Evaluating collaborative planning: a case study of the Haida Gwaii land and resource management plan

This report focuses on a case study of land use planning on Haida Gwaii, which is an internationally significant region for both ecological and cultural reasons. Haida Gwaii has recently undergone a land use planning process based on an innovative collaborative planning model that engages First Nations and other stakeholders in consensus-based negotiations to reach agreement. It is important to evaluate this innovative process, and to learn lessons from it that can be used to develop guidelines for achieving sustainability and working with First Nations. The stakeholders of the Haida Gwaii process were surveyed and their experiences with the process were evaluated based on 26 ‘best practices’ process and outcome criteria. This evaluation highlights both the strengths and weaknesses of the process, as well as an assessment of various unique process features.