Third-Party Effects in Stakeholder Interviews

This paper examines the effect of having a third-party scientific expert present in stakeholder interviews. The study was conducted as part of a larger project on stakeholder engagement for natural resource management in the Verde Valley region of Arizona. We employed an experimental design, conducting stakeholder interviews both with and without an identified scientific expert present. Our sample consisted of 12 pairs of interviewees (24 total participants) who we matched based on their occupation, sex, and spatial proximity. For each pair, the scientific expert was present as a third party in one interview and absent in the other. We used a word-based coding strategy to code all interview responses for three known areas of sensitivity among the study population (risk, gatekeeping, and competence). We then performed both quantitative and qualitative analyses to compare responses across the two interview groups. We found that the presence of a scientific expert did not have a statistically significant effect on the mention of sensitive topics among stakeholders. However, our qualitative results show that the presence of a scientific expert had subtle influences on the ways that stakeholders discussed sensitive topics, particularly in placing emphasis on their own credibility and knowledge. Our findings indicate that researchers may be able to pursue collaborative, interdisciplinary research designs with multiple researchers present during interviews without concerns of strongly influencing data elicitation on sensitive topics. However, researchers should be cognizant of the subtle ways in which the presence of a third-party expert may influence the credibility claims and knowledge assertions made by respondents when a third-party expert is present during stakeholder interviews

Evidence for an FU Orionis-like Outburst from a Classical T Tauri Star

We present pre- and post-outburst observations of the new FU Orionis-like young stellar object PTF 10qpf (also known as LkHa 188-G4 and HBC 722). Prior to this outburst, LkHa 188-G4 was classified as a classical T Tauri star on the basis of its optical emission-line spectrum superposed on a K8-type photosphere, and its photometric variability. The mid-infrared spectral index of LkHa 188-G4 indicates a Class II-type object. LkHa 188-G4 exhibited a steady rise by ~1 mag over ~11 months starting in Aug. 2009, before a subsequent more abrupt rise of > 3 mag on a time scale of ~2 months. Observations taken during the eruption exhibit the defining characteristics of FU Orionis variables: (i) an increase in brightness by > 4 mag, (ii) a bright optical/near-infrared reflection nebula appeared, (iii) optical spectra are consistent with a G supergiant and dominated by absorption lines, the only exception being Halpha which is characterized by a P Cygni profile, (iv) near-infrared spectra resemble those of late K--M giants/supergiants with enhanced absorption seen in the molecular bands of CO and H_2O, and (v) outflow signatures in H and He are seen in the form of blueshifted absorption profiles. LkHa 188-G4 is the first member of the FU Orionis-like class with a well-sampled optical to mid-infrared spectral energy distribution in the pre-outburst phase. The association of the PTF 10qpf outburst with the previously identified classical T Tauri star LkHa 188-G4 (HBC 722) provides strong evidence that FU Orionis-like eruptions represent periods of enhanced disk accretion and outflow, likely triggered by instabilities in the disk. The early identification of PTF 10qpf as an FU Orionis-like variable will enable detailed photometric and spectroscopic observations during its post-outburst evolution for comparison with other known outbursting objects.Comment: 14 pages, 11 figures, ApJ accepte

A Conceptual Framework for Social, Behavioral, and Environmental Change through Stakeholder Engagement in Water Resource Management

Incorporating stakeholder engagement into environmental management may help in the pursuit of novel approaches for addressing complex water resource problems. However, evidence about how and under what circumstances stakeholder engagement enables desirable changes remains elusive. In this paper, we develop a conceptual framework for studying social and environmental changes possible through stakeholder engagement in water resource management, from inception to outcomes. We synthesize concepts from multiple literatures to provide a framework for tracing linkages from contextual conditions, through engagement process design features, to social learning, community capacity building, and behavioral change at individual, group, and group network levels, and ultimately to environmental change. We discuss opportunities to enhance the framework including through empirical applications to delineate scalar and temporal dimensions of social, behavioral, and environmental changes resulting from stakeholder engagement, and the potential for negative outcomes thus far glossed over in research on change through engagement

