Collaborative Planning in Complex Stakeholder Environments: An Evaluation of a Two-Tiered Collaborative Planning Model

An innovative model of collaborative planning that delegates responsibility for plan preparation to a two-tier stakeholder process to accommodate the special position of aboriginal groups is evaluated based on a participant survey using 25 evaluative criteria. The two-tier collaborative model was comprised of one negotiating table involving all stakeholders and First Nations that sent recommendations to a second negotiating table comprised of only First Nations and government. The two-tier model was used to develop a plan for the internationally significant Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia, Canada. The two-tier process reached a consensus agreement resulting in significant changes to land use and regional governance structures in the study area. Overall, the results show that a two-tier model can help collaborative planning be successful in complex stakeholder environments involving significant differences in values, culture, and legal entitlement.