Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
uence decision-making at higher levels.
82
I agree that such
an approach would assist with creating the linkages between local and
national government that would enhance perception of the system of
ecological governance as legitimate, but without interpolating a separate
layer of governmental authority between them whose legitimacy may
be questioned. There would still be a hierarchical relationship between
regional and local institutions to the extent that local proposals would
be modi
directly in
ed in the development of draft regional plans, and then be
expected to conformwith regional plans after their revision and approval
through the national planning process suggested above. However, the
close collaboration I envisage between regional and local bodies would
defuse potential tensions between them which have arisen, historically,
from a perception of regional government as nothing more than a delivery
vehicle for the state
s initiatives.
83
A concern with regional planning is that institutions established for
this may, where they comprise representatives from disparate localities
or con
'
nd it necessary to make decisions of limited
ambition if they are to function at all.
84
This is, in part, because the need
to reach positions that would be acceptable to all of the different local-
ities involved in the planning process has tended to result in
icting interests,
'
lowest
solutions.
85
I suggest that a system of ecological
governance with a clearly de
common denominator
'
ned statutory objective for reducing eco-
logical risks and which is supported by policies providing clear state-
ments of preferred options for satisfying requirements in different
policy areas would leave less room for this conservatism. This is in
contrast to the present planning system under which there is much
more scope for arguing what the
obligation
requires of planning authorities.
86
In addition, the fact that the adequacy
of regional positions would fall to be reviewed by the state in its
coordinating role would provide an incentive for local authorities to
reduce the scope for state intervention by presenting proposals that take
the requirement to advance statutorily prescribed ecological objectives
seriously.
'
sustainable development
'
82
Jacobs,
'
Environmental Valuation
'
, pp. 223
-
5; Smith,
'
Deliberative Democracy
'
,pp.73
-
5.
83
Gunningham,
'
TheNewCollaborativeEnvironmentalGovernance
'
,162
-
3.
84
Owens and Cowell,
'
Land and Limits
'
,1stedn,pp.58
-
9.
85
Ibid
., pp. 70
-
1. See also Baker and Wong,
'
The Delusion of Strategic Spatial
, 99.
86
Owens and Cowell,
Planning
'
'
Land and Limits
'
,1stedn,pp.28
-
30.
