Manitoba's forest policy regime: Incremental change, concepts, actors and relationships

Abstract

In response to the emergence of Sustainable Forest Management (SFM), forest operations, policies, and governance have become more inclusive of multiple values and of the people holding these values. To assess the extent to which these types of changes have occurred in Manitoba, government legislation and policy documents were examined and semi-directed interviews were conducted with 29 key actors in Manitoba's forest policy regime. In Manitoba, objectives, principles and concepts relating to sustainability and ecosystem-based management have been incorporated into forest policies but not in forest legislation. Additionally, public involvement opportunities have expanded and more people are now involved in advisory capacities. However, a closed policy network and institutional stability have meant that the provincial government and the forest industry maintain primary policy-and decision-making responsibility in Manitoba's forest policy regime. As a result, parties who would need to be included for SFM ideals to be realized are excluded from the network. For SFM to take a deeper hold in Manitoba in both policy and in management practices, transformative change needs to occur. A broader array of interests needs a voice at the center of the network, and The Forest Act requires amendment to entrench SFM principles and core concepts.Keywords: forest governance, Sustainable Forest Management, sustained yield, policy regime, Manitoba, public involvement, Aboriginal participation RÉSUMÉEn réaction à l'apparition de l'aménagement forestier durable (AFD), les opérations forestières, les politiques et la gouvernance tiennent maintenant davantage compte de multiples valeurs et des gens à qui elles tiennent à coeur. Pour évaluer dans quelle mesure ces types de changements sont survenus au Manitoba, nous avons passé en revue la législation gouvernementale et les documents politiques et conduit des entrevues semi-dirigées auprès de 29 acteurs-clefs de la politique forestière manitobaine. Dans cette province, les objectifs, les principes et les concepts de la durabilité et de l'aménagement écosystémique des forêts se retrouvent maintenant dans les politiques forestières, mais pas dans la législation forestière. De plus, le public a maintenant plus d' occasions de participer aux consultations et effectivement de plus en plus de personnes s'impliquent dans les mécanismes consultatifs. Toutefois, en raison d'un réseau politique fermé et de la stabilité des institutions, c' est encore le gouvernement provincial et l'industrie forestière qui prennent l' essentiel des décisions en matière de politiques et de législations dans le régime forestier du Manitoba. En conséquence, les parties qui devraient être impliquées afin d'atteindre les idéaux de l' AFD se trouvent encore exclues. Si l' on souhaite implanter davantage l' AFD au Manitoba, il reste d'importants changements à faire tant au niveau des politiques que dans l'aménagement. Il faudra en outre qu'un plus grand nombre d'intervenants ait voix au chapitre et la Loi sur les...

Framing Indigenous Bioenergy Partnerships

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