Trees and Trade-offs: A stakeholder approach to natural resource management
Stakeholder Analysis (SA) can help us to understand better the objectives and interests of the various stakeholders managing and using the environment, the trade-offs there may be between objectives, and the costs and benefits of change and intervention at both macro and micro levels. Incorporating these ideas into environmental planning can improve prediction of outcomes, reduce the risk of unforeseen resistance, and generally facilitate informed policy-making.
The paper opens with a short review of SA - what it is, and what it involves. It then discusses SA in the specific context of tree resources, classifying stakeholders along a continuum from micro to macro levels. After considering their objectives and their
valuations of tree resources, the paper analyses the trade-offs and conflicts of interest inherent in these positions. Of central concern are the trade-offs between conflicting macro and micro interests pertaining to the environment. The paper closes with a consideration of the general implications of the study for planning and policy making.
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Available at https://www.iied.org/6066iied