The order directed the Secretaries of Agriculture,  Commerce, Defense, and the Interior, and the Administrator of the  Environmental Protection Agency to carry out natural resource and  environmental laws in a manner that facilitates “cooperative conservation.”  The order defined this as “actions that relate to the use, enhancement, and  enjoyment of natural resources, protection of the environment, or both,  and involve collaborative activity among Federal, State, local, and tribal  governments, private for-profit and nonprofit institutions, other  nongovernmental entities and individuals.” The Executive Order is being  carried out by CEQ, in its role coordinating federal environmental efforts  and working with agencies in the development of environmental policies  and initiatives. Experts Generally View Collaborative Resource Management as an Effective Approach for Improving the Management of Natural Resources, but a Few Question Collaboration Involving Federally Managed Lands

Experts whose literature we reviewed consider collaborative resource  management to be effective in managing natural resources because it can  reduce or avert conflict and litigation, while at the same time improving  natural resource conditions and strengthening community relationships. The experts note that successful groups that are able to achieve these  benefits use various collaborative practices. Identify or develop a common goal. According to many experts, to be  effective, the participants in groups need to be accountable to their  constituencies and to the process that they have established. First, the process of  collaboration, which involves bringing people together to work on a  problem and moving the group forward to reach a decision, can be difficult  and time-consuming, particularly in the initial stages when the group is  getting started, and thus require large amounts of resources, including staff  and money. Most Collaborative Efforts We Studied Reduced or Averted Resource Conflicts, Completed Projects, and Improved Natural Resource Conditions to an Extent That Could Not Be Determined

Overall, the collaborative resource management efforts that we studied  were successful in achieving participation and cooperation among their  members and sustaining or improving natural resource conditions, the two  criteria the experts identified to gauge the success of collaborative groups. Six of the seven collaborative efforts we studied have reduced or averted  the kinds of conflicts that often arise when dealing with contentious  natural resource problems, particularly those that cross property  boundaries, such as threatened and endangered species, lack of wildland  fire, invasive species, degraded wildlife habitat, or similar problems. All seven efforts we studied used several of the collaborative practices  identified by the experts—such as seeking inclusive participation; using  collaborative processes; pursuing flexibility, openness, and respect; and  finding leadership—and six of the efforts were successful in reducing or  averting conflicts. All but one of these groups uses a consensus process to make decisions. Identify a Common Goal. Cooperative Conservation Policies and Actions Address Some of the Challenges Faced by Federal Agencies Participating in Collaborative Efforts, but Opportunities Exist for Further Action

Federal land and resource management agencies face several challenges to  participating in collaborative resource management efforts, according to  the experts, federal officials, and participants in collaborative efforts we  interviewed. However, additional opportunities exist to  develop tools, examples, and guidance that would strengthen federal  participation in collaborative efforts and better structure and direct the  Cooperative Conservation initiative to achieve its vision. In the case of the federal agencies, measuring  participation and monitoring results help show how an agency’s  participation in a group has helped to achieve some important resource  management goal for the agency. Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

The objectives for this study were to determine (1) experts’ views of  collaborative resource management as an approach for addressing  complex natural resource management problems; (2) the extent to which  selected collaborative resource management efforts have addressed land  use conflicts and improved natural resource conditions; and (3) what  challenges, if any, federal land and resource management agencies face in  participating in collaborative resource management efforts and how the  Cooperative Conservation initiative has addressed the challenges. Participants describe trust  as the most significant outcome of their efforts. As a result, the U.S. The group is working on a  method for monitoring range conditions more broadly across the whole  planning area. Fish and Wildlife Service, and  the National Park Service. Members of the  U.S. Several members of the Council and others told us that  many conflicts might have been resolved had BLM received these funds. GAO. Office of Management and Budget and Council on Environmental Quality.
Why GAO Did This Study

Conflict over the use of our nation's natural resources, along with increased ecological problems, has led land managers to seek cooperative means to resolve natural resource conflicts and problems. Collaborative resource management is one such approach that communities began using in the 1980s and 1990s. A 2004 Executive Order on Cooperative Conservation encourages such efforts. GAO was asked to determine (1) experts' views on collaborative resource management, (2) how selected collaborative efforts have addressed conflicts and improved resources, and (3) challenges that agencies face as they participate in such efforts and how the Cooperative Conservation initiative has addressed them. GAO reviewed experts' journal articles, studied seven collaborative groups, and interviewed group members and federal and other public officials.

What GAO Found

Experts generally view collaborative resource management that involves public and private stakeholders in natural resource decisions as an effective approach for managing natural resources. Several benefits can result from using collaborative resource management, including reduced conflict and litigation and improved natural resource conditions, according to the experts. A number of collaborative practices, such as seeking inclusive representation, establishing leadership, and identifying a common goal among the participants have been central to successful collaborative management efforts. The success of these groups is often judged by whether they increase participation and cooperation or improve natural resource conditions. Many experts also note that there are limitations to the approach, such as the time and resources it takes to bring people together to work on a problem and reach a decision. Most of the seven collaborative resource management efforts GAO studied in several states across the country were successful in achieving participation and cooperation among their members and improving natural resource conditions. In six of the cases, those involved were able to reduce or avoid the kinds of conflicts that can arise when dealing with contentious natural resource problems. All the efforts, particularly those that effectively reduced or avoided conflict, used at least several of the collaborative practices described by the experts. For example, one effort obtained broad community representation and successfully identified a common goal of using fire, after decades of suppression, to restore the health of a large grasslands area surrounding the community. Also, members of almost all the efforts studied said they have been able to achieve many of their goals for sustaining or improving the condition of specific natural resources. However, for most of these efforts no data were collected on a broad scale to show the effect of their work on overall resource conditions across a large area or landscape. Federal land and resource management agencies--the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Park Service, and the Department of Agriculture's Forest Service--face key challenges to participating in collaborative resource management efforts, according to the experts, federal officials, and participants in the efforts GAO studied. For example, the agencies face challenges in determining whether to participate in a collaborative effort, measuring participation and monitoring results, and sharing agency and group experiences. As a part of the interagency Cooperative Conservation initiative led by the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), the federal government has made progress in addressing these challenges. Yet, additional opportunities exist to develop and disseminate tools, examples, and guidance that further address the challenges, as well as to better structure and direct the initiative to achieve the vision of Cooperative Conservation, which involves a number of actions by multiple agencies over the long term. Failure to pursue such opportunities and to create a long-term plan to achieve the vision may limit the effectiveness of the federal government's initiative and collaborative efforts.