Antecedents to Collaborative Resource Management: An Assessment of Stakeholders' Perceptions of Resource Management in the Copper River Watershed, Alaska

Abstract

Collaborative approaches to watershed management have become more common due to the increasing complexity of environmental issues, the amount of information needed to develop sustainable solutions and the multiple government jurisdictions often contained within a watershed's boundaries. This thesis applies a case study research design to explore the factors that inhibit and facilitate collaborative resource management in the Copper River watershed of south central Alaska. Interviews with diverse stakeholders revealed that healthy salmon populations are at the core of most parties' interests. Stakeholders also agreed on the threats to the region's salmon populations. Together, these provide common ground for establishing a collaborative management framework. However, there is a strong history of distrust between stakeholders as well as major communication and coordination challenges inherent to large, undeveloped regions. This study helps illuminate how a collaborative management framework can overcome these challenges and better integrate traditionally underrepresented populations into natural resource management decisions.