Institutional fragmentation in United States protected area agencies and its impact on budget processes

PurposeProtected areas, lands and seas set aside for nature conservation, are the main tool for governments to conserve biodiversity. The complexity of government processes, however, can lead to fragmentation in protected area systems. Institutional fragmentation can preclude central coordination and undermine funding and performance. Here, we examine the impact of institutional fragmentation on budgets for protected area agencies in the United States, an important actor in the global conservation movement.Design/methodology/approachThis article uses visual text and network analysis with agency budget documents to examine linkages between agencies. These findings are triangulated with semi-structured interviews analyzed with axial coding to develop a framework for the budget process and its outcomes in US protected area agencies.FindingsThe visual text analysis demonstrates varying levels of coordination between agencies. The conceptual framework shows that five factors - mismatches within agencies, the influence of the Presidential administration, the power of Congress as the appropriator of funds, external forces that influence Congress, and a lack of accountability in allocations - lead to institutional fragmentation and "disparate nature enclaves".Research limitations/implicationsInterview findings are derived from a non-representative population, and thus should not be generalized for all agencies or budget systems.Practical implicationsUnderstanding the factors influencing agency budget proposals will inform policy to make budgeting more effective for U.S. and other national protected area systems.Originality/valueFew studies have conducted qualitative analyses of federal agencies and their budgets, particularly for federal protected areas.