Towards an inclusive environmental governance model. Analysing the interface between the Arganeraie Biosphere Reserve (Morocco) and two local communities

Abstract

This thesis draws on post-normal conservation science and environmental governance studies to investigate environmental governance processes within the Arganeraie Biosphere Reserve (RBA) in Morocco and two of its rural local communities and agdals (ICCAs), and shed light on their outcomes and challenges to date. The analysis focuses on the interface between two practical approaches to environmental governance to address inclusive environmental governance (IEG), exploring simultaneously the relationship from a biosphere reserve’s and a local communities’ perspective from an inductive approach that embraces multiple scales and knowledge systems. The original pluralistic integrative approach implemented has succeeded to capture much of the complexity and nuances inherent to the multiple scales, knowledges and worldviews. First, the biosphere reserve institutional approach to environmental governance has been analysed. Second, the bottom-up processes of governance in two rural local communities have been investigated. Third, the interface between the biosphere reserve and the two local communities has been examined through the identification of the constraints and synergies of their own approaches to governance. The main findings point out that: (i) the RBA and the agdal system are perceived as the most appropriate opportunity for most actors at all levels; (ii) IEG is considered feasible; (iii) the current low strategic priority and the weak political will hinder IEG at RBA and community levels, blocking a robust global-local interface. After analysing the main influencing factors of IEG at the local, RBA and interface levels, the principal conclusions are: (i) inclusivity is still far from being achieved due to unspoken behavioural constraints; (ii) ethnographic and holistic approaches are apt to uncover many of the underlying hidden factors that have been overlooked to date. Thus, to advance towards IEG in the Arganeraie, these influencing factors should be simultaneously addressed and integrated from the bottom-up and from the top-down. Lastly, further multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research is essential to better understand and manage these hidden conditioning factors that ultimately affect human-nature relationships beyond cultures and disciplines.

Date of Award	7 Mar 2022
Original language	English
Supervisor	Pablo Dominguez Gregorio (Director)