Pekka Salmi

Collaborative Moose Hunting Planning: A Finnish Case

Interest in effective stakeholder collaboration in moose management is growing in Finland. Success is critical because moose are an ecologically, socially, and economically important game animal and pest, especially in Fennoscandia. In Finland, for over two decades regional multi-stakeholder meetings have had an informal consultative role in regional planning for moose hunting. Moose management in Finland informs an understanding of the key factors behind stakeholder perceptions of legitimate and acceptable policy. We found a marked difference in the perspectives of regional administrators responsible for arranging stakeholder meetings and stakeholders participating in the meetings with respect to the impact of collaboration on management. The evidence suggests, given the current national institutional context, that neither perceived progress in communication between representatives nor broadening of stakeholder representation would strongly improve the level of general satisfaction with current policy in conflicting situations.