Callahan & Himes: Natural Resource Policy and Collaborative Processes
In Natural Resource Policy and Collaborative Processes, Crystal M. Callahan and Katherine M. Himes (both Public Policy Research, University of Idaho) advocate for introducing collaborative governance to the natural resource policy process. The authors explore several successful Idaho case studies in which collective governance was utilized to address “wicked problems” plaguing Idaho’s natural resource policy.
Callahan and Himes define natural resource policy as the codification and classification of human use priorities applied to natural ecosystems. They point out how it is challenging to introduce positive change in the area of natural resource policy because of the difficulty of balancing stakeholder interests that are authoritative and distant. Callahan and Himes then identify collaborative governance as a process of social negotiations centering around local stakeholders which brings people together across different sectors and forms of public engagement to address policy issues.
The article delves into multiple Idahoan success stories that utilize collaborative governance to make significant strides in its natural resource policy even when confronted by complex and systemic social dynamics. For example, one case study focuses on the Idaho Governor’s Salmon Workshop. Salmon is an important part of the local ecosystem and a “cultural touchstone species” for local and tribal communities. The workshop, which included representatives of industry, conservation, sportsmen, state and local leadership, and other stakeholders, was tasked with developing new policies to address the declining salmon population. Ultimately, the workshop developed twenty-nine consensus-based policy recommendations, and the governor indicated his intention to implement them. The workshop’s success stemmed from the agreement-seeking collaborative approach that the diverse stakeholders collectively devised to tackle the issue.
By drawing on specific examples, the article highlights how effective collaborative governance can address natural resource policy issues, enabling the creation of innovative and effective change that considers diverse stakeholder interests. However, Callahan and Himes stress that collaborative governance is an “add-on” and not a substitute for a legal process or workaround to avoid democracy or federalism. Collaborative governance should be used responsibly and intentionally and requires stakeholders to be authentic and willing to foster successful collaboration.
This digest was written by Grace E. Beardsley, a 3L at the University of Nebraska College of Law, for Professor Jessica Shoemaker’s Rural Lands Seminar. Learn more about this course and other curricular offerings related to Law and Rurality in the Project’s new and growing collection of undergraduate, graduate, and law school syllabi.
