Barriers and Opportunities for Public Participation in Swedish Biosphere Reserves

Abstract

This thesis examines what barriers and opportunities exist for public participation in addressing biodiversity loss and adapting to climate change in Swedish biosphere reserves (BRs). This was approached by conducting an instrumental case study of all seven BRs in Sweden, consisting of semi-structured interviews and a case-specific literature review. The results identified that while a significant gap in integrating biodiversity protection with CCA in Swedish BRs exists, the inherent flexibility and local grounding of the BR approach represent a missed opportunity for effectively integrating these issues. Moreover, public participation in Swedish BRs is shaped by a participation design consisting of three key components, namely interest representation, participation opportunities, and degree of influence. These components aim to achieve certain objectives and are enabled or disabled by ambiguous barriers and opportunities. Five such ambiguous barriers and opportunities were identified: awareness and understanding, resource availability, willingness to participate, conflicting interests, and the political context. This paper recommends practitioners to clearly define public participation, its goals for BRs, and enhance collaboration between them and municipalities to better integrate biodiversity conservation with CCA efforts. This thesis not only fills a scholarly gap but also offers a scaffold for enhancing the role and understanding of public participation in the context of Swedish BRs.

Popular Abstract

To Protect, Develop, or Compromise? Fostering Public Engagement in Sweden’s Biosphere Reserves

Introduction

In the face of worsening climate change and an unprecedented global loss of biodiversity, what role do individuals play in tackling these problems? What drives their engagement, and what holds them back?

This thesis sought out to identify the barriers and opportunities for public participation in the context of Sweden’s seven biosphere reserves (BRs). BRs are model regions designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) that seek to find integrated solutions for sustainable development and biodiversity protection, with public participation as a cornerstone. This makes them interesting case studies for the nexus of climate change, biodiversity loss, and public participation. To achieve this aim, this project examined the BR approach to sustainable development and the ways in which it creates opportunities for integrating biodiversity protection and climate change adaptation (CCA), as well as the perceived purpose of BRs, the conceptualization of public participation, and the potential influence of the political context. While an integration of biodiversity conservation and CCA was found to largely be missing explicitly from the practical reality of Swedish BRs, five key factors that drive or hinder public participation were identified: awareness and understanding of the concept, personal resources, willingness to participate, conflicts of interest, and the political backdrop.

Barriers and Opportunities for Public Participation in Swedish Biosphere Reserves

Our planet is home to a vast abundance of ecosystems, each supporting a complex web of species and ecological processes. Understanding and preserving these ecosystems is crucial for maintaining biodiversity and supporting the wide variety of services they provide to our social systems. However, these ecosystems are also home to communities whose needs sometimes clash with conservation efforts. For example, should forests be left untouched and preserved, or commercially exploited to generate profit for the local economy?

This dilemma underscores the challenge of balancing ecological preservation with social and economic development, a challenge the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme seeks to address. More than 700 biosphere reserves in over 130 countries have been designated as model regions with the mission to reconcile biodiversity conservation with the sustainable development of the local communities living in the area. To ensure that the needs of the local people are adequately considered, public participation is anchored as a cornerstone of the program. Therefore, to effectively meet the multifaceted goals of this program, it is critical to understand what barriers and opportunities exist for the public to participate in its efforts to protect yet develop these areas.

In Sweden, there are seven such BRs, dispersed across the country, each with their own unique local context. To understand to what extent and in what ways public participation actually unfolds within Sweden’s BRs, semi-structured interviews were conducted with both BR staff and local inhabitants from almost all BRs. In addition, case-specific literature was reviewed and used to complement the personal insights of the interviewees. The study utilized an adapted analytical framework to examine who participates, when participation occurs, how it takes shape, and why it is pursued.

The thesis found that Swedish BRs serve as inclusive platforms for dialogue, collaboration, and conflict resolution, welcoming various stakeholders including public authorities, inhabitants, associations, and private sector representatives, each with differing levels of influence and representation (who). Participation opportunities, such as board membership and dialogue sessions (how), are available across different stages of BR development (when). Lastly, the overarching goals for public involvement are to enhance local democracy and contribute to distinct BR goals (why).

However, there are multifaceted aspects at play that can manifest as either barriers or opportunities for this overall participation process and its outcomes. These encompass the level of awareness and understanding of the BR concept, the availability of personal resources, the willingness of individuals to engage, the presence of conflicting interests, and the overarching political context. Furthermore, although the integration of biodiversity conservation and CCA is largely explicitly absent from the current practical reality of Swedish BRs, the project found great potential for the BR approach to realize such aspirations.

Consequently, as the world grapples with the escalating impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss, BRs offer a unique arena for integrated solutions. Yet, realizing their full potential requires concerted efforts to address barriers and foster opportunities for public participation. To this end, the study proposes two recommendations for relevant stakeholders: to create clear definitions of public participation and its goals in Swedish BRs; and to enhance the collaboration between BRs and municipalities to integrate CCA with biodiversity protection efforts.

• author: Fink, Franziska and Nilsson, Frida
• supervisor: Mo Hamza
• organization: Division of Risk Management and Societal Safety
• course: VBRM15 20241
• year: 2024
• type: H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
• subject: Earth and Environmental Sciences
• keywords: Public participation, biosphere reserves, biodiversity, climate change adaptation, conservation, sustainable development, UNESCO
• language: English
• id: 9160963
• date added to LUP: 2024-06-13 13:51:52
• date last changed: 2024-06-13 13:51:52