Identifying the conditions underlying the success of community-based coastal resource management initiatives, case study: Atlantic Coastal Action Program (ACAP)

Winkler, Jessica P. (2005) Identifying the conditions underlying the success of community-based coastal resource management initiatives, case study: Atlantic Coastal Action Program (ACAP). Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

Coastal resource management in Canada has historically been characterized by institutional arrangements in which responsibilities are allocated among the various levels and sectors within government. Since the mid 1960s, there has been a marked shift toward the direct involvement of the general public in resource and environmental management; however, only recently has such public involvement emerged in coastal resource management issues. One example illustrating this involvement is the Atlantic Coastal Action Program (ACAP). Despite greater efforts to involve the public in the management of the coastal environment, very little effort has been invested in evaluating how successful this has been. Such evaluative research has more widely been applied to the fields of social policy, medicine, and education; in contrast few research papers have been written on evaluating community involvement in natural resource management programs. ACAP is used as the case study in the following research to identify the organizational conditions underlying success for community-based environmental initiatives. Specifically, this research developed an evaluative framework comprised of criteria, indicators, and measurable variables incorporated from resource management and program evaluation literature, Environment Canada, and ACAP Coordinators. The present research found that the most significant conditions underlying the success of community-based initiatives were organizational networks, community involvement, technical expertise, and enthusiastic/devoted coordinator, and organization. This was contrary to the conditions cited most frequently in the resource management literature including funding, community-involvement, organizational networks, and technical expertise. The evaluation indicated that Bluenose, Bedeque Bay, Humber Arm, St. John's, Southeast Environmental, and Miramichi achieved the highest scores through displaying the greatest degree of significant conditions underlying success. This evaluative research provides resource managers with an understanding of whether their community-based initiative has the necessary conditions and how to implement more successful community-based initiatives in the future.

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