Governance and Institutions

Abstract

The institutional and governance issues that facilitate or impede community-based ecosystem management are discussed. Community-based ecosystem management has a variety of institutional models that differ in purpose, history, scope of interest, and capabilities. Several governance issues face these institutions, including: the adequacy of existing laws and policies; the role of government and policy tools such as money, messages, and mandates; mechanisms for cross-jurisdictional management; the effects of organizational culture and resources in organizations such as agencies and science; and power-distribution concerns that have made community-based ecosystem management politically contentious. For each of these issues a vision is presented for enhancing the precepts of community-based ecosystem management to ensure that it serves traditionally underrepresented populations and embodies democratic principles of open public deliberation, inclusiveness, and social justice. A significant number of success stories and innovations in dealing with these issues are documented as are barriers and challenges. Recommendations for addressing these challenges are made. While community-based ecosystem management reflects the Jeffersonian spirit of direct democracy, it also depends on individual civility and cannot be separated from the political pull and tug and the checks and balances of a complex federal system of representative democracy. The ultimate opportunity and challenge for community-based ecosystem management is to explicitly recognize its political dimensions and to continually experiment and innovate in ways to improve American democracy as well as long-term ecological sustainability.