Ecosystem Based Management (EBM) has been broadly embraced by forestry companies, governments, and international certification agencies. However, despite the apparent agreement on and support for the EBM concept, most of these agencies have experienced some form of public pushback on what EBM looks like on the ground.
To address this gap, this project proposes a series of four local dialogue sessions to identify the source(s) of discomfort with what is being implemented on the ground as EBM translations. The proposed dialogue sessions are designed to identify and fully document the root causes of EBM “pinch points”. Each session will include pre-meeting interviews, an EBM overview, facilitated dialogue, reports and presentations summarizing key findings, and debriefing sessions. These sessions will also inform the development of four visual communications products (i.e., infographics) that can be used as a communication and public outreach tool.
Dialogue sessions will be held in four different resource-based communities and include a full spectrum of resource industry, government, NGO, ENGO, and public participants. Each session will build on the recent public outreach efforts of the fRI Research Healthy Landscapes Program, initiated by the website, www.LessonsFromNature.ca. The site itself, and the principles and examples embodied by it, will form the foundation for the discussions with stakeholders and will be used to help create an open, two-way dialogue.
The end result of this project will be:
- Increased clarity on, what areas of EBM are widely accepted, what areas are seen as pinch points, and what the root causes of these pinch points are.
- A summary of key knowledge gaps to direct future research investments and tangible opportunities for forestry companies to adjust practices to overcome concerns related to what EBM looks like when applied and to achieve more public support.
- A series of four communications and public outreach products that address key messages or communication barriers identified during the engagement process.
- Well-documented learnings as part of the foundation for future engagement processes designed specifically for EBM needs.
