Engaging the tourism industry in forest management planning: An evaluation of Ontario's Resource Stewardship Agreement process

With the introduction of the Resource Stewardship Agreement (RSA) process the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources has incorporated shared decision-making into its management of Crown forests. Within the RSA process, tourism and forestry operators negotiate mutually agreeable solutions to forest harvesting / tourism conflicts. I reviewed RSA policy documents and surveyed tourism operators to evaluate the RSA process and outcomes. I found the RSA process benefited forest management in Ontario by: including tourism operators in forest planning; promoting dialogue between the two industries; and balancing power relationships. However, RSAs could be improved by including more stakeholders, having a broader mandate and providing more equal opportunities to negotiating parties. Beyond the scope of RSAs, Ontario should consider undertaking large-scale land-use planning, incorporating shared decision-making into forest management planning, enhancing enforcement and correcting the perceived bias of the Ministry of Natural Resources towards the forest industry.