Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
reliance on the accuracy of conclusions drawn through scienti
c research
to determine whether proposals should or should not be authorised.
I envisage that policy-making and planning under ecological gover-
nance would, together, form part of an iterative process with the former
guiding the latter, and with the information generated under the latter
about what can be achieved on the ground feeding back into a rolling
review of policy. I argue in
Chapter 3
that the regular review of policy is
essential for driving on-going reductions in threats of harm to ecosys-
tems.
39
The ideal outcome would be the formation of policies that advance
the system of governance
s objectives effectively because they are rooted
in knowledge of actual possibilities for ecologically progressive action once
constraints on development and public views and concerns have been
taken into account. An informed approach to policy-making would also
allow the reappraisal of policy packages, of the balance struck between
ecological, economic and social objectives, and of the adequacy of struc-
tures for governance as a whole if it (or, as I discuss at
Section 1.6
, evidence
from monitoring of unabated ecological degradation) reveals that these,
collectively, are not advancing the system
'
'
s goals.
1.5 The state, non-governmental actors
and collaborative governance
Reducing the stresses for which socioeconomic systems are responsible
would involve much more than the reform of sectors individually or
addressing obvious ecological black spots. Identifying how we can coexist
with the healthy functioning of natural systems would require the active
engagement of all governmental departments, all levels of government and
all sections of society with exploration of the extent to which the negative
effects of human activities can be addressed. It would necessitate analysis
'
of how demands arise, examination of what scope exists
for alleviating the stresses their satisfaction generates, and the agreement
of comprehensive strategies for implementing ecological policies. A
change in society
across the board
'
'
s direction of such signi
cance would also almost cer-
tainly
ounder if public acceptance of, and support for, associated meas-
ures is not secured. Legal structures and institutions that orient collective
decision-making towards the realisation of ecological objectives would be
necessary to support an endeavour of this magnitude. In view of this, the
next main question I address is what form a system of governance, whose
39
Chapter 3,
Section 3.4.2.1
.