Participation and Power in the Gataifale: A Comparative Study of Samoan Coastal Marine Comanagement

This dissertation addresses a conspicuous gap in the fisheries and environmental management literature by presenting a comparative study of the historical, social, cultural, and institutional processes that inform coastal fisheries comanagement in Samoa. In small-scale fisheries across the Pacific, comanagement has emerged as the preferred approach to governance. Comanagement is a collaborative, cross-scale approach that frequently incorporates existing traditional and local institutions and supports shared responsibility and authority between government agencies and local leaders. Comanagement principles also encourage local participation in management and decision-making. While comanagement has produced positive ecological and social results in many settings, there is inconsistency in social outcomes across contexts, with examples of elite capture, the exclusion of marginalized social groups, and the continuation of centralized state control over resources. It is critical to identify and understand the processes and factors that contribute to this inconsistency, in order to create more just and sustainable fisheries management. This dissertation explores the complexity behind participation and power-sharing as drivers and outcomes of fisheries comanagement with a case study in Samoa, where two approaches to resource governance developed in the late 1990’s: the Community-Based Fisheries Management Programme (CBFMP) and the Marine Protected Area (MPA) program. Both employed comanagement principles; however, the CBFMP integrated traditional Samoan institutions and village-scale marine tenure systems to improve fisheries productivity for food security; in contrast, the MPA was designed around larger ecological scales and implemented a new institutional organization that prioritized conservation. Samoa presents a unique opportunity to compare institutional and operational differences between two common forms of coastal marine management in a shared social-ecological context, and to examine the situated factors that contribute to divergent outcomes. Drawing from mixed-methods fieldwork including household surveys, interviews, and participant observation on the island of Upolu, this study uses qualitative and quantitative analytical methods to compare the institutional histories, political processes, community perceptions, and social outcomes of these programs. Mixed-methods are frequently used in comanagement research in order to provide multiple benefits to an integrated study of the perceptions, processes, and outcomes of comanagement (Cinner et al., 2012; Levine & Richmond, 2014). As complimentary methods, combined qualitative and quantitative approaches make it possible to triangulate data, but also to recontextualize the partial knowledge created by each, and produce findings that elucidate the meaning and interrelationships informing actions and behaviors (Nightingale, 2003; Plano Clark, 2016). This dissertation presents data collected in eleven villages, including six active CBFMP villages and five in the designated MPAs, and comparatively analyzed with deductive and inductive methodologies. The dissertation integrates three areas of study: first, it interrogates conceptualizations of participation, power-sharing and equity in natural resource management, especially fisheries comanagement contexts; second, it presents a critical analysis of colonial legacies, traditional institutions, and legal pluralism that inform Samoan coastal comanagement; third, it presents a comparative analysis of local control and participation in current management processes. The integration of traditional Samoan cultural values and institutions and the adaptation of colonial institutions as the foundation of governance significantly determined the adaptive capacity of the programs. Following the 2009 South Pacific Tsunami, the MPA program ceased operations, while the village-centered CBFMP continued to expand. While communities in both programs perceived authority over coastal areas (the gataifale) to reside with traditional village leaders, the CBFMP villages expressed greater self-reliance and local control, and had significantly higher rates of participation in management activities and awareness of fishing restrictions than former MPA villages. The integration of traditional institutions in the CBFMP improved adaptive capacity compared to former MPA villages; however, without external support to facilitate management processes, traditional hierarchies and social obligations shaped participation, resulting in the exclusion of women and young men from formal decision-making, and community perceptions of inequality in management outcomes. Still, marginalized groups can also influence their leaders through traditional, informal Samoan processes of deliberation and consensus-building. The findings of this dissertation demonstrate that while the integration of traditional and local institutions into fisheries comanagement can support program resilience, equitable comanagement requires attention to the internal and cross-scale power hierarchies that inform decision-making processes and the distribution of management benefits and costs

