Less government intervention in biodiversity management: risks and opportunities |
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Authors: | Juliette C Young James R A Butler Andrew Jordan Allan D Watt |
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Institution: | (1) NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Bush Estate, Edinburgh, Midlothian, EH26 0QB, UK;(2) CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, 41 Boggo Road, Dutton Park, QLD, 4102, Australia;(3) School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK |
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Abstract: | In a changing global environment, with increasing pressure on ecosystem goods and services, biodiversity conservation is likely
to become increasingly important. However, with the current global financial crisis, governments are increasingly trying to
stabilise economies through spending cuts aiming to reduce national deficits. Within such an economic climate, the devolution
of governance through public participation is an intrinsically appealing concept. We outline a number of challenges that explain
why increased participation in biodiversity management has been and may continue to be problematic. Using as a case study
the local stakeholder-driven Moray Firth Seal Management Plan in Scotland, we identify four key conditions that were crucial
to the successful participatory management of a biodiversity conflict: a local champion, the emergence of a crisis point,
the involvement of decision-makers, and long-term financial and institutional support. Three of the four conditions point
to the role of direct government involvement, highlighting the risk of devolving responsibility for biodiversity conflict
management to local communities. We argue that without an informed debate, the move towards a more participatory approach
could pose a danger to hard-won policy gains in relation to public participation, biodiversity conservation and conflict management. |
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