Читать книгу River Restoration - Группа авторов - Страница 26

The first studies addressing the political dimension of river restoration were published in the 2000s, often in connection with analysis of the effects of restoration on human–river interactions (e.g. Tunstall et al. 2000; Connelly et al. 2002; Junker et al. 2007). They often involve both survey methods and literature reviews (see Box 1.3), and are based on the idea that environmental policies are the result of power plays between different interests (Baker and Eckerberg 2013). In fact, many policy approaches to river restoration are devoted to the issue of arbitration between different interests involved in decision‐making. Which restoration objectives should be prioritized? How to intervene? On which sites should we prioritize action? The answers to these questions probably vary according to the actors questioned and the governance methods adopted for the project, but also more broadly according to the territorial context in which the project takes place. Thus, behind seemingly technical issues there are in fact significant and influential social and political processes that are at the heart of political approaches to restoration. For Light and Higgs (1996), the political stakes of restoration can be approached from two perspectives, often complementary. The first relates to the choices that are made, the reasons why they are made, and the manner in which they are made, and is referred to as “politics in restoration.” In the field of river restoration, there are therefore many publications related to governance and stakeholder participation. The second approach is the “politics of restoration.” It brings together work that looks at the way in which restoration approaches fit into further political, social, and economic mechanisms beyond the immediate realm. These two approaches examine the value of restoration policy (Light and Higgs 1996), questioning what is a “good” or “bad” restoration project, particularly from the perspective of legitimacy (who makes the decisions and in what capacity?) or equity (are the decisions fair and made in the name of the common good?).