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6: Management and Decision-Making
Pages 118-137

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From page 118...
... The relative simplicity and appeal of any set of analytical tools is not likely to fit easily with the conflicting views of interests involved in even relatively straightforward issues involving biodiversity. The economists' set of tools is the most complete and internally consistent available for addressing matters of value (chapter 5~.
From page 119...
... They offer some hope, however, of gaining the support of decision-makers and the public for decisions involving natural systems. Policy and management decisions that concern biological resources commonly involve competing resource uses and conflicting value systems.
From page 120...
... The point of analytic deliberation processes is that there are mechanisms to engage the public, respect the best available scientific analysis, find better solutions, build understanding, and nurture trust among all involved parties. An analytic deliberative process is iterative.
From page 121...
... The basic science, while providing essential guidance to ecosystem managers, usually provides results that include some uncertainty. And, the research needed to provide contextual data that allow the application of general scientific principles to local situations is generally weak.
From page 122...
... A manager must act in a way consistent with public intent as expressed in both statutory mandates and in public expressions of concern over policy and management decisions. Structured and focused deliberation grounds valuation of biodiversity and policy decisions about biodiversity in democratic process and scientific analysis.
From page 123...
... In its pristine form, the lake was connected to Puget Sound and in its deeper portions was mildly brackish, as indicated by diatom remains in the lake's sediments. The diatom assemblage suggests little effect by a small American Indian population on the lake's biota before to the arrival of European settlers (Bagley 1916~.
From page 124...
... Diversion was completed by 1965; by the summer of 1971, the lake's transparency, one measure of phytoplankton density, was comparable with that of 1950, and recovery was deemed to be well under way. The Decision-Making Process Three natural features visibly dominate Seattle's geographic setting: Puget Sound, snow-capped mountains, and Lake Washington.
From page 125...
... About 64% of the 115-km shoreline is occupied by residential property of enhanced value, so both owners and the city, through property tax increases, benefited. The locks themselves permitted commercial barge and recreational boat traffic to commute between Lake Washington and Puget Sound.
From page 126...
... A European invader, Myriophyllum (milfoil) , was found in the eastern United States before 1900, in Minnesota by 1970, and in Lake Washington in 1973.
From page 127...
... Biodiversity issues play a minor role in this multiuser lake governance, but regular monitoring of lake chemistry and biology, concern about the ecological consequences of species introductions, and maintenance of water quality probably ensure that this large urban lake will retain most of its original biota in the presence of intense and varied human use. ANALYTIC DELIBERATION PROCESSES: A USEFUL TOOL Analytic deliberation is a class of discursive processes for dealing with conflicts that draws on the best features of both analysis and deliberation.
From page 128...
... Such deliberation can clarify value positions, identify points of agreement and disagreement, suggest lines of compromise, and build mutual understanding among potentially antagonistic groups. Analytic deliberation processes aid managers in understanding the positions of interested parties and in formulating a position that integrates information about values with scientific analysis.
From page 129...
... A critical problem in analytic deliberation processes is identifying the parties that should participate. Chess and Hance suggest that managers can identify stakeholders by asking the following questions (Chess and Hance 1994~: Who has information and expertise that might be helpful?
From page 130...
... It is then an appropriate time to deliberate. Questions that a manager might ask of the deliberative process include · Given the available information, resource constraints, and multiple goals that must be considered, what are the advantages and disadvantages of various options?
From page 131...
... Several of the case studies in this report provide some guidance for analytic deliberation approaches involving biodiversity issues, although none of them was specifically designed as an analytic deliberation approach. The case study in the next section, "Deer and the Quabbin Reservoir", is an example of a successful deliberative process.
From page 132...
... The elements of a structured analytic deliberative process carried out over the broad geographic scope of the federal rangelands issue might offer some hope of success. Case Study: Deer and The Quabbin Reservoir The Quabbin Reservoir, an impoundment about 100 mi west of Boston, is the main source of municipal drinking water for the Boston metropolitan area.
From page 133...
... Although seen as a problem by some people, the growing deer population was valued by others as a visible sign of some remaining degree of wildness in the environment and by hunters. Taking action to reduce deer herds and their effects on their habitat was a frustrating experience for the state agency that manages the watershed and is charged with providing clean water.
From page 134...
... observe, agencies with responsibility for deer management "need to be inquisitive, consensus building, and proactive by including multiple stakeholders" in their decisions. In doing this, they must also avoid blurring distinctions between values and scientific judgments and must make clear to the public that its input in management decisions must be balanced with biological and technical information.
From page 135...
... Biodiversity management takes place under public scrutiny. Government decisionmakers are required by such laws as NEPA to allow the public to participate in the decision-making process concerning publicly owned resources.
From page 136...
... Finally, analytic deliberation processes are instrumentally appropnate in that such a process can help to build trust and understanding and, even when disagreement persists, clarifies the basis of disagreement. REFERENCES Bagley CB 1916.
From page 137...
... 1994. Public 1nvolve~nt in deer m=age~nt dec1~onm~ng: co-~son of Awe Pubes far seeing deer population o~ecUve~ HDRU Sedes 94-2.


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