Participatory Natural Resource Management: A Comparison of Four Case Studies

This paper presents an overview of four recent participatory resource management projects carried outon three continents. The aim is to elicit from these case studies a description of participatory process structures aswell as an analysis of the driving forces behind the selection of stakeholders and their involvement inmanagement projects. The case studies represent four different process structures set up to achieve two categoriesof process goal. They also suggest four main drivers in the design of such structures: process goals, existingpower structures, process direction and stakeholder numbers. The concept of scale of action mismatch isintroduced as directly affecting two out of four studies. Such mismatches reduce the chance of achieving theparticipation goals (e.g. greater equity and effectiveness) of the stakeholder involvement. The consequential needfor greater institutional safeguards for participation is discussed.