Participation and Power in the Gataifale: A Comparative Study of Samoan Coastal Marine Comanagement

This dissertation addresses a conspicuous gap in the fisheries and environmental management literature by presenting a comparative study of the historical, social, cultural, and institutional processes that inform coastal fisheries comanagement in Samoa. In small-scale fisheries across the Pacific, comanagement has emerged as the preferred approach to governance. Comanagement is a collaborative, cross-scale approach that frequently incorporates existing traditional and local institutions and supports shared responsibility and authority between government agencies and local leaders. Comanagement principles also encourage local participation in management and decision-making. While comanagement has produced positive ecological and social results in many settings, there is inconsistency in social outcomes across contexts, with examples of elite capture, the exclusion of marginalized social groups, and the continuation of centralized state control over resources. It is critical to identify and understand the processes and factors that contribute to this inconsistency, in order to create more just and sustainable fisheries management. This dissertation explores the complexity behind participation and power-sharing as drivers and outcomes of fisheries comanagement with a case study in Samoa, where two approaches to resource governance developed in the late 1990’s: the Community-Based Fisheries Management Programme (CBFMP) and the Marine Protected Area (MPA) program. Both employed comanagement principles; however, the CBFMP integrated traditional Samoan institutions and village-scale marine tenure systems to improve fisheries productivity for food security; in contrast, the MPA was designed around larger ecological scales and implemented a new institutional organization that prioritized conservation. Samoa presents a unique opportunity to compare institutional and operational differences between two common forms of coastal marine management in a shared social-ecological context, and to examine the situated factors that contribute to divergent outcomes. Drawing from mixed-methods fieldwork including household surveys, interviews, and participant observation on the island of Upolu, this study uses qualitative and quantitative analytical methods to compare the institutional histories, political processes, community perceptions, and social outcomes of these programs. Mixed-methods are frequently used in comanagement research in order to provide multiple benefits to an integrated study of the perceptions, processes, and outcomes of comanagement (Cinner et al., 2012; Levine & Richmond, 2014). As complimentary methods, combined qualitative and quantitative approaches make it possible to triangulate data, but also to recontextualize the partial knowledge created by each, and produce findings that elucidate the meaning and interrelationships informing actions and behaviors (Nightingale, 2003; Plano Clark, 2016). This dissertation presents data collected in eleven villages, including six active CBFMP villages and five in the designated MPAs, and comparatively analyzed with deductive and inductive methodologies. The dissertation integrates three areas of study: first, it interrogates conceptualizations of participation, power-sharing and equity in natural resource management, especially fisheries comanagement contexts; second, it presents a critical analysis of colonial legacies, traditional institutions, and legal pluralism that inform Samoan coastal comanagement; third, it presents a comparative analysis of local control and participation in current management processes. The integration of traditional Samoan cultural values and institutions and the adaptation of colonial institutions as the foundation of governance significantly determined the adaptive capacity of the programs. Following the 2009 South Pacific Tsunami, the MPA program ceased operations, while the village-centered CBFMP continued to expand. While communities in both programs perceived authority over coastal areas (the gataifale) to reside with traditional village leaders, the CBFMP villages expressed greater self-reliance and local control, and had significantly higher rates of participation in management activities and awareness of fishing restrictions than former MPA villages. The integration of traditional institutions in the CBFMP improved adaptive capacity compared to former MPA villages; however, without external support to facilitate management processes, traditional hierarchies and social obligations shaped participation, resulting in the exclusion of women and young men from formal decision-making, and community perceptions of inequality in management outcomes. Still, marginalized groups can also influence their leaders through traditional, informal Samoan processes of deliberation and consensus-building. The findings of this dissertation demonstrate that while the integration of traditional and local institutions into fisheries comanagement can support program resilience, equitable comanagement requires attention to the internal and cross-scale power hierarchies that inform decision-making processes and the distribution of management benefits and costs

