Katherine Mattor

Examining the adaptability of collaborative governance associated with publicly managed ecosystems over time: insights from the Front Range Roundtable, Colorado, USA

We examine the adaptability of collaborative governance regimes associated with publicly managed ecosystems as they move from direction-setting to implementation phases. This is an under-researched topic and is particularly relevant given the growth of collaborative environmental governance efforts around the globe. Through an in-depth analysis of a case study spanning 10 years of the Front Range Roundtable in Colorado, USA, we examine the effect of forces internal and external to the Roundtable on three attributes associated with the adaptive capacity of environmental governance: social capital, learning, and flexibility in implementing innovative actions. We find that the Roundtable has been highly sensitive to internal and external changes, and that the absence of mechanisms through which social networks and learning can be durably linked to implementation decisions of bureaucracies with management authority compromises the Roundtables continued adaptability. From this case study, we develop three empirically testable propositions related to social capital and learning, national policy change, and boundary objects as collaborative regimes transition to implementation, along with an analytical framework to examine collaborative governance change and adaptability over time.

Managing bark beetle impacts on ecosystems and society: priority questions to motivate future research

Summary 1. Recent bark beetle outbreaks in North America and Europe have impacted forested landscapes and the provisioning of critical ecosystem services. The scale and intensity of many recent outbreaks are widely believed to be unprecedented. 2. The effects of bark beetle outbreaks on ecosystems are often measured in terms of area affected, host tree mortality rates, and alterations to forest structure and composition. 3. Impacts to human systems focus on changes in property valuation, infrastructure damage from falling trees, landscape aesthetics, and the quality and quantity of timber and water resources. 4. To advance our understanding of bark beetle impacts, we assembled a team of ecologists, land managers and social scientists to participate in a research prioritization workshop. 5. Synthesis and applications. We identified 25 key questions by using an established methodology to identify priorities for research into the impacts of bark beetles. Our efforts emphasize the need to improve outbreak monitoring and detection, educate the public on the ecological role of bark beetles, and develop integrated metrics that facilitate comparison of ecosystem services across sites.

Striking the balance between budgetary discretion and performance accountability: the case of the US Forest Service’s approach to integrated restoration

Budgetary discretion affords agencies flexibility to accomplish complex goals but must be balanced with accountability. Recently, Congress increased budgetary discretion and changed performance measures to support integrated forest restoration. We use this experiment to explore how an agency utilizes budgetary discretion and how this discretion interacts with performance measurement. We find that while the flexibility has allowed the agency to pursue integrated goals, performance measures divert attention from addressing complex problems. Our findings suggest that performance measures are not a panacea for accountability and need to be combined with other mechanisms, such as internal guidance and oversight from collaborative partners.

The Effects of Mountain Pine Beetle on Drinking Water Quality: Assessing Communication Strategies and Knowledge Levels in the Rocky Mountain Region

Widespread tree mortality in forested watersheds affected by the mountain pine beetle (MPB) epidemic across western North America raised public concerns about the effects of this climate-induced disturbance on drinking water resources. Effective communication is essential for constructively responding to such disturbances. This chapter presents an assessment of drinking water stakeholder knowledge levels, information needs, concerns, and suggested communication strategies via an expert elicitation survey in 2013. This research provides improved understanding of the challenges, concerns, and experience of drinking water providers. Knowledge levels were relatively low with 50% of respondents reporting little to no knowledge of the effects of MPB on drinking water quality. Recommendations include dissemination of non-academic research summaries, exchange of information through existing media and community resources, demonstration projects, and information clearinghouses.