title: Benefits, efforts and risks of participants in landscape co-management: an analytical framework and results from two case studies in Austria.
abstract: Participatory processes in general and also in relation to managing landscape issues are gathering importance mostly due to arguments surrounding legitimacy and effectiveness in decision-making. The main aim of this research, based on a transaction costs perspective, is to present an integrated analytical framework in order to determine individual efforts (time, money), benefits and risks of participants in landscape co-management processes. Furthermore a reflection on the analytical approach developed and arising lessons to be learned for landscape co-management are presented. In the analytical framework benefit-components comprise of factors such as 'contributing to landscape maintenance/development and nature protection', 'representing one's interest group', 'co-deciding on relevant topics', 'providing and broadening one's knowledge' and 'building networks'. The risks of participation are related to a lack of information and agreements, missing support and actual decision-making power. The analytical framework is applied to two case studies in Austria: an EU LIFE-Nature project and a Cultural Landscape Project of the Provincial Government of Lower Austria. Analysis of the effort-benefit-relations provides an indication for a more effective design of co-management. Although the processes are rated as quite adequate, there is a low willingness of participants to commit additional time to co-management processes. In contrast to the Cultural Landscape Project, in the LIFE-Nature project, professionally involved persons participate next to partly and full volunteers. These uneven conditions of participation and an unfair distribution of transaction costs, jeopardize the promising chances co-management bears for landscape governance.
authors.affiliation: Doctoral School Sustainable Development, BOKU, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Feistmantelstrasse 4, 1180 Vienna, Austria. barbara.enengel@boku.ac.at
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Enengel
authors.forename: Marianne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Penker
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Muhar
authors.forename: Rachael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Williams
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001317:Austria; D003159:Community-Institutional Relations; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000191:economics; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003659:Decision Making, Organizational; D004463:Ecology / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017753:Ecosystem; D004779:Environment Design; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D012306:Risk; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires