Perceived inclusivity and trust in protected area management decisions among stakeholders in Alaska

[摘要] 1. The success of conservation initiatives often depends on the inclusion of diversestakeholder interests in the decision-making process. Yet, there is a paucityof empirical knowledge concerning the factors that explain why stakeholdersdo—or do not— believe that they are meaningfully represented by governmentagencies.2. Our study provides insight into the relationship between trust and stakeholderperceptions of inclusivity in public land management decisions. Here, we focuson the U.S. state of Alaska, where almost two-thirds of the land area are managed by the federal government.3. We used structural equation modelling to test whether an individual's trust andthe information sources used to learn about land management positively influenced perceived inclusivity. We conceptualized trust in terms of four dimensionsthat reflected an individual's disposition to trust, trust in the federal government, trust in shared values and trust that agencies adhere to a moral code.4. We found that survey respondents across the U.S. state of Alaska had a limiteddisposition to trust others, did not trust federal land management agencies, didnot believe agencies shared their values pertaining to protected area management and did not believe that agencies adhered to a moral code.5. Beliefs about the morality of agencies were the primary driver of perceived inclusivity in land management decisions, indicating that agencies should focuson solving problems through deliberation and discussion about moral principlesrather than by force.6. Information acquired from professional, community-based or environmentaladvocacy exchanges also positively influenced perceived levels of involvementamong stakeholders in resource management decisions.

[学科分类] 护理学

[关键词] Alaska;inclusive conservation;protected areas;public lands;social learning;social science;trust