Disconnects between the enabling legislation and management planning

Abstract

The natural resource management paradigm in place for the past century has favored an expert-client approach, whereby managers have used wise biological principles in conjunction with clientele preferences to enable local, regional, and national decision-making. This paradigm, though acceptable when the primary clients were direct resource consumers (e.g., fishermen, hunters, loggers) and when the country's population was much smaller, has resulted in resource management plans that are tilted towards ecosystem protection, biophysical quantification, and ecological monitoring. However, the behaviors and ethos of society have changed in the past several decades, resulting in subsistence living's giving way to the grocery store, increased commercial distribution of goods, and mass media campaigns that reach the citizenry in short order. In light of this change, a disconnect has become apparent between the intent of resource management and the implementation of it.

Parent Publication

• Proceedings of the 2006 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium

Citation

Hawkins, Christopher; Loomis, David K. 2007. Disconnects between the enabling legislation and management planning. In: Burns, R.; Robinson, K., comps. Proceedings of the 2006 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium; 2006 April 9-11; Bolton Landing, NY. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-14. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station: 280-287.