How can social acceptability research in Australian forests inform social licence to operate?

Abstract

For forest managers, 'social licence to operate' involves implicit acceptance and approval of practices by local communities and stakeholders. Based in social relations of trust rather than formal agreements, social licence overlaps with a psychological concept, 'social acceptability', which has been used in examining similar issues with a focus on understanding public perspectives on forest management. This paper draws on social acceptability research conducted in forested landscapes in Australia over the past two decades to explore how social acceptability can inform understanding of social licence. This body of work reveals the diversity of views among publics and local residents, the multiple factors underpinning social acceptability judgements (scenic beauty, trust, beliefs about impacts, normative beliefs, and - most centrally - social values), how social acceptance changes across time, and the complex task of influencing social acceptance. The findings confirm that social licence should be considered as multiple 'licences', as acceptance varies among a given group of people, and that establishing social licence depends not only on trust, but on changes in practice to mitigate both short-term and long-term negative consequences of forestry on valued outcomes. The main new insight for social licence from acceptability studies is that variations in social acceptance have a basis in social values. This evidence challenges a common focus on community engagement and impact assessment as strategies for achieving social licence; rather it suggests that forest managers must also consider how their fundamental management objectives align with the mix of values in society. While academic research into social licence is more nuanced, there is a risk that the metaphor of a social 'licence' that implies something tangible, enduring and singular may not provide the desired encouragement to managers to develop the deep understanding of public and community perspectives on their activities that is needed to achieve lasting social relationships.