Viewpoint: Implications of participatory democracy for public land planning

Non-traditional, collaborative public park approaches such as coordinated resource management have been proposed to improve the public participation process used in public land planning on rangelands. Either implicitly or explicitly, most advocates of such non-traditional approaches to public participation seem to embrace a participatory democracy model of governance. Whether or not this model for decision-making can practicably be implemented, given our current institution and leaal frameworks for public lands management, has not been closely examined. Criticisms of the traditional public participation process are catagorize into 5 main issues: efficacy; representation and access; information exchange and learning; continuity of participation; and decision-making authority. We use these categories to evaluate the feasibility of implementing participatory democracy-based decision-making in public lands planning. Although there is some statutory and regulatory authority for participatory democracy in public land planning, there are a number of logistical, legal, and even philosophical challenges to its application that warrant further consideration.

[1]  T. B. Knopp,et al.  The role of participatory democracy in forest management. , 1990 .

[2]  F. Cubbage,et al.  Forest Resource Policy , 1993 .

[3]  M. Shannon,et al.  Building greenway policies within a participatory democracy framework , 1995 .

[4]  Daniel Kemmis,et al.  Community and Politics of Place , 1990 .

[5]  D. W. Floyd.  Reducing multiple-use conflicts on public lands through experimental stewardship , 1988 .

[6]  R. Reich,et al.  Public Administration and Public Deliberation: An Interpretive Essay , 1985 .

[7]  赫尓徳,et al.  民主的模式 = Models of democracy , 1986 .

[8]  Sherry R. Amstein.  “A Ladder of Citizen Participation” , 1969 .

[9]  M. McClaran,et al.  Theory in Practice: Applying Participatory Democracy Theory to Public Land Planning , 1997, Environmental management.

[10]  M. Kweit,et al.  The Politics Of Policy Analysis: The Role Of Citizen Participation In Analytic Decisionmaking , 1984 .

[11]  Julia M. Wondolleck,et al.  The importance of process in resolving environmental disputes , 1985 .

[12]  J. Rousseau,et al.  Discourse on the Origin of Inequality , 1992 .

[13]  M. Kweit,et al.  Implementing citizen participation in a bureaucratic society: A contingency approach , 1981 .

[14]  P. Quirk,et al.  Bureaucratic Discretion: Law and Policy in Federal Regulatory Agencies. , 1988 .

[15]  Julia M. Wondolleck.  Public lands conflict and resolution: managing national forest disputes , 1988 .

[16]  Julia M. Wondolleck,et al.  Environmental Disputes: Community Involvement In Conflict Resolution , 1990 .

[17]  S. Swanson.  Viewpoint: integrating CRM (Coordinated Resource Management) and NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) processes. , 1994 .

[18]  J. Hacker,et al.  Managing public forests in a shared-power world : the integration of conflict management principles into USDA-Forest Service planning and management. , 1993 .

[19]  David J. Torell.  Viewpoint: Alternative dispute resolution in public land management. , 1994 .

[20]  Lyn Kathlene,et al.  Enhancing citizen participation: Panel designs, perspectives, and policy formation , 1991 .

[21]  Peter Bachrach,et al.  Power and Empowerment: A Radical Theory of Participatory Democracy , 1992 .

[22]  Steve Selin,et al.  Developing a collaborative model for environmental planning and management , 1995 .

[23]  J. Blackburn.  ENVIRONMENTAL MEDIATION AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO LITIGATION , 1988 .

[24]  S. Arnstein,et al.  Ladder of Citizen Participation , 2020 .

[25]  Douglas J. Amy,et al.  The politics of environmental mediation , 1988 .

[26]  B. Knuth,et al.  Success of citizen advisory committees in consensus‐based water resources planning in the great lakes basin , 1993 .

[27]  C. Pateman.  Participation and democratic theory , 1970 .

[28]  Dale J. Blahna,et al.  Public involvement in resource planning: Toward bridging the gap between policy and implementation , 1989 .