Between the Public and the Private Interest: The Interrelationship of Intermediary Roles of Environmental Nonprofits in Coastal Resilience

• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/00953997221112293
• Published date: 01 November 2022
• Date: 01 November 2022
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/00953997221112293

Administration & Society

2022, Vol. 54(10) 2048 –2074

© The Author(s) 2022

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DOI: 10.1177/00953997221112293

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Article

Between the Public

and the Private Interest:

The Interrelationship

of Intermediary Roles

of Environmental

Nonprofits in Coastal

Resilience

Marina Saitgalina1, Juita-Elena Yusuf1,

and Taiwo Olanrewaju-Lasisi1

Abstract

Government regulators cannot mitigate the loss of wetlands and coastal

erosion alone. Nonprofits, uniquely situated between coastal property

owners with personal interests and governments with regulatory interests,

are positioned to mediate the interests of different parties while considering

local context and individual circumstances. However, it is unclear what roles

environmental nonprofits play within the network of actors. This study asks:

(1) What roles do environmental nonprofit organizations play in local stakeholder

network arrangements for wetlands conservation and shoreline management?

(2) How are these roles interrelated? We use two frameworks describing the

roles of nonprofits to examine the roles of environmental nonprofits within

the network of actors that seek to mitigate loss of wetlands and coastal

erosion by focusing on living shorelines as shoreline management solutions

utilizing natural and nature-based features. We show how these roles are

1Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, USA

Corresponding Author:

Marina Saitgalina, School of Public Service, Strome College of Business, Old Dominion

University, 2096 Constant Hall, Norfolk, VA 23529, USA.

Email: msaitgal@odu.edu

1112293AAS0010.1177/00953997221112293Administration & SocietySaitgalina et al.

research-article2022

Saitgalina et al. 2049

interrelated to provide context for how government can leverage nonprofits

in achieving regulatory outcomes.

Keywords

environmental nonprofit organizations, shoreline management, intermediary,

coastal resilience, public services

Introduction

Sea level rise and environmental deterioration along the coast is a concern in

the U.S. and worldwide. Stakeholders from across multiple sectors, including

government authorities, residents, private contractors, and environmental

nonprofit organizations, seek ways to help individuals and communities be

sustainable and resilient in the face of sea level rise and its impacts.

Governments are actively engaged in policy and management efforts to pro-

tect wetlands and reduce shoreline erosion, particularly through natural and

nature-based solutions. Local, state, and federal governmental agencies in the

U.S. have implemented public policy and regulation to manage shorelines

such as by encouraging the use of living shorelines (Bilkovic et al., 2016;

Pace, 2017; Spidalieri, 2020). Living shorelines, the shoreline management

approach that is the focus of our research, are created or enhanced shorelines

that use strategic placement of plants, stone, sand fill, and other materials to

reduce shoreline erosion and maintain or improve habitat and water quality

(Bilkovic et al., 2016). They offer a way to protect development and property

while mitigating the loss of wetlands.

A preference for living shorelines is embedded within most state and local

permitting and planning requirements. Virginia—the case study site for our

research—implemented specific permitting processes to expedite and priori-

tize living shoreline projects (Bilkovic et al., 2016; Currin et al., 2010; Pace,

2017), most recently adopting legislative requirements (Code of Virginia

§28.2-104.1) for living shorelines as the preferred method for managing ero-

sion. At the locality level, zoning ordinances and planning regulations offer a

way to encourage living shorelines (Spidalieri, 2020).

However, government cannot achieve the goals of shoreline manage-

ment and wetlands conservation alone; other groups of stakeholders rang-

ing from property owners, shoreline contractors, community leaders, and

nonprofit organizations contribute to these efforts. The nonprofit sector has

long been engaged in environmental stewardship and sustainability.

Nonprofit organizations are a part of the network of actors engaged in

coastal resilience efforts such as those associated with wetlands conserva-

tion. Lor (2006) suggests that environmental groups play diverse roles of