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Diversifying Nature Protection: Evaluating the Changing Tools for Forest Protection in C anada and N orway
Author(s) -
Auld Graeme,
Gulbrandsen Lars H.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
review of policy research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.832
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1541-1338
pISSN - 1541-132X
DOI - 10.1111/ropr.12150
Subject(s) - representativeness heuristic , data protection act 1998 , legislation , business , government (linguistics) , certified wood , diversity (politics) , environmental resource management , certification , environmental planning , environmental protection , political science , economics , geography , law , psychology , social psychology , linguistics , philosophy
Governments increasingly struggle to protect representative nature types and ecological diversity within their territories only via the instrument of publicly designated protected areas. This article examines the rise of voluntary conservation and certification (i.e., private conservation) as tools for forest protection in Norway and Canada. We contrast the differing potential of these private conservation tools with protection through government legislation and regulation using four evaluative criteria: the representativeness of protected areas, the strength of protection, the longevity of protection, and the information generated through protection. We find that private conservation tools can match the strength of legal protection and help to dispel conflict, but that private tools create protection that is more likely to be reversed in the future. However, we also show that voluntary private conservation can become public protection, which highlights the importance of examining different paths toward secure and long‐lasting protection.