Science in the public process of ecosystem management: lessons from Hawaii, Southeast Asia, Africa and the US Mainland

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2005.01.015 Byline: John Gutrich (a)(b), Deanna Donovan (c), Melissa Finucane (d), Will Focht (e), Fred Hitzhusen (f), Supachit Manopimoke (g), David McCauley (h), Bryan Norton (i), Paul Sabatier (j), Jim Salzman (k), Virza Sasmitawidjaja (l) Abstract: Partnerships and co-operative environmental management are increasing worldwide as is the call for scientific input in the public process of ecosystem management. In Hawaii, private landowners, non-governmental organizations, and state and federal agencies have formed watershed partnerships to conserve and better manage upland forested watersheds. In this paper, findings of an international workshop convened in Hawaii to explore the strengths of approaches used to assess stakeholder values of environmental resources and foster consensus in the public process of ecosystem management are presented. Authors draw upon field experience in projects throughout Hawaii, Southeast Asia, Africa and the US mainland to derive a set of lessons learned that can be applied to Hawaiian and other watershed partnerships in an effort to promote consensus and sustainable ecosystem management. Interdisciplinary science-based models can serve as effective tools to identify areas of potential consensus in the process of ecosystem management. Effective integration of scientific input in co-operative ecosystem management depends on the role of science, the stakeholders and decision-makers involved, and the common language utilized to compare tradeoffs. Trust is essential to consensus building and the integration of scientific input must be transparent and inclusive of public feedback. Consideration of all relevant stakeholders and the actual benefits and costs of management activities to each stakeholder is essential. Perceptions and intuitive responses of people can be as influential as analytical processes in decision-making and must be addressed. Deliberative, dynamic and iterative decision-making processes all influence the level of stakeholder achievement of consensus. In Hawaii, application of lessons learned can promote more informed and democratic decision processes, quality scientific analysis that is relevant, and legitimacy and public acceptance of ecosystem management. Author Affiliation: (a) Environmental Studies Program, Dartmouth College, 6182 Steele Hall, Hanover, NH 03755, USA (b) Environmental Science Program, Hawaii Pacific University, 45-045 Kamehameha Hwy, Kaneohe 96744, Hawaii (c) World Water Assessment Programme, UNESCO, Paris, France (d) Center for Health Research, Hawaii, Kaiser Permanente Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii (e) Department of Political Science, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA (f) Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA (g) Faculty of Economics, Thammasat University, Bangkok, Thailand (h) Asian Development Bank, Manila, Indonesia (i) School of Public Policy, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA (j) Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, CA, USA (k) Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University Durham, NC, USA (l) Natural Resource Management Program Jakarta, Indonesia Article History: Received 7 July 2003; Revised 14 December 2004; Accepted 21 January 2005