Dad Is Out, Pop Is In. Journal of the American Water Resources Association 35(3):535–544.Google Scholar
Walker, G. B., and S. E. Daniels. 2001. Natural Resource Policy and the Paradox of Public Involvement: Bringing Scientists and Citizens Together. Journal of Sustainable Forestry 13(1/2):253–269.Google Scholar
Walker, P. A., and P. T. Hurley. 2004. Collaboration Derailed: The Politics of “Community-Based” Resource Management in Nevada County. Society & Natural Resources 17(8):735–751.Google Scholar
Weber, J. R., and C. S. Word. 2001. The Communication Process as Evaluative Context: What Do Nonscientists Hear When Scientists Speak? BioScience 51(6):487–495.Google Scholar
Weeks, P., and J. M. Packard. 1997. Acceptance of Scientific Management by Natural Resource Dependent Communities. Conservation Biology 11(1):236–245.Google Scholar
Wondolleck, J. M., and S. L. Yaffee. 2000. Making Collaboration Work: Lessons from Innovation in Natural Resource Management. Island Press, Washington, DC, 277 pp.