CONVERGENCE AND COLLABORATION: INTEGRATING CULTURAL AND NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT By STEPHEN JOHN MALINS B.A., University of Victoria, 1990 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in ENVIRONMENT AND MANAGEMENT We accept this thesis as conforming to the required standard ______________________________ Dr. Alice MacGillivray, Thesis Supervisor Fielding Graduate University ______________________________ ______________________________ Thesis Coordinator Michael-Anne Noble, Director School of Environment and Sustainability School of Environment and Sustainability ROYAL ROADS UNIVERSITY March 2011 © Stephen John Malins, 2011 Convergence and Collaboration ii ABSTRACT Protected heritage area management is challenged by conflicting priorities perpetuated by the real and perceived dichotomy between cultural and natural resource management, their practitioners, their disciplines, and their values. Current guidelines promote integrating cultural and natural resource management to ensure holistic management of all values within a protected heritage area. This paper uses the management of the Cave and Basin National Historic Site to illustrate challenges in protecting both historic and natural resources. A qualitative inductive study included analysis of interview and focus group data for the site and similar protected heritage areas. The gap between integrative policies and the tendency for uni-disciplinary approaches to the practice of managing protected heritage areas is investigated. Five barriers to integration, such as lack of awareness, and five methods for progress, including facilitated inclusion, are examined. The author proposes collaborative, sustainable, values-based practices for the successful integration of cultural and natural resource management. Convergence and Collaboration iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am indebted to a number of people who have seen me through this journey from tilting at windmills to slaying of dragons. I have been fortunate to enjoy the support and guidance of co-workers, friends, and family. I would like to thank Parks Canada for this incredible opportunity. I am grateful for the support from previous and current managers: Wayne Bourque, Jillian Roulet, Rob Harding, Kevin Van Tighem, and Sheila Luey. My project would not have been possible without the guidance, wisdom, and extreme patience of my thesis supervisor Alice MacGillivray who believed in my project and bought into a history major enrolling in an environment program. I am very thankful for the interview and focus group participants who contributed their time and insight to my research. I will not forget the kindred crapulous camaraderie of the MEM 2008 gang who helped pull me through to new personal and academic heights. I appreciate my friends for their tolerance and understanding of “No, I‟ve got school”. I would like to thank my parents for their consistent support and encouragement as I tried yet another new thing. Finally, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my wife Wendy – my editor, my partner, my love – whose patience, understanding, and cheerleading helped me shake the grey matter and complete this rewarding endeavour. Convergence and Collaboration iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................................... iii TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................................................................. iv LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................... vii LIST OF ACRONYMS .............................................................................................................. viii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................ 1 A Notion of “And” ......................................................................................................................... 1 Parks Canada .................................................................................................................................. 4 Cave and Basin National Historic Site ........................................................................................... 4 Research Objectives ....................................................................................................................... 6 Research questions. ................................................................................................................. 7 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................ 8 Parks Canada Context .................................................................................................................... 8 National parks and ecological integrity. ................................................................................. 9 National historic sites and commemorative integrity. .......................................................... 10 Managing natural values. ...................................................................................................... 13 Management plans. ............................................................................................................... 15 The Dichotomy ............................................................................................................................. 16 Barriers to Integration .................................................................................................................. 17 Integration in Action .................................................................................................................... 19 Negotiation, Convergence, and Collaboration ............................................................................. 22 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................... 29 Researcher Subjectivity ................................................................................................................ 31 Researcher Observations and Reflection ...................................................................................... 32 Participant Selection ..................................................................................................................... 32 Data Gathering Methods .............................................................................................................. 33 Literature review. .................................................................................................................. 33 Convergence and Collaboration v Interviews. ............................................................................................................................. 34 Focus group. .......................................................................................................................... 35 Data Analysis and Reporting ........................................................................................................ 37 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS ............................................................................................................. 39 Integration .................................................................................................................................... 39 Barriers to Integration .................................................................................................................. 40 Working in silos. ................................................................................................................... 40 Structure. ............................................................................................................................... 41 Communication and language. .............................................................................................. 42 Lack of awareness. ................................................................................................................ 43 Priorities and pendulums. ...................................................................................................... 44 Successful Integration .................................................................................................................. 44 Focus on the whole. .............................................................................................................. 45 Have a shared vision. ............................................................................................................ 46 Values based management. ................................................................................................... 47 Leading Practices. ................................................................................................................. 49 Facilitated Inclusion.. ............................................................................................................ 50 CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION ....................................................................................................... 52 Is There a Dichotomy? ................................................................................................................. 52 Existing Barriers ..........................................................................................................................