Adaptive Policy and Governance: Natural Resources, Ownership, and Community Development in Appalachia

My presentation looks at practices and policies to better manage natural resources and community development in Appalachia. Social problems in the region have long been tied to absentee, asymmetric ownership patterns of land and natural resources. It has generally been accepted that these practices encourage underinvestment in Appalachia and perpetuate legal-political privilege among local elites. Nonetheless, real solutions have seen only limited implementation. Furthermore, current national and international trends present new and continuing obstacles, such as ecological exploitation, deindustrialization of hinterlands, and urban sprawl. These individual forces vary throughout Appalachia, but all result in a disparity of sacrifice between those inside and outside the mountains. Across Appalachia today, the natural environment continues to be a source of wealth and cultural value for local communities. As such, a more equitable redevelopment of the region depends on the proper management of its natural resources. My presentation broaches these issues, incorporating more recent understandings of common pool resources, land tenure, and polycentric governance. I will also review a cocktail of potentially beneficial institutional mechanisms, including social entrepreneurship, land trusts, ecosystem services, and participatory development. In addition, multi-issue organizations will likely take on a central role in community development and services in an era in which the reach of government seems to be retreating. Ultimately, however, there is no panacea, as the solutions to each community\u27s problems will be complex and specific to its needs