The purpose of this study has been an investigation of citizen participation in USDA Forest Service land management planning for the Coronado National Forest (CNF) in southeastern Arizona. Using an interdisciplinary approach, this research combined concepts from the fields of sociology, political science, natural resource planning and management to develop methods for obtaining citizen input, promoting ethnic minority participation, and following Forest Service use of public comment in the planning process. Data from existing questionnaires and a short questionnaire developed specifically for planning forums were used to investigate forms of participation, determine which publics participate and ascertain levels of interest in natural resource planning. Participation on the CNF core planning team provided observations on use of the publics' input. Despite a 20 percent Mexican-American population surrounding the CNF, there was essentially no ethnic minority participation in planning forums designed to gather public issues. Data support the thesis that minorities did not participate because they did not generally think that natural resource questions were important and did not support land planning. Ethnic minorities will come to meetings when they are directly affected, despite a low sense of efficacy. Ethnic minorities had equal access to information about planning forums; however, very few were on the mailing list because they did not respond to a letter inviting them to be on the CNF mailing and generally did not answer requests for public comment. The Forest Service used the public comments received as the basis for writing issue statements which set the parameters for integrating land and resource planning. Results were reported back to the public for review and issue statements were subsequently revised as a result of citizen and other agency comment. Citizen participation is one way to overcome skepticism of the Forest Service resource management performed in the name of the public interest. Different syles of decision-making imply different roles for citizen participation. Elections are decided by voting and legislative votes are influenced by lobbying. In a bureaucracy, incremental decision-making suggests citizen participation in order to map the political terrain, satisficing encourages interest group negotiation, and the synoptic approach wants facts from the publics. To count votes when decisions are being made to satisfice adds irrelevant data that frustrates both decision-maker and public. Comprehensive and useful public comment can be obtained from a structured process that is appropriate to the decision-making style the agency is using. Citizen views are part of the decision, but so also are economics, legal requirements, and resource constraints. Only in elections do a majority of citizens who vote, win. Bureaucratic decisions are not so neat in terms of popular will. But that is inherent in a government run by three branches, the legislative, executive, and judicial, in a complex society.

The movement to protect wilderness resources can conflict with local intentions for land use and development, particularly in economically marginal areas. In rural Italy, on the island of Sardinia, the plan to create a Gennargentu National Park has incited active opposition on the part of the communities affected. In the town of Baunei, responses to environmental legislation are motivated by the desire to maintain communal control over common lands. Political action, both formal and informal, is organised by local understandings about the impact of certain laws and institutions on the town economy, principally by the restriction of residents' usi civici (traditional rights of usufruct). This thesis considers the role and meaning of the usi civici in Baunei, and the implications of this for environmental politics in Sardinia.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2006. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on August 14, 2007) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

No description available.

Thesis (MScFor (Forest and Wood Science))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / jfl2010 / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The past forest management strategies in Zambia did not allow participation of local communities in the management of Forest Reserves and sharing of benefits. The Zambia forest sector was reviewed between 1987 and 1997 culminating into the National Forestry Policy of 1998 and Forests Act of 1999, which provided for joint or participatory forestry management and share of derived benefits. In 2000, the Forestry Department initiated a pilot project to develop and implement JFM. This study was conducted in Dambwa JFM area in Livingstone to evaluate local people’s participation in JFM; perceptions on the effect of JFM on local livelihoods; and the impact of JFM on forest condition. The study was conducted through the use of household questionnaires, interviews with key informants, focus group discussions, field observation, and vegetation assessment. The results showed that more than half (68%) of the respondents were aware of JFM and almost the same number (64%) participated in JFM project. Participation of men in JFM activities was higher than women, although more women attended meetings than men. The results further showed that local management structures existed at district, forest area and village levels for coordination of JFM activities. Forest User Groups (FUGs) were also established in the area. The prominent FUG was the Mungongo oil pressing and was the only FUG functional at the time of the study. Forest Management Committee, Village Resources Management Committee and FUG members were found to be more involved in JFM activities than other members of the local community. Only a small number (8%) of local people reported improvement in household socio-economic conditions after the introduction of JFM, while the majority (79%) perceived the Forestry Department to be the major beneficiary in the JFM. The study revealed that there was a loss of enthusiasm in JFM among local people largely due to the absence of economic benefits and limited decision-making powers. However, the relationship between local people and Forestry Department was reported to have improved. The overall forest stocking was found to be low (219 SPH) with nearly all (90%) of the stems below 30 cm DBH, including the selected valuable tree species of Baikiaea plurijuga, Pterocarpus angolensis, Guibourtia coleosperma, Afzelia quanzensis and Colophospermum mopane. This implies that the forest area was previously overexploited rendering it uneconomical for commercial exploitation to provide benefits to local people on sustainable basis. However, the results showed a lot of saplings (10,000 SPH) in the Forest Reserve signifying adequate regeneration, including that of the valuable species, except for Afzelia quanzensis and Guibourtia coleosperma. The abundant natural regeneration implies that there was adequate forest protection and management following the introduction of JFM, which enhances regeneration. It is recommended that the Forestry Department should continue with public awareness on JFM to increase understanding and stakeholders’ involvement. The Forests Act of 1999 should be commenced and amended to support full implementation of JFM. The value of the forest also needs to be enhanced to increase benefit for local people and long-term conservation.

