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Values, Interests and Positions: Public Engagement in National Forest Management. Deb Whitall, Ph.D. Social Scientist, Pacific Southwest Region Sierra Cascade Dialog Session February 24, 2011 Sacramento, California.
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Values, Interests and Positions: Public Engagement in National Forest Management Deb Whitall, Ph.D. Social Scientist, Pacific Southwest Region Sierra Cascade Dialog Session February 24, 2011 Sacramento, California
Values, Interests and Positions: Public Engagement in National Forest Management What does an iceberg and an orange have in common? There’s more to them than first meets the eye…
Values, Interests and Positions: Public Engagement in National Forest Management Beyond the tip of the iceberg:Most of the story lies beneath the water.. .
Values, Interests and Positions: Public Engagement in National Forest Management Distinguishing between Positions, Interests, and Values: • Position is what you say you want: “I want to build a campground here,” • Interests are the reasons why you take that position, “Because I want a quiet camping spot with a good view of the mountains,” • and are based on Values, “Being in natural settings is a spiritual experience”
Values, Interests and Positions: Public Engagement in National Forest Management There are instances, however, in which conflict results from a clash of values: • If individuals or groups have radically different ideas about the best way to live they are likely to stress the importance of different things and have very different, even incompatible interests. • Values tend to be stable and non-negotiable. • Thus, interest-based problem solving is effective in interest-based disputes, but it should not be applied to disputes involving deep differences in values.
Values, Interests and Positions: Public Engagement in National Forest Management • Values can also take on a more specific meaning in the context of public land management including the desirability of various benefits or opportunities associated with forest management compared to other opportunities. • These opportunities tie in with the notion of desired conditions, a critical foundation for land use planning.
Values, Interests and Positions: Public Engagement in National Forest Management • What you value related to forests and forest ecosystems matters: be it aesthetic, ecological, biologic diversity, recreation, education, ethical, historical, cultural, therapeutic, scientific, intellectual, economic, subsistence, or spiritual in nature…