Public Participation in Protected Area Management Best Practice.doc

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1、PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN PROTECTED AREA MANAGEMENTBEST PRACTICE PROJECTCNPPAM Benchmarking and Best Practice ProgramPrepared for:The Committee on National Parks and Protected Area ManagementBenchmarking and Best Practice ProgramAugust 2002Prepared By:Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Terr

2、itoryPUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN PROTECTED AREA MANAGEMENTBEST PRACTICE PROJECT Prepared for:The Committee on National Parksand Protected Area Management Benchmarking and Best Practice ProgramAugust 2002Prepared By:Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern TerritorySUMMARYPublic participation is an

3、integral component of protected area management. The shift towards greater public involvement in the decision making process(es) of government over recent years is essentially a change in emphasis from substance (what should government do) to process (how should choices be made).This Best Practice R

4、eport on Public Participation in Protected Area Management identifies public participation as a continuum, extending from full government control to full community control. The report indicates that most public participation programs occur somewhere between these two extremes and will vary depending

5、 on the situation at hand.All protected area management agencies in Australia and New Zealand are required by legislation to seek public input into the development of plans of management. Some agencies are required by law to seek public involvement in nominating new protected areas and most require

6、public representation on statutory bodies such as Management Boards, Advisory Councils and Consultative Committees.All jurisdictions consider public participation to be a major plank in their corporate strategy, and most are seeking to enhance their efforts with respect to public participation. Whil

7、st the support for conducting public participation programs by agencies is resolute, most do not specifically budget for public participation programs and few agencies provide specific staff training in facilitation or other public participation techniques.All agencies consult with Aboriginal groups

8、/stakeholders and most agencies are moving towards increasing levels of participation with indigenous groups along the public participation continuum. Similarly, all jurisdictions engage with private landholders in the management of lands off-reserve for conservation purposes and most conduct a Frie

9、nds of the Parks program. This report exposes a number of myths surrounding public participation (such as empowering the community equals a loss of agency control) and provides principles and a model for best practice. The report identifies best/good practices in public participation in protected ar

10、ea management and provides examples of participation techniques and performance indicators for the various participation levels. The report also provides case studies and recommendations for agencies wishing to adopt a best practice approach to public participation in protected area management.It sh

11、ould be noted that even following an agreed public participation process it is unlikely that all participants will be completely happy with all decisions made. The important thing is that they are satisfied with the process.TABLE OF CONTENTS1.INTRODUCTION11.1CNPPAM Benchmarking and Best Practice Pro

12、gram11.2Objectives and scope of the project11.3Definitions12.METHODOLOGY23.BACKGROUND23.1A brief history33.2The benefits and disadvantages of public participation33.3Levels of Public Participation63.4Public Participation in Protected Area Management84.MYTHS, PRINCIPLES AND A MODEL FOR BEST PRACTICE1

13、04.1Myths surrounding participation programs104.2Principles of Best Practice in Public Participation114.3The Best Practice Model125.BEST PRACTICE/GOOD PRACTICES IN PROTECTED AREA MANAGEMENT166.PROTECTED AREA AGENCIES AND PUBLIC PARTICIPATION196.1Legal196.2State and Agency Policy Issues196.3Staff and

14、 Financial Resources206.4Planning Processes206.5New Parks/Reserves216.6Stakeholder Liaison216.7Indigenous Involvement/Partnerships216.8Community Nature Conservation216.9Volunteers236.10Interpretation and Education246.11Visitor Monitoring246.12Research and Monitoring24 7.RECOMMENDATIONS258.REFERENCES

15、27APPENDICESAppendix 1:Benchmarking groupAppendix 2:Techniques used by Agencies to enhance public participation Appendix 3:Stakeholder groupsAppendix 4:Force Field AnalysisAppendix 5:Questionnaire LIST OF FIGURESFigure 1Public Participation Model6 Figure 2The Best Practice Model Diagram14LIST OF TAB

16、LESTable 1Public Participation Myths and Truth10LIST OF CASE STUDIESCase Study 1:Voice of the Community - Belair National Park4Case Study 2:Junior Rangers - Capacity Building with Young People5Case Study 3:Joint Agency and Community Decision Making15Case Study 4:Public Participation Manual - Support

17、 and Training20Case Study 5:Community Consultation and the NSW Biodiversity Strategy22Case Study 6:Community Working with Government in Achieving Conservation Objectives23Case Study 7:Wildcare - Volunteers in Protected Areas241INTRODUCTION1.1CNPPAM Benchmarking and Best Practice ProgramThe Committee

18、 on National Parks and Protected Area Management was established under the Land, Water and Biodiversity Committee of the Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council. Its terms of reference are to identify issues and report on matters relating to the selection, planning and management of national

19、 parks and protected areas and the development of staff involved in their management. The Committee comprises representatives of each state and territory park service, Environment Australia and New Zealands Department of Conservation.In 1995 the Committee (then a Working Group under the now supersed

20、ed Australian and New Zealand Environment Conservation Council - ANZECC) embarked upon a formal and structured benchmarking and best practice program, concentrating on the development of best practice models for protected area management. The aim of the program is to gather and pool the approaches a

21、nd experiences of conservation agencies in protected area management so as to identify areas of best practice and hence provide a resource that will assist and guide individual agencies to learn from, borrow and adapt ideas to improve their management. The project “Best Practice in Public Participat

