Motivations for the forestry industry to participate in collaborative ecosystem management initiatives

Abstract

Abstract The role of industry participation in collaborative ecosystem approaches to management initiatives has received limited attention. We first review the literature describing the role of industry in ecosystem management (EM) collaborations, and present a framework for investigating the motivations for industry participation. In order to better understand the incentives for forest industry companies to participate in EM projects, we also conducted a survey of the 38 largest U.S. forestry companies. These companies collectively own or control over 50 million acres of land. Our survey results indicate that companies' efforts to more effectively manage their resources, a desire for positive public relations that may result from EM collaborations, and the building of partnerships with other stakeholders are the most significant motivating factors. Personal satisfaction on the part of involved individuals and a perception that EM is an attractive alternative to litigation are also important incentives. Moreover, companies with larger resource management staffs are more likely to participate in EM collaborations, whereas the size of land holdings appears to be inversely related with the likelihood of participation.