Today, problems such as deforestation, biodiversity loss and illegal logging have provoked various policy responses that are often referred to as forest and nature governance. In its broadest interpretation, governance is about the many ways in which public and private actors from the state, market and/or civil society govern public issues at multiple scales. This book takes a fresh perspective on the study of forest and nature governance. Departing from ‘practice theory’, and building upon scholars like Giddens, Bourdieu, Reckwitz, Schatzki and Callon, it seeks to move beyond established understandings of institutions, actors, and knowledge. In so doing, it not only presents an innovative conceptual and methodological framework for a practice based approach, but also rich case studies and ethnographies. Finally, this book is about how actors involved in governance talk about and work with trees, forests, biodiversity, wildlife, and so on, while acting upon forest policies, environmental discourses, codes of conduct, or scientific insights.
From the reviews:
"The goal of this book is to convince academic researchers that governance is best studied through practice-based research. ... The individual chapters, which cover a wide range of topics, could be read separately by individuals more interested in the particular case studies than in the theory behind the practice-based approach. ... The strongest case presented for this approach might be the blend of theory and description in each chapter. ... Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals/practitioners." (B. D. Orr, Choice, Vol. 50 (10), June, 2013)
"The goal of this book is to convince academic researchers that governance is best studied through practice-based research. ... The individual chapters, which cover a wide range of topics, could be read separately by individuals more interested in the particular case studies than in the theory behind the practice-based approach. ... The strongest case presented for this approach might be the blend of theory and description in each chapter. ... Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals/practitioners." (B. D. Orr, Choice, Vol. 50 (10), June, 2013)