| People |
| Dane Pedersen, M.Sc.
B.Sc in Biology, Minor in Psychology at the University of Victoria (2019); M.Sc. Renewable Resources, McGill University (2022). Email: dane.pedersen@mail.mcgill.ca Interests: conservation policy, political ecology, natural resource management, science communication
|
|
MSc. Thesis:
TRUST, CONTROL, AND RISK IN THE SALISH SEA: A CASE STUDY OF THE TRANSBOUNDARY NETWORK GOVERNING THE ENDANGERED SOUTHERN RESIDENT KILLER WHALE
Abstract
The Salish Sea is the inland body of water shared between Vancouver Island and the mainland of British Columbia and Washington. It is home to more than 100 endangered species, including the southern resident killer whale (SRKW, Orcinus orca). SRKWs first received the designation of endangered in 2003 in Canada, followed by the 2005 listing in the United States (U.S.). Despite their endangered status, the population of SRKWs continues to decline. Due to the home range of SRKWs spanning across the Canada-U.S. border, the recovery of this species poses a transboundary management challenge. Previous research suggests that one solution for complex environmental issues is inter-organizational collaboration. With governments unable to address transboundary natural resource management challenges on their own, diverse public policy networks involving a wide range of stakeholders may emerge. As the protection of the SRKW depends heavily on the successful collaboration between organizations and across jurisdictions, this thesis seeks to better understand the factors affecting SRKW governance in the Salish Sea. Key informant interviews (n = 32) and survey analysis (n = 35) with policy actors working for different organizations in Canada and the U.S. are used to explore how different dimensions of inter-organizational trust, perceived risk and control interact within the transboundary network to affect collaborative performance. Findings suggest that the SRKW governance network relies heavily on personal relationships and social control mechanisms to reduce the perceived risks of inter-organizational collaboration limiting network performance. The transboundary governance network is fragmented by jurisdiction, social expectations, unclear communication channels, and competition for resources, requiring careful management attention. Opportunities for integrating additional transboundary trust building activities and social control mechanisms with inclusive deliberative processes, as well as developing and supporting boundary-spanning actors in the network, are identified. Applying a multi-dimensional trust, control, perceived risk framework to analyze inter-organization collaborative performance across jurisdictions has value to transboundary conservation objectives.
Awards and Scholarships:
Joseph Armand Bombardier: Canada Graduate Scholarship-Master’s (CGS M), SSHRC, McGill University, (2021)
Graduate Excellence Award, McGill University (2020)
Publications:
Still to come.
| <<Back |