No description available.

Outdoor recreation on national forests near large urban centers is changing and diversifying as users of many ethnic and racial backgrounds increasingly choose urban-proximate forests as recreation sites. These changes are particularly evident on the national forests of Southern California where large numbers of individuals of Hispanic origins are utilizing dispersed, relatively undeveloped sites for day-use recreation activities including picnicking, barbecuing, and swimming. This usage is the focus of the study. Previous studies of outdoor recreation participation have treated ethnic group membership as a unidimensional, categorical variable. Using a social structural model, this study more fully explores inter- and intra-ethnic differences by examining the role of ancestry, generational status, and acculturation in influencing recreation experiences. Additionally, the study attempts a more holistic exploration of recreation experiences, including their meaning and significance as a way of more fully understanding the experience from the visitor's point of view. The study uses a combination of quantitative (on-site, self-administered surveys) and qualitative (semi-structured interviews and observations) methods to accomplish these objectives. From the results of the study it appears that Hispanic visitors to the study sites vary in terms of their structural characteristics. Certain forest sites are visited primarily by relatively unacculturated immigrants to the United States, with few Anglos or more acculturated Hispanic present. Other areas are composed of more acculturated individuals of longer generational tenure. In addition to structural variation in the study site's Hispanic visitors, there is also variation in meanings and preferences related to the recreation experience. Among the variables examined were past use history, social group composition, primary reason for the visit, what respecting the forest means, and place attachment. The largest differences among the study's respondents in the above questions were found between those of Anglo and Central American descent. Among the study's findings are that those of Anglo descent come to the sites more frequently and had been doing so for a longer time, are in smaller groups, and are less attached to the sites than those of Hispanic descent. Considerable structural differences between the two primarily Hispanic ancestral groups were revealed. The Central American response group contained more individuals born outside the United States and of lower acculturation levels. Hispanic participants born outside the United States were more dissimilar to Anglos in their responses to the questions related to recreation experiences than those born in the United States. / M.S.

The existing literature regarding the national forest planning process was reviewed and critiqued. This critique was aimed at identifying the planning process that was most likely to produce workable multiple-use national forest management plans without relying on procedures outside the process itself to make additional planning decisions. Using this criterion, it was determined that a planning process based on negotiations between the forest service and interested groups and/or individuals was the most promising planning process proposed to date. The nature of negotiated planning processes, national forest management plans, and computerized planning tools were investigated. Based on these investigations, performance criteria for computerized planning tools designed to operate within a negotiated national forest planning process were developed. These criteria called for such a planning tool to (1) be available and usable to all individuals and/or groups involved in the planning process, (2) be able to manage the planning process’s data management and modeling tasks, (3) be able to present data in a manner that facilitates understanding and communication, and (4) be able to develop an initial management plan that can serve as a starting point for the negotiation process. Finally, a prototype planning tool designed to meet the performance criteria just presented was developed and tested. In order to meet the third performance criterion, this prototype used maps as its primary data representation and presentation medium. Since the prototype was based on mapped data manipulation, it relied heavily on geographic information system (GIS) technology. The prototype also utilized simulation, optimization and economic modeling techniques. In addition to its ability to function within a negotiated planning framework, the prototype planning tool developed in this study also demonstrated the ability of such tools to build spatially defined forest management plans. No existing planning tool has this ability (including FORPLAN, the Forest Service’s current planning tool), and some authors have expressed doubt that any computerized system could develop spatially defined management plans. However, since this study’s prototype tool developed management plans that could be represented using maps, it by definition developed management plans that were spatially defined. When the prototype was tested, it was found to behave in a logical, intuitively appealing manner. For example, the system responded to increased timber values by increasing cutting operations, and to increased recreational values by decreasing management actions that adversely impact recreation (i.e., timber production). It was concluded that building an operational version of such a planning tool was feasible, and specific recommendations regarding how such a tool could be built were provided. / Ph. D.

No description available.

This creative project examined design and management alternatives for the Hardin Ridge Recreation Area located in the Hoosier National Forest. The design intent of the project was to develop Hardin Ridge into a wildland recreation facility which offered visitors a variety of experiential opportunity and choice, and provided experiences which could effectively accommodate a demographically diversified population. This project would also provide environmental educational opportunities and attempt to retain the integrity of the sites natural systems. An examination of the importance and benefits of outdoor recreation, National Forest Service recreational planning, outdoor recreation demographic diversity and outdoor recreation design issues was conducted in formulating the projects design criteria and theory. This design criteria and theory was then utilized to create the design concepts directly applicable to the Hardin Ridge project site and develop a design ideology applicable to most U.S. wilderness recreation areas. The final product of the study was a design and management plan which effectively addressed the design objectives at Hardin Ridge and created a design model capable of meeting similar design objectives at the national level. / Department of Landscape Architecture