Salmon, scales, and stakeholder participation : transboundary water governance in the Pacific Northwest

Abstract

This thesis describes the impact of local stakeholder engagement on the governance of transboundary resources in the Pacific Northwest. The case study discusses how two local stakeholder groups—the Coast Salish Gathering and Salmon Beyond Borders— engaged with inter-lapping governing processes and jurisdictions regarding shared salmon populations from 2015 to 2017. After describing the methods of engagement, it finds that local stakeholders used networks of action to influence political scales by using a deliberative framework focused on dialogue and cooperation through shared respect for place, science and education; furthermore, it finds the engagement of local stakeholders contributed to governance re-scaling processes, toward both local and international domains. This thesis aims to assist analysis of how public participation is carried out across and between political jurisdictions.