ALGORITMO DE DENAVIT-HARTENBERG PARA LA

Arguments expressed by interviewees as to why EN should use DIPs w \ere voiced from the perspective of organisational effectiveness - seeing DIPs as a means to improve E N ’s leverage over other pohcy decisions, and to maximise the support and commitment of

stakeholders to delivering E N ’s programmes. Interestingly, there was no reference to the democratic and ethical-normative arguments in favour of DIPs found in the literature. Three key themes dominated the replies - more effective communication leading to productive relationships with others, more effective decision-making, and effective policy implementation.

(i) More effective communication and productive stakeholder relationships

Through the two-way dialogue characteristic of DIPs, interviewees recognized how their use could improve the effectiveness o f stakeholder relationships and help to develop new ‘ways o f engaging with a wider range of people than we currently do’ (Manager). It was hoped that through deliberative discussions EN would be able to communicate its core messages in an open and transparent way, reducing mistrust and misunderstanding over aspects o f conservation management. This links to the role o f DIPs as educative processes, where through deliberation people can gain a better understanding of conservation issues, and explore their own understandings and priorities for nature. The former is a particular motivation for EN because of the limited public understanding of certain conservation issues (notably in the marine environment), and management activities (such as tree-felling in heathland):

‘I’v e h a d a c o u p le o f sites w h e r e th e c o m m u n ity h a s b e e n q u ite v o c if e r o u s o n th e e d g e s o f th e site an d b e e n q u ite c o n c e r n e d a b o u t w h a t w e ’v e b e e n d o i n g . . .Q u ite o f t e n a lo t o f c o n c e r n o u t o f c o m m u n itie s c o m e s fr o m n o t k n o w in g w h a t’s h a p p e n in g , n o t u n d e r sta n d in g w h a t’s h a p p e n in g . S o i f y o u can p r o v id e th e in fo r m a tio n , th e rea ssu ra n ce an d th e c o n s ta n t c o m m u n ic a tio n th e n a lo t o f th o s e d iffic u lt situ a tio n s d o n ’t arise, or it’s m u c h s m o o th e r . S o I ’v e alw ays tried to k eep p e o p le in f o r m e d as to w h a t’s h a p p e n in g . A n d k e e p a d ia lo g u e g o in g , a n d m ak e p e o p le fe e l th a t th ey can c o m e a n d talk to y o u a b o u t th in g s. S o m e t im e s s u c c e s s fu lly an d s o m e tim e s n o t .’ (L o c a l T e a m S taff)

With regard to the role of DIPs as providing opportunities for people to explore their own values, this is increasingly seen as an important way for EN to gain a better understanding o f the needs and interests of its stakeholders, so as to better inform its policies and improve its ability to enhance peoples’ experience and appreciation of nature:

’I f w e are clairning to p r o te c t w ild life at le a s t in p art s o p e o p le ca n a p p recia te it a n d h a v e th is a e sth e tic e x p e r ie n c e an d w h a te v e r , w e n e e d to fin d o u t fr o m th e m w h a t th e y w a n t in ca se w e ’v e g o t c o m p le te ly th e w r o n g e n d o f th e stick .’ (S p ecia list)

Interviewees envisaged a range of outcomes from improved dialogue. Transformative benefits from participation are well documented in the literature (e.g. Innes & Booher, 1999; Warburton, 1997, Healey et al, 1999), and the development of intellectual, social and institutional capital, were implicitly referred to by interviewees as desirable outcomes for English Nature. It was hoped that the use of DIPs would lead to better informed participants (including EN), improved trust in E N ’s advice, better positioning for EN in local social networks, and improved ability to work productively with its stakeholders. (ii) Effective decision-making

The second group of objectives focused on the effectiveness o f decision-making itself, under the (contested) assumption that DIPs would lead to better decisions for nature conservation. Interviewees felt that participatory processes could help collate the knowledge and information of others, in order to make substantively better decisions, especially in relation to large-scale, complex sites where knowledge and responsibility is distributed across a wide stakeholder group. In addition, DIPs were seen as an tool that could help EN capture the social and cultural values o f nature which EN tends not to represent itself, and then incorporate them in a rigorous way into policy decisions. DIPs are well understood as being a suitable mechanism to capture non-monetary, ‘common good’ values o f nature such as local distinctiveness and place-based values (Harrison et al,

1999). It was argued that this would not only raise the awareness o f the multiple ways in which nature is valued, but also lead to more accurate assessments of the environmental costs and benefits o f potential policies:

‘W e ’v e s e e n , in o u r v ie w , b a d d e c is io n s m a d e in c o s t - b e n e f it an alysis w h ic h h a v e a d v e r se ly a ffe c te d n atu re c o n s e r v a tio n b e c a u s e th e y h a v e n ’t ta k e n th e v a lu e o f b io d iv e r s ity in t o a c c o u n t ... S o it is p u rely a te c h n ic a l is s u e o f w h e th e r p a r ticip a to ry p r o c e s s e s c o u ld le a d to a b e tte r c o s t -b e n e fit d e c is io n . A n d b y b e tte r w e m e a n o n e th at in o u r v ie w w o u ld p r o te c t n atu re b e tte r th a n p r e v io u s s y s te m s ’ (S p ecia list)

(iii) Effective policy delivery

The effective dehvery of nature conservation pohcy requires the support and commitment o f E N ’s stakeholders to implement decisions. This was identified as the key motivation for one interviewee for his proposal that local EN teams should set up advisory groups to advise on the management of designated sites and on the distribution of grant schemes;

K a te — ‘A n d w h a t’s y o u r o v era ll m o t iv a tio n fo r d o in g th is? ’

L o c a l T e a m s t a f f - ‘W e ll b e tte r d eliv ery I th in k . . . . Y o u k n o w th e m o r e y o u in v o lv e p e o p le in se ttin g th e v is io n a n d v a lu e s fo r an o r g a n is a tio n , th e m o r e likely th a t th e y are to b e s ig n e d u p to th e m . I f th ey fe e l th e y h a v e h e lp e d to d e sig n a w ild life e n h a n c e m e n t s c h e m e th e m o r e lik ely th e y are t o ta k e to m o n e y an d to d e liv e r it b e c a u s e th e y ’v e to ld y o u h o w th e y ca n d o it. S o , th a t’s clearly a u s e fu l th in g to d o .’ (L o ca l team )

Interviewees who had been involved in participatory processes either as participants or organisers, noted how as a result of being involved in proactive dehberation, biodiversity goals were more likely to be to be integrated at an earher stage into the decision-making processes o f others. It was also hoped that potential conflicts between conservationists and local communities or developers could be rninimised:

‘B u t i t ’s a m a tter fo r m e 1 th in k o f m a k in g su re th a t s o m e o f th e trickier areas o f o u r w o r k — s o m e o f th e m o r e c h a lle n g in g is su e s th a t w e h a v e to g ra p p le w ith , are e x p lo r e d w ith o th e r s b e fo r e th e y b e c o m e a p r o b le m fo r o th e r p e o p le .’ (M anager)

Motivations for the use of DIPs to build local capacity amongst stakeholders (i.e. knowledge, networks and motivation for collective action) were also linked to E N ’s ultimate goal for better dehvery of its pohcies. For example, the objective to use DIPs to build capacity among participants to develop a sense o f ownership and stewardship towards the sustainable management of the environment voiced by one interviewee, was driven in part by a desire to increase stakeholder commitment to dehvering EN pohcies and reducing the need for EN to use its statutory powers. In this context DIPs were seen as a mechanism to ultimately lead to more self-regulating environmental governance systems.