Involving Diverse Interests: Theoretical and Practical Insights from Native Vegetation Management in New South Wales,Australia

Through an Australian case study, this article considers the broad issue of involving multiple stakeholders in processes designed to resolve complex issues that link environment, society, health, and sustainability. The approach adopted to address native vegetation management in New South Wales, a state of Australia, is an interesting attempt at directly involving farming communities with other stakeholders in formulating vegetation management plans. The process included a unique combination of centralized interest group mediation and decentralized regional planning processes through regional committees. The article draws upon evidence from one Regional Vegetation Committee in order to highlight some of the difficulties in coupling together centralized representative group bargaining with decentralized deliberative decision making. Suggestions are made as to further areas for research.