Ecosystem Management and Landowner Concern About Regulations: A Case Study in the Missouri Ozarks

This article examines sociopolitical dimensions of ecosystem management through a case study of the Brush Creek EARTH Project, a watershed program in southcentral Missouri. Data were collected through person-to-person structured interviews during the summer of 1997. We investigate factors, particularly the role of trust and efficacy, related to landowner concern that participation in voluntary ecosystem management programs will lead to future regulations of their land use. Many landowners were concerned that participation in the Brush Creek EARTH Project would make them vulnerable to future regulations of their land use. Landowners who were more trusting of the agencies involved in ecosystem management were less likely to be concerned that participation would lead to future regulations. The implications of this study are that the sociopolitical dimensions need to be addressed in ecosystem management, and that specific attention needs to be given to developing trusting relationships with stakeholders.