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- Info
Culture, conflict, and communication in the wildland-urban interface
| Author: |
Ewert, Alan W.; Chavez, Deborah J.; Magill, Arthur W., eds |
| Date: |
1993 |
| Periodical: |
Social Behavior and Natural Resources Series. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, Inc. |
| Abstract: |
Although the interface between urbanized areas and wildlands has existed since organized settlement began, a comprehensive program studying the phenomenon associated with these lands is a relatively new occurrence. This growing interest in the issues associated with the wildland-urban interface is, in part, fueled by four factors. First, wildland-urban interface issues such as land use allocation and water rights have immense economic, social, political and legal ramifications. Second, these areas serve important social as well as ecological functions for a society that has become more urbanized. Third, with the increased use and value associated with the wildland-urban interface, conflicts associated with use patterns, resource allocations, and goal attainment have become more intense and polarizing. Fourth, hazards to life and property have evolved as urbanization and other uses spread into the interface where fire and flood present serious and periodic threats. From the perspective of research and scholarship, the wildland-urban interface presents a wide range of possibilities. A sampling of these would include the influence of cultural, ethnical, and racial diversity, fire on the interface, vandalism, recreational behaviors, and policy implications. To address these and other issues related to the wildland-urban interface this book is divided into seven parts. While not all inclusive, the material in these sections collectively represents a wide range of interests involving research and management on the wildland-urban interface. Part One provides an introduction by way of a discussion of issues, challenges, and opportunities facing the wildland-urban interface. Part Two discusses the complexity and influence cultural diversity and ethnicity play in the interface setting. Part Three provides an overview of how communication patterns and issues relative to the wildland-urban interface can be understood and improved upon. Part Four describes the influence of activities, site location, and visitor characteristics on the interface setting. Part Five provides a discussion of visitor behaviors and land ethics. These issues are the central focus for many future management and interpretive strategies. Part Six examines a number of policy, planning, and management concerns. This discussion uses recent research findings as a basis for making informed management and policy decisions. Part Seven introduces a wide range of issues related to integrating research and management, including land use allocation, CIS applications, and changing demographic variables. Finally, the book's last chapter offers a "look to the future" by discussing some of the issues and problems that will face the future managers and researchers in the wildland-urban interface setting. The goal in this discussion is to identify future management needs and corresponding research questions. To compile the book, we were fortunate to assemble a broad spectrum of outstanding researchers, managers, and academicians. We have asked the scientists and educators to provide some implications and suggestions for future management possibilities based on the findings of their research. As is the case in any book, space and other limitations preclude this from being the final word on the wildland-urban interface. By the nature of our past work and involvement in a USDA Forest Service Research Unit, our bias is toward the recreational use of interface lands. Obviously, as is true with any emphasis, this focus has led to a greater examination of the recreational aspects of the wildland-urban interface with a corresponding decrease in an emphasis on other interface concerns. Despite its limitations, we hope the book provides some insight and greater knowledge concerning the management and science of natural resources in a wildland-urban interface. Of equal importance, we hope the information and ideas presented will act as catalysts for future work and developments. If the wildland-urban interface presents a "window" for future management challenges, then research and management technology that can be applied in these settings will serve the natural resource profession well. |
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