Climate Change Scenario Planning in Alaska's National Parks: Stakeholder Involvement in the Decision-Making Process

Journal Article · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 2013 · Applied Geography

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2013.08.004· OSTI ID:1110870

Ernst, Kathleen M ^[1]; Van Riemsdijk, Dr. Micheline ^[2]

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1. ORNL
2. University of Tennessee (UT)

This article studies the participation of stakeholders in climate change decision-making in Alaska s National Parks. We place stakeholder participation within literatures on environmental and climate change decision-making. We conducted participant observation and interviews in two planning workshops to investigate the decision-making process, and our findings are three-fold. First, the inclusion of diverse stakeholders expanded climate change decision-making beyond National Park Service (NPS) institutional constraints. Second, workshops of the Climate Change Scenario Planning Project (CCSPP) enhanced institutional understandings of participants attitudes towards climate change and climate change decision-making. Third, the geographical context of climate change influences the decision-making process. As the first regional approach to climate change decision-making within the NPS, the CCSPP serves as a model for future climate change planning in public land agencies. This study shows how the participation of stakeholders can contribute to robust decisions, may move climate change decision-making beyond institutional barriers, and can provide information about attitudes towards climate change decision-making.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 1110870
• Journal Information: Applied Geography, Journal Name: Applied Geography Vol. 45; ISSN 0143-6228
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

Alaska
Climate change
adaptation
decision-making
stakeholder participation