A multi-level and multi-actor approach to multi-species management: challenges to implement effective governance arrangements

A major challenge for the governance of wildlife relates to how to recognize and address cross-scale dynamics in space and over time in order to design and implement effective governance arrangements. It is increasingly clear... [ view full abstract ]

A major challenge for the governance of wildlife relates to how to recognize and address cross-scale dynamics in space and over time in order to design and implement effective governance arrangements. It is increasingly clear that multi-level governance of wildlife involves complex interactions of state, private and civil society actors at various levels, and institutions linking social and political organization across levels. In 2012 Sweden implemented a multi-level and multi-actor approach to the management of moose, with the potential to expand the system to include also other ungulate species such as red deer, fallow deer and roe deer. The new approach has created new opportunities to learn and address common problems, but has also introduced new and unintended pressures on the involved actors. In this study we explore the interaction between the levels to discover patterns and critical variables in the multi-level and multi-actor approach to wildlife governance to learn and dismantle possible gaps in the governance and management structures. Our results suggest that there are different patterns of variables in different parts of the country that needs to be taken into account to increase the effectiveness in the governance arrangement.