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Guide a Blueprint for Environmental Activists and Others Considering Collaboration Audubon, University
Of Virginia, Wilderness Society Publish ‘Collaboration: A Guide
For Environmental Advocates’
September 13, 2001-- The National Audubon Society, the University of Virginia, and The Wilderness Society announced Sept. 4 the publication of Collaboration: A Guide for Environmental Advocates. Funded by a grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the guide outlines appropriate situations for engaging in collaborative processes and describes best practices and proven strategies for success in collaborative natural resources decision making. "This guide sheds much-needed light on when such approaches make sense, and gives our volunteer grassroots activists a tool to use in considering proposals for such processes in order to reach important conservation goals," said John Flicker, Audubon President and CEO. Bill Meadows, president of The Wilderness Society, said, "Conservationists often can work effectively with diverse interests to resolve environmental conflicts and achieve common objectives. But collaboration should never seek to undercut existing law and environmental protections or exclude legitimate interests. This guide will help ensure that these processes lead to decisions that abide by environmental laws and protect the public's lands and natural resources." "Because the guide was developed in consultation with a wide range of environmental advocates and analysts of collaborative processes, it emphasizes ways to address concerns about the environmental impact of these processes," said Franklin Dukes, director of U.Va.'s Institute for Environmental Negotiation. Dukes expects the guide to be as helpful for environmental groups facing inappropriate collaboration situations as it is for those groups choosing to lead or join such processes. The guide includes advice on how to design an effective collaborative process, arguments for and against collaboration, how to work with independent mediators or facilitators, the role of science in the process, and reaching agreements that work. The 71-page book also includes dozens of resources. It is available in print for $8, including shipping and handling through the University of Virginia (804) 924-1970 or by writing to IEN, University of Virginia, 164 Rugby Rd., Charlottesville, VA 22903. A free PDF version can be found on the Web at
About the Sponsors: The National Audubon Society connects people with nature through education and experience on the land. It helps children, families, and adults from all walks of life develop an understanding of and appreciation for the environment. The organization gives them the tools to act on behalf of the environment — in their own homes and communities, as well as on the national level and beyond. Founded in 1905, and supported by 600,000 members in more than 500 chapters throughout the Americas, the National Audubon Society conserves and restores natural ecosystems, focusing on birds and other wildlife, and their habitats, for the benefit of humanity and the earth’s biological diversity. Founded in 1935, The Wilderness Society works to protect America's wilderness and to develop a nationwide network of wild lands through public education, scientific analysis and advocacy. Its goal is to ensure that future generations will enjoy the clean air and water, wildlife, beauty and opportunities for recreation and renewal that pristine forests, rivers, deserts and mountains provide. The Institute for Environmental Negotiation (IEN) is affiliated with the University of Virginia School of Architecture. The institute was formed in 1980 to provide mediation and consensus building services to the public and private sectors concerning conflicts and policy choices about land use and the natural and built environment. Since its inception, its staff has served as mediators and facilitators for well over 100 projects involving natural resource, health and planning issues. IEN also coordinates the national ‘Community Based Collaboratives Research Consortium’ which conducts and fosters research about collaborative processes involving the environment. Contact: Mike Anderson, (206) 624-6430 #227, John Bianchi, (212) 979-3026 and Franklin Dukes, (804) 924-1970 |
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FOR
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Contact the Office
of University Relations at (804) 924-7116. Television reporters
should contact the TV News Office at (804) 924-7550. |
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