The governance of rewilding in Scotland: discourse, process, and practice

This thesis aims to achieve a better understanding of rewilding governance and the<br/>processes which frame and steer rewilding within Scotland, with a particular interest in the<br/>ideas and practice of participation and the place of local communities in rewilding<br/>endeavours. This is important, for although rewilding is about natural ecological processes<br/>underpinned by ambitions to champion and facilitate nature’s autonomy, the human<br/>dimensions of rewilding are critical to the long-term success of rewilding at scale. Greater<br/>understanding as to whose interest a rewilding approach represents and how this is enacted<br/>is essential if we are to address current and potential future rewilding conflicts. Such an<br/>improved understanding also has implications for how the benefits (and costs) of rewilding<br/>are realised and distributed. My research sits within a social science tradition and the<br/>paradigm of social constructionism, and utilises a range of methods, including document<br/>analysis, interviews, and participant observation, all within a qualitative research design.<br/>To address the overarching question of rewilding governance, firstly, I examined how the<br/>role of people in rewilding discourse in Scotland was being articulated, how had it emerged,<br/>and how it was evolving (Chapter 4). New storylines were identified which emphasised the<br/>role of people and their interactions with rewilding. This represented a shift from traditional<br/>rewilding definitions with their strong ecological associations. Despite the role of local<br/>communities and the need for public engagement becoming a specific concern for many<br/>contemporary rewilding efforts, the research indicated that such participatory approaches<br/>were conditional; demonstrating an interaction between land ownership and degrees of<br/>empowerment which underpinned rewilding activity and decision-making - aspects that<br/>were further investigated in Chapter 5. Whilst within Scotland the importance of people in<br/>rural communities in rewilding was being developed as a compelling narrative, the detail or<br/>practical evidence of the mainstream participation of communities or the wider public in<br/>rewilding decisions was lacking. In response to this, Chapter 6 therefore explored an unusual<br/>rewilding project - a formalised partnership between a local community and a national<br/>conservation organisation seeking to combine ecological restoration with community<br/>benefit. This revealed a more nuanced set of social processes at play than suggested by conceptual collaborative governance frameworks, including the importance of compromise,<br/>and trusting when not to collaborate. However, the foundation of shared land ownership<br/>embedded within the partnership structure, was fundamental in ensuring a level of<br/>collaboration, and reflected the critical role of land ownership within rewilding governance<br/>which was highlighted throughout the research.<br/>My analyses contribute to an improved understanding of the human aspects of rewilding,<br/>specifically in terms of rewilding governance and decision-making, through illuminating; (a)<br/>aspects of rewilding discourse (how rewilding is discussed, how this changes and why), (b)<br/>rewilding process (who gets to be involved in rewilding decision-making and in what way),<br/>and (c) rewilding practice (the practicalities of different organisations working together to<br/>rewild). Without consideration of these aspects, policy shifts providing opportunities for<br/>rewilding risk exacerbating inequalities and reinforcing a system that is considered to<br/>underpin the crises of the Anthropocene.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

Doctor of Philosophy (awarded by UHI)

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

Doctoral Thesis

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of the Highlands and Islands

Year dc:date.issued

2023

Author dc:creator

• Martin, Alison

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Smith, Melanie
• McMorran, Rob

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

oai:pure.atira.dk:studenttheses/299e094c-bb11-4506-8ba3-e71a69d51e78

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:pure.atira.dk:studenttheses/299e094c-bb11-4506-8ba3-e71a69d51e78