22、ion in Protected Area Management was born out of the Committee meeting held in Canberra in March 2000. The PWCNT (Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory) agreed to lead the project. A list of benchmarking partners and contact details for this project is provided at Appendix 1.1.2Obj

23、ectives of the ProjectThe project objectives are outlined in the project brief prepared by the PWCNT. They include the following.1.To define the meaning of public participation in protected area management.2.To identify the range and breadth of activities that the public is involved with in relation

24、 to protected area management in Australia and New Zealand.3.To identify any legislative and mandatory requirements for public participation in protected area management in Australia and New Zealand.4.To review the involvement of volunteers in protected area management.5.To examine the extent of for

25、mal public involvement (statutory bodies, local management committees etc) and decision making powers with respect to protected area management in Australia and New Zealand.6.To identify levels of resource allocation and any performance indicators set by agencies in respect to measuring the success

26、of public participation programs.1.3DefinitionsIn undertaking a report into best practice in public participation in protected area management it is important to define the meaning of the words “public, “participation and “protected area. The definitions of public and participate for this report are

27、 derived from the Concise Oxford dictionary and include; public - “the (members of the) community in generalThe public as it relates to protected areas includes: individuals, neighbours to protected areas, protected area visitors, private companies or individuals whose business relate to or could be

28、 impacted on by protected area management, community groups with specific concerns, state, national and international community groups with an interest in conservation or the use of protected areas, government agencies, local government, any group that expresses an interest.participate - “have share

29、, take part (in thing, with person)The definition of protected area is derived from the IUCN definition, which has been adopted by the Committee; “An area of land and/or sea especially dedicated to the protection and maintenance of biological diversity and of natural and associated cultural resource

30、s and managed through legal or other effective means (IUCN 1994).2METHODOLOGYThis study on Public Participation in Protected Area Management Best Practice followed a four-stage approach as set out below:Stage 1 included a literature review with a focus on public participation in protected area manag

31、ement as well as public participation in the decision making processes of government (see References).Stage 2 revolved around a survey (Appendix 5) of the benchmarking partner agencies to ascertain the current levels of public participation undertaken by partner agencies. In addition to the partner

32、agencies, the WTMA (Wet Tropics Management Agency) and the GBRMPA (Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority) were invited to participate, although the GBRMPA declined.Stage 3 of the project involved a workshop held in Darwin over two days (9 and 10 August 2001). Representatives of the partner agenci

33、es were invited to attend the workshop to discuss issues and develop a best practice model.Stage 4 of the project entailed developing a draft report and in collaboration with the partner agencies, refining the report and best practice model.3BACKGROUND3.1A Brief OverviewThe desire by the public to b

34、ecome more involved in the decision making process of government has gathered pace over the past fifteen years or so. Historically, the responsibility for decision making in public life has been vested in elected representatives (politicians) and government agencies. The shift towards public involve

35、ment in the decision making process is essentially a change in emphasis - from substance (what should government do) to process (how should choices be made).It is difficult to identify why this change has come about and where it came from. At least in the field of protected area management, it is po

36、ssible that public involvement in decision making has been gathering pace since the establishment of the first national park in Australia in 1879. Irrespective of when or why the change came about, it is no longer possible for governments to make decisions in isolation of the people the decisions ar

37、e most likely to affect. All levels of Government recognise the value of involving local communities in decision making and to take a more active role in managing their local environments. State governments also now realise that community capacity building and enhancement of social capital can have

38、significant flowon effects in improving a States environmental, social and economic well being. The context of this project is the role of Australian and New Zealand protected area managers in promoting and administering public participation in protected area management. It should be mentioned that

39、most protected areas are a public asset and public participation is essential to ensuring they are properly managed and strongly supported by the public.3.2The Benefits and Disadvantages of Public Participation Ensuring successful public participation is a two way process, where both the agency and

40、the public can learn and gain benefits. The benefits of robust public participation include, but are not limited to: Improved understanding of client expectations and user group needs. Improved agency understanding of conservation issues. Improved agency understanding of the role and contribution of

41、 the community. Greater continuity in knowledge. The ability to build community support for a project and to improve stakeholder relationships. Improved public understanding of the agencys responsibilities. Improved staff and community technical knowledge. Improved agency credibility within the comm

42、unity. Improved quality of decision making by agencies. Enhancement of social capital and flow-on social and economic benefits. Enhanced and informed political process. Greater compliance through increased ownership of a solution. Greater community advocacy for biodiversity protection. Greater acces

43、s to community skills and knowledge.Improved community understanding of conservation issues and responsibility for conservation outcomes.Disadvantages Can be time consuming. Possible high financial costs. Need for staff training and capacity building within organisation. Difficulties in obtaining co

44、nstructive debate when interest groups are entrenched in their views.Case Study 1Voice of the Community - Belair National ParkDene Cordes, DEHAA, SATo gauge the true need for and benefits of community participation in protected area management in South Australia, one can look back and see what histo

45、ry tells us. In 1891 the first National Parks Act was passed and with it the Government established a Voluntary Board of Commissioners to run the Belair National Park (2nd oldest in Australia and 10th in the world). The Commissioners were the voice of the community highly regarded and carefully chosen. Many served until their deaths, so passionate were they for the Park. Their unpaid services continued for eighty years, until 1971 when the Government passed the NP&W Act. The Commissioners were abolished and there was no replacement community voice. In the next