Coastal zone conflict resolution and the importance of negotiation preliminaries : the case of Buckley Bay, Vancouver Island
Date
1988
Authors
Carr, Catherine Anne
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Abstract
Conflicts associated with the use of environmental resources in British Columbia are a common occurrence and are expected to increase in coming years. In particular, coastal areas are a major focus for human settlement and economic activity, and as such are subject to intense, often conflicting, demands. The successful resolution of conflicts between users of these coastal areas presents a unique and urgent challenge.
The present structure of coastal zone management is characterized by a fragmented administration. Since a single jurisdictional authority is lacking, negotiation has become an important means of interaction between government agencies and interested parties. Therefore, any opportunity to increase the likelihood of success in the process of negotiation has valuable application in the resolution of conflict between coastal zone users.
A number of theoretical approaches to the study of the resolution of conflict through negotiation have been featured in related literature. Of these approaches, developmental theory models, as used by Gulliver ( 1979), Karrass ( 1980), Zartman and Berman ( 1982), and Bercovitch (1984), are based on a series of phases or stages. These models offer a theoretical framework to identify and explore specific "conditions of strategic interaction" relating to the context and structure of negotiation.
The main hypothesis of this thesis is that unsuccessful negotiation outcomes are linked to an inadequate regard for the conditions of strategic interaction during the negotiation preliminaries. Based on an extensive literature review, this study identified negotiation conditions and categorized them as follows:
(a) Negotiation Structure (location of meetings, time deadlines, implementation of agreements),
(b) Interest Representation (participation of interest groups, issues and interests of parties), and
(c) Negotiator Interaction (interdependence of parties, power to achieve concessions, information concerning issues, communication between parties).
Factors assessing the presence of each of these conditions were identified and used to formulate a number of research hypotheses. An environmental dispute typology was developed to provide a framework for the case study research. '!he research hypotheses were then tested through a series of interviews investigating an unsuccessfully resolved coastal zone conflict at Buckley Bay on Vancouver Island. This conflict involved a major logging company, an oyster grower, and various other interested parties and government agencies.
The findings of the case study indicate that negotiation outcomes are linked to conditions that precede, and exist during, the negotiation process. Specifically, the stu1y found that the following conditions were primary contributors to an unsuccessful negotiation:
(a) A failure to ensure the participation of all interested parties,
(b) A failure to carefully delineate the issues and interests of the parties, and
(c) A lack of available, accurate and relevant information concerning issues.
The study also found that the following conditions were important, although to a lesser degree: location, time deadlines, implementation, interdependence and communication. Findings concerning the use and manipulation of power by individual groups were unclear, reflecting the complex, multi-dimensional nature of this condition. Other important findings were:
(a) The Buckley Bay case was not recognized as a dispute until the conflict was well established.
(b) The available interaction processes (specifically, leasing and zoning review) were not generally considered opportunities for negotiation.
Therefore, it is recommended that processes established for the management of coastal zone resources be recognized and publicized as forums in which to negotiate conflicts, and that maximum opportunity be provided for this to occur. In addition, the opportunity to participate in negotiation must be appropriate and convenient for all interested parties to participate effectively. Participants should be qualified and accepted representatives of interest groups and, as such, be held accountable, to ensure that valid issues and interests are represented.
Finally, this study reinforced the need for increased availability of information pertinent to the issues. In particular, planning processes must clearly designate priority uses within coastal zone areas and outline policies for sensitive area allocation.