Spatio-Temporal Dynamics and Diversity of Approaches in Multiscale Fire Governance

TL;DR

The paper explores how different stakeholders in a Mexican biosphere reserve approach fire governance, highlighting spatial and temporal variations and suggesting ways to improve cooperation.

Contribution

The study introduces a nuanced framework for analyzing stakeholder diversity in fire governance, moving beyond traditional classifications.

Findings

Stakeholder approaches to fire governance show significant spatial and temporal variation.

Cooperation barriers exist between stakeholder groups, but potential solutions are identified.

The framework can be applied to other wildfire-prone regions to improve governance strategies.

Abstract

In recent years, studies on fire governance have gained momentum, stressing that, besides technical fire management solutions, it is necessary to consider the array of stakeholders involved in this issue, including local communities. Some recent studies have suggested the need to go beyond superficial stakeholder classifications, considering nuances within stakeholder groups. The present paper adds to this discussion, highlighting the diversity of approaches, their spatial differences and temporal changes among stakeholders involved in fire governance of the La Sepultura Biosphere Reserve, a major wildfire hotspot in southern Mexico. It considers previous research alongside new information from 34 semi-structured expert interviews and fieldwork using ethnographic methods. The data are analysed within an environmental governance framework, considering qualitative social network analysis and inputs from political ecology studies. The results present a complex structure of differences in approaches and objectives that lie beyond established boundaries between stakeholder groups and classical dualities, such as between local communities and governmental agencies. The study also documents obstacles to effective stakeholder cooperation and provides some evidence on how these can be overcome. The framework developed here is relevant to other areas with similar wildfire challenges to enable a systematic revision of stakeholder roles in fire governance.

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