Stakeholders’ frames and ecosystem service use in the context of a debate over rebuilding or removing a dam in New Brunswick, Canada

Ecology and Society: a journal of integrative science for resilience and sustainability

Reilly, Kate¹ 

关键词: dam refurbishment;    dam removal;    ecosystem services;    frames;    stakeholders;   

DOI  :  10.5751/ES-09045-220117

学科分类：生物科学（综合）

来源: Resilience Alliance Publications

【 摘 要 】

As many dams are starting to reach the end of their life spans, discussions about whether they should be retained or removed are becoming more common. Such debates are often controversial, but little is known about stakeholders’ opinions about the issue. We use frame theory to describe how stakeholders perceive a decision on the future of the Mactaquac Dam in New Brunswick, Canada. Frames describe how people make sense of a situation by determining what is important and inside the frame, and what is outside the frame, based on their past experiences and knowledge. We explore whether the benefits that people realize from ecosystems (ecosystem services) influence their frames of dam removal. Based on interviews with 30 stakeholders, we found that participants who preferred to retain the dam aimed to prioritize the social and economic stability of the area, which relied on the ecosystem services provided by the dammed river. They emphasized the quality of the current ecosystem that has developed around the dam and preferred to avoid disturbing it. By contrast, those who preferred to remove the dam framed the decision as an opportunity to restore the ecology and social and economic activities that were present before the dam was built. These frames were influenced by participants’ use of ecosystem services—both focus on the ecosystem services they use, while minimizing the benefits of others. Exploring frames allowed us to uncover the assumptions and biases implicit in their views, and identify topics for education campaigns as well as possible areas of agreement between parties. We conclude that ecosystem services are a relevant source of frames of a decision on a dam’s future.

【 授权许可】

Others