ENRGP Exit Seminar: Collaborative Partnerships and Invasive Species Management

An ENR Graduate Exit Seminar will be held Friday, Apr. 12, 2013, at 10:30 a.m. in 382 Kottman Hall. Beau Ingle will present Collaborative Partnerships and Invasive Species Management.

Prior research on collaborative approaches has occurred extensively in relation to watershed management. However, such an analysis has yet to be conducted on the role collaborative partnerships play in managing invasive species. The management of invasive species had largely been carried out by state and federal wildlife agencies in a more centralized, top-down fashion, just as efforts to address specific watershed issues had been done prior to the adoption of collaborative management methods. As invasive species are becoming progressively established in native habitats, more novel approaches - including collaborative partnerships between public, private, and non-profit entities - have been explored to prevent and mitigate ecological disturbances.  One of the various questions this study seeks to answer is to what degree these collaborative institutions influence the policies formulated and implemented at various levels of government to stem the spread of invasive species. In addition, are the decision making processes employed by these invasive species collaborations similar to those in watersheds and what effect have they had on fostering a culture of collaboration among participating agencies? Through document analysis and semi-structured interviews with officials from two collaborative partnerships in the Great Lakes and Florida, the above questions will be explored so as to contribute to the existent knowledge of collaborations and to offer how collaborations may be used more effectively in the future to manage invasive species.