Excerpt
During the past decade, a number of public and private conservation agencies have argued that the form of social organization employed to deliver soil and water conservation programs at the local level significantly influences the effectiveness of conservation initiatives. The form of social organization that has been advanced as being the most effective is a coalition of groups working collectively to achieve conservation goalsusually at the watershed level.
Proponents of the coalition form of social organization argue that cooperation among conservation groups working within watersheds will result in better utilization of limited economic and human resources. It is posited that the elimination of over lapping and/or duplicate programs will result in cost savings and better administration of conservation programs. Proponents suggest that interagency cooperation will reduce the effort required by clients to identify relevant conservation programs because staff persons in coalition groups will be aware of relevant programs offered by other cooperating agencies. It is also argued that involvement of local people in the decision making process about the development and implementation of conservation programs will result in greater acceptance of conservation recommendations among client groups. It is believed that potential program participants will be much more supportive of …
Footnotes
Ted L. Napier is with The Ohio State University, Department of Human and Community Resources Development and the School of Natural Resources, Columbus, Ohio. Edited version of an invited paper presented at the Seventh International Symposium on Society and Resource Management May 1998. University of Missouri-Columbia Columbia, Missouri Conservation Coalitions Cannot Overcome Poor Conservation Programming.
- Copyright 1998 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society
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