Emerging customs: Small-scale fishing practices in Aceh, Indonesia

Off the western coast of Sumatra among the islands of Pulau Banyak, fishing is the primary occupation for the men of Haloban. They are self-described “traditional” fishers, using low-tech gear and small boats to catch fish, octopus, lobster, and other sealife in the nearby coral reefs and mangroves. Women also regularly venture out into the deep mud of the mangroves to collect clams. Their efforts to extract livelihoods and subsistence from the reefs take place in an open-access commons with few formal institutions or enforcement mechanisms to regulate resource use. While explicit regulations and customary limitations on fishing in the coral reef commons are lacking, Haloban fishers improvise some common etiquette and practices that are adaptable to the shifting context. This case study presents Haloban fishers' use of the commons as situated practices, unarticulated and embedded within a complex socialeecological system. These practices reflect fishers' understanding of, and relationship with, their environment, and may represent a nascent form of local “rules-in-use”, informing behavior without direct social mechanisms for enforcement. This paper presents research collected using ethnographic methods, including participant observation at sea. As NGOs and government agencies work to craft management plans that share use of the reefs with tourism and conservation, a better understanding of actual resource use and fishing practice may inform more nuanced, adaptable, and truly “local” community-based management

Parameter estimation when outliers may be present in normal data

Typescript (photocopy).Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industrie

Participation, Power, and Equity: Examining Three Key Social Dimensions of Fisheries Comanagement

Comanagement of natural resources is a well-established approach to the management of common-pool resources such as small-scale fisheries, operating in multiple contexts and settings for over two decades. These programs are expected to be adaptable and promote social and ecological benefits, such as sustainable livelihoods and biodiversity goals. As programs mature, it is important to consider how some core principles of comanagement have manifested in practice, as well as whether they deliver on these promised benefits. Drawing from the conservation, small-scale fisheries, and fisheries management literature, this paper examines three fundamental principles of fisheries comanagement: participation, equity, and power. The conceptualization, definitions, and measures of each theme are presented, with discussion of the current gaps in the literature. We also demonstrate the deep interrelationships between these key dimensions of comanagement, and the need for greater attention to their combined influence on comanagement outcomes and processes. While the literature offers foundational ideas for incorporating these themes into fisheries comanagement practice, tethering these concepts to clear, but context-specific goals and practices is essential for improving social outcomes. We find that key goals of fisheries comanagement could be impeded by the lack of depth in addressing these themes in practice, and suggest the need for greater critical attention to their expressions in comanagement processes

Longitudinal assessment of an integrated approach to large-scale common-pool water resource management: a case study of Nebraska’s Platte River basin

The state of Nebraska, USA employs a localized, integrated approach to managing water resources to address escalating quantity challenges. Here, we assess differences between agricultural water users’ perceptions of water management in a water-stressed area of Nebraska after a first round of water management planning and perceptions of three other stakeholder groups in Nebraska immediately after a second round of water management planning. We also demonstrate the value of augmenting Ostrom’s common-pool resource management design principles with locally relevant criteria to evaluate water management at regional and statewide governance scales. Data from a survey of Platte River basin agricultural producers in 2012 were combined with survey data collected in 2019 from Platte basin agricultural producers, Platte basin non-farm residents, and non-farm residents across Nebraska. There were significant increases from 2012 to 2019 in Platte basin producers’ perceptions of four criteria and significant decreases in their perceptions of four other criteria. The current system continues to work relatively well, but notable exceptions endure, including a significant decrease in the number of agricultural producers who agree that there is equitable treatment of water users and trust in water management agencies. Non-farm respondents were significantly less likely than producers to agree that the current water management system is working well with regard to enforcing water-use rules