My vision for the future of social-ecology interactions/research in the future is that all projects include the opinions of the localS (which may be suggestions about changes or cultural impacts) where the project is occurring. This is important to me as I value the differences in cultures throughout the world and understand that some communities place higher importance on different things and species. I think a way to help this take place would be through system change by making it mandatory to have a consultation and opportunity for feedback from all communities where research and changes are taking place. From there, I think a review of the proposed changes should be completed by the researchers/policy makers and released to the communities to show that their opinions have been considered and show where the changes have been made in the project.
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Hey Allison!
I strongly agree with your point that consideration of local interests should be incorporated into environmental decision-making policy. I know one example of how this works in Canada.
For most large scale projects, the federal government is required to conduct an impact assessment under the Impact Assessment Act. Under this act, the government is expected to "ensure that opportunities are provided for meaningful public participation during an impact assessment." This includes inviting public comments on the project through a public website.
Here is one example for the proposed Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Project: https://iaac-aeic.gc.ca/050/evaluations/proj/80054/contributions
I am unsure how much weight is given to these comments in comparison to other considerations. It would be nice to know more about how federal and provincial governments consider local interests when making a final decision as to whether a project should go ahead.
I totally agree that local communities and voices should be included in policy making decisions. Making large scale choices affecting many different ecosystems and communities is troubling as local communities have differing relationships with the environment.
I think thats a cool idea to ensure that the local culture is preserved when new development occurs. This is also great how it would allow all members of the community have a voice.
this is a cool idea! I agree that prioritizing locality and taking into account the place-based conditions are really important :) in doing so, I think it would be the obvious choice to consult Indigenous people and include them as stakeholders, making the system more just.