Evaluating environmental conflict resolution: Practitioners, projects, and the movement

• Date: 01 September 2018
• Published date: 01 September 2018
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/crq.21222

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Evaluating environmental conflict resolution:

Practitioners, projects, and the movement

Micah Fisher

1,2

| Tina Sablan

2,3

1

Geography Department, University of Hawai‘iat

M

anoa, Honolulu, Hawaii

2

Urban and Regional Planning, University of

Hawai‘iatM



anoa, Honolulu, Hawaii

3

Spark M. Matsunaga Institute for Peace and

Conflict Resolution, University of Hawai‘iat

M

anoa, Honolulu, Hawaii

Correspondence

Micah R. Fisher, Geography Department,

University of Hawai‘iatM



anoa, 2424 Maile Way,

Saunders Hall 445, Honolulu, HI 96822.

Email: micahrf@hawaii.edu

Environmental conflict is complex and variable, and over

time, a concerted field has developed to study processes

for collaboration and resolution. This article examines the

evaluations of multistakeholder collaborative processes

underpinning the field of Environmental Conflict Resolu-

tion (ECR). Specifically, we analyze ECR evaluations

from over four decades, across different approaches, geog-

raphies, and scales. We also corroborate our findings

through interviews and discussions with key scholars and

practitioners in the field. We highlight the valuable empir-

ical data from evaluations and point to a three-pronged

approach for reinvigorating evaluations that support prac-

titioners and projects and promote broader ideals of ECR

collaboration.

1|INTRODUCTION

Disputes over natural resources are often complicated, politically and emotionally charged, and seem-

ingly intractable. They may cross territorial boundaries, involve multiple parties and scales of gover-

nance, and raise difficult questions not only of science but also of social justice and equity. Global

challenges like climate change are a case in point, compelling nuanced approaches and layered solu-

tions at varying scales to address complex human–environment interactions. The dramatic environ-

mental changes of our time demand innovations in both technology and governance. Much is

discussed in the realm of technological fixes. For example, catalytic converters for car exhausts

cleared smoggy cities, and affordable renewable energy promise pathways to reduce dependence on

fossil fuels. Process innovations, on the other hand, are more difficult to identify and are less visible

than technological ones.

By “process,”we mean how communities at different scales approach environmental change,

make decisions about resource management, and resolve conflict, which can profoundly impact both

environmental and social goals. A concerted field has emerged across multidisciplinary social sci-

ences that provide innovations for addressing pressing environmental challenges that range from

Received: 27 September 2017 Revised: 10 April 2018 Accepted: 12 April 2018

DOI: 10.1002/crq.21222

© 2018 Association for Conflict Resolution and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Conflict Resolution Quarterly. 2018;36:7–19. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/crq 7