Navigating Natural Resource Management Conflicts Fairly: State Authorities, Land Owners, and Procedural Fairness

Natural resources management in the United States is a complicated endeavor and, although a variety of institutions are involved, most day to day management falls to state natural resource authorities. Given the large percentage of private land in some states and the often opposing interests of the parties, these authorities’ efforts often put them in conflict with land owners. Navigating these conflicts well is important for the effective and efficient management of natural resources in the US and the current paper applies the social science of procedural fairness to identify three critical concerns that should be attended to in these conflicts: (1) the reason for the importance of perceived procedural fairness lies in its ability to signal that the individual is valued in the process, (2) voice in the process and the ability to influence the decision are critical components of perceived procedural fairness in this context, (3) the perception of procedural fairness will be most important in the face of uncertainty.