It's the Process, not the Project: The Role of Social Capital in Adaptive Co-Management in Northwest Minnesota

Abstract

Changing behavior to improve water quality must be endogenous, arising from a balancing or integration of self-interest and shared interests. The subject of this study is the public who are not organized, affiliated or represented by any government agency or special interest group. Property owners living upstream and downstream of a water management control structure were surveyed to determine experiences and opinions about that project. Respondents supported the project, but expressed greater support for the process used to develop the project. The adaptive co-management process used to develop the project built a social organization including norm-based processes, shared goals, and a framework for continuous learning. The resulting social framework provides the opportunity for the individual to modify self interest and to accept the shared interest of the process. Long-term monitoring is recommended to measure ecological and organizational performance of the project.