Knowledge in adaptive co-management of White-tailed eagle conflict

Adaptive co-management is increasingly advocated in natural resource management to reduce complexity and enhance collaboration through joint development, trialling and adapting management actions in a dynamic cycle of... [ view full abstract ]

Adaptive co-management is increasingly advocated in natural resource management to reduce complexity and enhance collaboration through joint development, trialling and adapting management actions in a dynamic cycle of learning-by-doing. The approach offers considerable potential in conservation conflicts where such collaborative decision-making processes that foster the exchange of different knowledge, learning and shared responsibilities are thought to deliver sustained outcomes and conflict mitigation. Yet, evidence on its application in conservation conflicts is limited. We address this gap by studying the process of adaptive co-management implemented through cross-scale and multi-level partnerships in a long-term conflict between the re-introduction of White-tailed eagle and sheep farming in Scotland. Combining participant observation, document analysis, and in-depth interviews with members of two existing partnerships, we explore how knowledge co-production is used to address competing claims over the extent of eagle predation of lambs that escalated the conflict.

We analyse the co-production process in relation to four dimensions: knowledge integration, generation, interpretation and application. Preliminary findings indicate that sharing and fairer representation of diverse knowledge improved perceptions on the legitimacy of the management approach that had been dominated by scientific evidence, and enhanced mutual understanding of issues central to the conflict. Whilst local knowledge, previously considered biased and unreliable, was recognised and integrated in jointly formed management plans, efforts to generate new knowledge led to disputes over who had expertise to produce credible and reliable data and interpretation. This reinforced continuing struggles over power imbalances, trust building and transparency. The absence of a monitoring plan reduced opportunities to capture such unintended outcomes of the co-production process, and promote learning and reflection, critical components of adaptive co-management, that could, in turn, improve stakeholders’ ability to respond to change and redefine problems. We discuss these findings in the light of broader debates on the importance of collaborative forms of monitoring and practical evaluative frameworks for conflict and adaptive management to help natural resource practitioners develop more appropriate and effective interventions.