Local Visions for Patagonia: Drivers and Dynamics of Collaborative Environmental Governance in Aysén, Chile

Author

Zachary J. Hummel, University of Montana, MissoulaFollow

Year of Award

2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

Master of Science (MS)

Degree Name

Resource Conservation (International Conservation and Development)

Other Degree Name/Area of Focus

Natural Resources Conflict Resolution Graduate Certificate

Department or School/College

Department of Society and Conservation

Committee Chair

Keith Bosak

Commitee Members

Dr. Keith Bosak, Dr. Sarah J. Halvorsen, Shawn Johnson, Dr. Trace Gale

Keywords

collaborative governance; integrative framework for collaborative governance; environmental management; co-management in Patagonia; drivers and dynamics; community involvement in decision-making

Subject Categories

Environmental Law | Environmental Studies | Geography | Latin American Studies

Abstract

Collaborative governance (CG) has emerged as a tool for addressing increasingly complex societal problems by engaging a diverse of set of cross-sector actors in a deliberative process with the aim of realizing consensus-driven outcomes. Emerson et al.’s (2011) Integrated Framework for Collaborative Governance (IFCG) attempts to improve understanding of these arrangements by articulating causal connections between collaborative drivers and dynamics across different contexts. Answering researchers’ call for more empirical support for the IFCG in non-US/European contexts, I used the framework to guide 10 interviews with collaborative governance practitioners in the comanaged marine protected area, AMCP-MU Pitipalena Añihue, located in Aysén, Chile. I found that the overall framework is useful for conceptualizing key collaborative dynamics in Aysén—those dynamics most prominent in participant perspectives in determining AMCP-MU functionality and effectiveness. Dynamics were closely linked to the Collaborative Governance Regime’s (CGR) structural and functional evolution, varying alongside the collaborative’s lifecycles. Additionally, I found that the role and significance of certain IFCG elements, particularly capacity elements, were acutely related to external context, which is deeply influenced by international and political pressures. This relationship between capacity and context suggests that there are likely important differences in the role and influence of elements of the framework based on the environmental, legal, and geographic context in which the framework is applied. Future research could explore whether these relationships appear as patterns in certain geographies (i.e. the global South) and how the framework could be revised to reflect these patterns.

Recommended Citation

Hummel, Zachary J., "Local Visions for Patagonia: Drivers and Dynamics of Collaborative Environmental Governance in Aysén, Chile" (2024). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 12390.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/12390