Bureaucratic Slippage and Environmental Offset Policies: The Case of Wetland Management in Alberta

Environmental trading programs are seen as promising tools for fostering sustainable development, yet little is know about how decision-making practices in these emerging policy spaces influence program outcomes. This study quantifies wetland compensation outcomes in Alberta, Canada, and compares th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Society & natural resources 2013-06, Vol.26 (6), p.672-687
Main Authors: Clare, Shari, Krogman, Naomi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
agency capture
Alberta
Bureaucracy
bureaucratic slippage
Canada
Compensation
Decision making
Emissions trading
Environmental management
Environmental policy
Government agencies
Natural resources
street-level bureaucrats
Sustainable development
Wetlands
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Summary:Environmental trading programs are seen as promising tools for fostering sustainable development, yet little is know about how decision-making practices in these emerging policy spaces influence program outcomes. This study quantifies wetland compensation outcomes in Alberta, Canada, and compares these outcomes to statements made in government-issued compensation guidelines. Contrary to guideline intent, we found a strong tendency to skip over wetland avoidance in favor of compensatory payments for wetland loss; that compensation sites are frequently located outside the watershed of impact; and that distances between impact and compensation sites often exceed what is considered reasonable under the guidelines, without commensurate increases in compensation ratios. Agency capture was found to drive these implementation failures, and mechanisms producing capture in this case include overhead governance and organizational goal ambiguity. This study suggests that greater attention must be given to agency context if environmental trading programs are to be effective tools for managing environmental resources.
ISSN:0894-1920
1521-0723
DOI:10.1080/08941920.2013.779341