Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
agreement on the role of public lands and rural communities. These are “wicked
problems” as described by Rittel and Webber (1973): problems with no clear solu-
tion, no undisputable public good, and no objective definition of equity. Science
alone and professionals in various relevant fields cannot solve these wicked prob-
lems. Every wicked problem is essentially unique; solutions designed for one loca-
tion, one context, will not “solve” the problem in any other context. These chal-
lenges require place-based capacity to build local consensus as to the nature of the
challenges and the appropriate response strategies, and to mobilize available re-
sources for investment and action.
Natural resource management is complex, and our understanding of ecological
components, processes, and interactions is incomplete. Furthermore, different inter-
est groups place different values on the goods and services provided by any landscape.
Varying forms of democratic processes, including existing legal and policy frame-
works, shape the ultimate priorities. Therefore, science, at best, only informs and
guides the analysis and planning. Within a collaborative process, varying forms of sci-
ence are legitimate in the eyes of each participant. Typically, members of the collabo-
rative have local knowledge and experience that help fill gaps in the site-specific sci-
entific data and help interpret broader conditions and trends. The NRAC openly
invited this local contribution through specific meetings with interest groups, in-
cluding the Nez Perce tribe, private landowners, permittees, forest contractors, and
others.
With the crafting of the Salmon Plan, Wallowa County began its present-day jour-
ney down the path of community-based natural resource management, defined as the
management of landscapes for community benefit. Community benefit is an aggrega-
tion of local social, economic, and ecological values. Where public lands, listed spe-
cies, or fundamental ecological services or function are involved, community benefit
must also reflect larger national and, sometimes, international values. Some level of
local community participation in management decisions is a central operating princi-
ple. Community-based natural resource management is never the same in any two
communities; it is a complex suite of activities, projects, and organizations that have
different goals based on local conditions. They are organized at different scales, in dif-
ferent geographies, and within a variety of community cultures and conditions. They
operate within diverse institutional and legal frameworks, and they represent various
stages in organizational development.
Wallowa County has been, and continues to be, a pioneer in collaborative and
community-based resource management and restoration. Much of the initial work
done here centered on building a common foundation among a diverse and often-
times divisive set of stakeholders, including establishing a common understanding of
collaborative principles, a common set of data and knowledge, and a common vision
for restoration and stewardship. The place-based and collaborative efforts pioneered
in this rural corner of Oregon have shown promise for achieving restoration goals in
the face of the kind of uncertainty that has come to characterize contemporary land
management.
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