In the United States, counties use many formal and informal mechanisms to govern wetlands within their jurisdiction. Wetlands play a major role in the world’s economic, cultural and ecological systems and are among one of the many threatened natural resources world-wide and Wisconsin is no exception. Informal institutions can play a large role in regulating wetlands and can go unnoticed if only the formal institutions are examined. In our survey we ask about strategies county staff use with landowners of which visiting wetland sites and coordinating with land trusts are two examples of informal institutions. We aim to understand both the formal and informal institutions and the interaction between the two in creating a wetland governance system and how it differs across localities. Understanding wetland governance at the local level can help managers and policy makers develop and implement policies that efficiently and effectively manage natural resources.
We looked at the demographics of the wetland managers, along with several different approaches to management such as GIS work, providing incentives to landowners, or applying heavier regulation.
Read the poster.