Bridges and barriers to ecosystem-based approaches : the case of Tennessee Valley Authority's adoption of the watershed approach

Natural resource agencies are advocating a form of citizen participation in which citizens mobilize proactively in a long-term, collective effort to protect the local environment and prevent the emergence of environmental problems. Research is needed that rigorously examines the complex process through which natural resource agencies build bridges and break down barriers to adopt a participatory model that encourages grassroots, proactive citizen participation. This dissertation fills the gap in the policy literature by examining the efforts of the Tennessee Valley Authority to adopt the watershed approach and encourage the creation of a citizen-led watershed coalition. More specifically, this dissertation is driven by three interrelated research questions. First, what are the factors that explain why natural resource agencies are democratizing decision making processes by encouraging not only an increased level of citizen involvement, but also alternative forms of participation? Second, if given the opportunity to participate, what factors partially determine whether or not, and to what degree, citizens will mobilize and get involved in ecosystem-based management of natural resources? Third, what are the characteristics of citizens that tend to participate in natural resource management and how do these individuals compare to the population impacted by management decisions? This research draws on data collected through participation observation and two telephone surveys. We assess the impact of the reorganization of TVA's nonpower programs on its efforts to implement the watershed approach, and the efforts of the TVA's Clinch Powell Watershed Team to promote interagency collaboration and to mobilize citizen participation. We also determine the degree to which citizens who participate in the management of the Norris Reservoir Watershed (NRW) are representative of nonparticipants who reside in the NRW. Finally, analyses of what factors predict citizen participation is presented.