Building social capital through advocacy coalitions in natural resource management in the rural Andes: who forms alliances?

Rural communities that depend on their local natural resources for much of their livelihood often have little to say about who uses those resources and how they use them. Different actors at local, national, and international levels have diverse interests formed around these resources, which might influence how they are being allocated. This thesis looks at the mechanisms by which actors at different levels and sectors come together to build coalitions around two resource management issues--management of the Cotacahi-Cayapas Ecological Reserve and the entrance of mining into Intag--in the Cotacachi Canton in the Ecuadorian Andes. I use a modified version of Sabateir and Jenkins-Smith\u27s Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) to identify the different groups that form around relevant issues, and examine the interaction that occurs between them when they try to influence decisions. Findings show that there are not many differences within coalitions and between opposing coalitions with regards to desired future conditions. Key terms, such as sustainable, ecological, economic benefit, less migration, and more jobs were present in the discourse of all coalitions in both issues. Differences between coalitions in both issues reside in their core belief systems/mental causal models. Opposing coalitions have different mental causal models. They perceive different means to reach a similar end (desired future condition). Likewise, opposing coalitions see different obstacles and facilitators in reaching their desired conditions. Many times, one coalition sees the other as a major impediment. One thing coalitions around both issues agree on is the recognition that something has to change. In the case of the reserve, decentralization has triggered the passing of natural resources to the local government for their management. This was a needed step in response to what is happening in the country and at a global level