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1.0 Introduction
Although several co - operative management regimes have been negotiated in Canada, the Gwaii Haanas Agreement(f.1) is unique in several respects. It is one of only four co - management agreements reached for a national protected area in Canada, and is the most innovative and far - reaching of its kind (Hawkes 1995). The Agreement has profound implications for government policy - making and aboriginal sovereignty, and is a significant illustration of shared decision - making and alternative dispute resolution in action.
The purpose of this article is to evaluate the Agreement in its capacity as an alternative means of resolving a deeply entrenched land - use dispute. This work is based on an earlier and more comprehensive case study developed by Hawkes (1995) through an literature review and a set of multiple, semi - structured interviews conducted in 1993 with key informants, all of whom were closely involved in the development of the Gwaii Haanas Agreement.
2.0 Co - Management in Canada
Essentially, cooperative management, or co - management, refers to some combination of centralized, state - level management, and traditional, local - level resource management systems. True or "pure" co - management involves real sharing of decision - making power. In practice, the degree of power - sharing between the state and local users can vary. "Weak" or incomplete co - management systems may include some minimal level of public participation in government management of a resource. At the other extreme, co - management systems can involve the delegation of full management authority to the local level, with only as much government involvement as necessary (Pinkerton 1989; Berkes 1994). This latter scenario, however, is extremely rare. Typically, government agencies continue to retain ultimate authority, with most co - management boards serving in an advisory capacity only.
As a means of blending the best of self - management and centralized management systems, while potentially resolving seemingly intractable problems of unsustainable, ineffective, or unfair resource management regimes, co - management is being eyed with growing interest. This is particularly true in relation to aboriginal peoples. Berkes and Feeny (1990:48) go so far as to label co - management as an
emerging new paradigm for the future of shared resources". As Berkes (1994:20)...