Multi-party monitoring in Ontario: challenges and emerging solutions.

Abstract

The demand for environmental monitoring information capable of informing decision-making in environmental management is growing at a rate faster than can be provided by traditional governmental sources. Non-governmental organizations and academics are increasingly becoming involved in the collection and analysis of environmental information to fulfill the need. However, these data are rarely used to inform decision-making. Multi-party monitoring has the potential to address this disconnect. Ontario has a wide range of environmental monitoring programs that embrace the public at various levels of involvement, from local community initiatives to provincial and federal programs. Only recently has there been a collective process to bring participants from these various programs together in discussions. This process was led by new, primarily non-government monitoring actors who were instrumental in launching a new coordinating body, the Ontario Ecosystems Monitoring Council. This paper draws from experiences gained from this process and discusses: (1) the challenges of multi-party monitoring; and, (2) solutions that have been emerging in Ontario. The three main challenges centre on: science, including issues of monitoring protocol standardization and monitoring within the context of an ecosystem framework; community engagement and leadership including issues of networking and capacity building; and governance including issues of collaboration and use of monitoring data by decision-makers. Solutions to these challenges are emerging and a number of these at various scales are highlighted.

La demande pour une information de surveillance qui soit en mesure d'eclairer la prise de decision en matiere de gestion environnementale croit a un rythme plus rapide que ce que ne peuvent fournir les sources gouvernementales traditionnelles. Les organismes non gouvernementaux et les universitaires sont de plus en plus appeles a participer a la cueillette et a l'analyse de l'information de nature environnementale pour repondre a ce besoin. Toutefois, ces donnees sont rarement utilisees pour eclairer la prise de decision. C'est pourquoi la surveillance multipartite pourrait permettre de rectifier cette situation. L'Ontario est dotee d'une vaste gamme de programmes de surveillance environnementale qui font participer le public a differents niveaux, des initiatives communautaires locales aux programmes provinciaux et federaux. Ce n'est que recemment qu'on a vu naTtre un processus collectif visant a amener les participants de ces divers programmes a discuter ensemble. Ce processus etait mene par de nouveaux acteurs en matiere de surveillance, pour la plupart non gouvernementaux, qui ont gran-dement contribue a lancer un nouvel organisme de coordination, l'Ontario Ecosystems Monitoring Council. Cet article decoule des experiences acquises au cours de ce processus et presente un examen des defis de la surveillance multipartite et des solutions qui ont vu le jour en Ontario. Les trois principaux defis sont l'aspect scientifique, notamment les questions de normalisation du protocole de surveillance et de surveillance dans le cadre d'un ecosysteme; l'engagement et le leadership de la collectivite, notamment les questions de reseautage et de developpement des ressources; et la gouvernance, notamment les questions de collaboration et d'utilisation des donnees de surveillance par les decideurs. Des solutions a ces defis commencent a voir le jour; on fait ressortir dans cet article un certain nombre d'entre elles, a differentes echelles.

Key words

multi-party monitoring, governance, community monitoring, collaboration, capacity building

Introduction

The demand for environmental monitoring information that informs decision-making is increasing. Traditional government sources of environmental data are not capable of meeting this demand. In response to this need for information, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and academics are increasingly becoming involved in the collection and analysis of environmental information. Ideally, information collected by NGOs and academics would feed into a variety of government decision-making processes; however, this is rarely the case. Multi-party monitoring processes hold potential to ensure that all parties have the opportunity to participate. Multi-party monitoring can involve any interested stakeholders, including private landowners, individual citizens, NGOs, businesses, governments, and others committed to developing a better understanding of particular issues and/or places. The multi-party approach builds on existing monitoring programs, aims to bring together those already involved and recruits new participants. It fills gaps in existing environmental and social monitoring arrangements and is likely to influence decision-making through cooperation rather than adversarial processes (Bliss et al. 2001, Whitelaw et al. 2003).

Ontario has a wide range of environmental monitoring programs that embrace the public at various levels of involvement, from local community initiatives to provincial and federal programs. Only recently has there been a collective process to bring participants from these diverse programs together in discussions. This process led to the creation of the Ontario Ecosystem Monitoring Council (OEMC). This paper draws from this experience and discusses:

1. The challenges to multi-party monitoring; and

2. Solutions that have been emerging in Ontario.

In order to place the discussion into context, it is important to understand the self-organizing nature of environmental monitoring governance in Ontario. Governance generally involves:

[A] wide range of institutions and actors in the production of

policy outcomes including NGOs, quangos, private companies, pressure

groups and social movements, as well as those state institutions

traditionally regarded as formally part of government (Painter 2000:

317).

The government is not solely responsible for societal development and has become less so over the past few decades with the private sector and civil society becoming more important. The nature of the relationships between the involved actors is key. Jessop views governance:

... as the reflexive self-organization of independent actors

involved in complex relations and reciprocal interdependence, with

self organization being based on continuing dialogue and resources

sharing to develop mutually beneficial joint projects and to manage

the contradictions and dilemmas inevitably involved in such

situations (Jessop 2002: 1).

This view of governance suggests that many stakeholders or actors are involved, that no one organization has control and that collectively their actions can lead to change. In the Ontario environmental monitoring arena, there has been an increasing number of non-traditional actors including NGOs and academic researchers, along with a decreasing role played by traditional government actors due to budgetary cutbacks and changing priorities. Traditionally, government has played the main role in data collection, analysis and reporting of information. Academics were mainly involved in one-off studies rather than long term monitoring and NGOs were involved in niche monitoring e.g. birds, weather. This has evolved with NGOs and academics becoming more involved. Understanding the challenges of multi-party monitoring and emerging solutions will allow for actors to collectively develop strategies to improve environmental monitoring in Ontario.

Challenges and Emerging Solutions to Multi-party Monitoring In Ontario

Three main challenges and associated emerging solutions are discussed below. These are:

1. Science, including issues of monitoring protocol standardization and monitoring within the context of an ecosystem framework;

2. Community engagement and leadership, including issues of networking and capacity building; and

3. Achieving influence through collaboration and linking monitoring data to decision-making.

Science: Standardization of Monitoring Protocols and Monitoring Within an Ecosystem Framework

The issue of monitoring protocol standardization is important because the quality of the information generated through monitoring programs in Ontario is affected by a recognized lack of standardization. One of the major barriers to an efficient, functioning regional monitoring program is the lack of consistent protocols. Standardized protocols are the building blocks of an integrated monitoring program. Such standards are clearly required, particularly in light of the fact that monitoring is often conducted by individuals with a range of backgrounds (e.g. professional scientists, dedicated naturalists, citizen scientists). Without standardization, the exchange of information and databases is not possible and consequently limits the integration and usefulness of the data for decision-making.