Democratic Participation in Governing the Ocean: A study of how to plan within the framework of Wicked Environmental Problems
Author
Puibaraud, Ida Engmann
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2021
Submitted on
2021-06-04
Pages
63
Abstract
Specialet undersøger, hvordan mere demokratisk deltagelse i styringen af havet kan øge bæredygtigheden. Udgangspunktet er EU’s direktiv om maritim fysisk planlægning og Danmarks første maritime fysiske plan. Den overordnede teoretiske ramme er Kritisk teori (analyse af magtforhold), suppleret af Governing the Commons (samarbejde om fælles naturressourcer), Deliberativt demokrati (beslutninger gennem offentlig dialog) og Marint medborgerskab (borgeres rettigheder og ansvar over for havet). Analysen bygger på semistrukturerede interviews med aktører fra UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), den danske Søfartsstyrelse og WWF samt sekundære data, herunder konsensuskonferencen Vores Hav (oktober 2020), en borgerinddragelsesproces. Resultaterne peger på, at udviklingen af Danmarks maritime fysiske plan var præget af penge, hierarki og magtforhold – herunder tendenser til undgåelse – og at den demokratiske deltagelse blandt relevante aktører var utilstrækkelig. Det kan have svækket opbakningen blandt politikere, virksomheder, interesseorganisationer, NGO’er og forskere. Da konsekvenserne er omfattende, er det desuden nødvendigt, at befolkningen forstår, hvorfor et sundt hav er afgørende. Konsensuskonferencen viste, at når borgere involveres i komplekse spørgsmål, kan øget ocean literacy (viden om havet) hjælpe dem med at danne og udvikle velovervejede holdninger og ændre værdier og adfærd. Endelig peger specialet på manglende forståelse for, hvordan tilrettelæggelsen og gennemførelsen af borgerinddragelse påvirker resultaterne. Planlægning bør derfor ske inden for en ramme for vilde problemer, som anerkender kompleksitet, usikkerhed og behovet for løbende læring.
This thesis explores how more democratic participation in ocean governance can improve sustainability. It uses the EU Directive on Maritime Spatial Planning and Denmark’s first Maritime Spatial Plan as the policy context. The overall theoretical lens is Critical Theory (examining power relations), complemented by Governing the Commons (cooperation around shared natural resources), Deliberative Democracy (decision-making through public reasoning), and Marine Citizenship (citizens’ rights and responsibilities toward the ocean). The analysis draws on semi-structured interviews with actors from UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), the Danish Maritime Authority, and WWF, and on secondary sources, including the Our Ocean Consensus Conference (October 2020), a citizen participation process. Findings indicate that the development of Denmark’s Maritime Spatial Plan was shaped by money, hierarchy, and power dynamics—including tendencies to avoid difficult issues—and that democratic participation among relevant actors was insufficient. This may have reduced support among politicians, businesses, interest organizations, NGOs, and researchers. Because the consequences are far-reaching, the public also needs to understand why a healthy ocean matters. The Consensus Conference showed that when citizens engage with complex issues, greater ocean literacy can help them form and refine informed opinions and can shift values and behavior. Finally, the thesis points to limited understanding of how the design and execution of participation processes affect outcomes. Planning should therefore adopt a wicked problem approach that recognizes complexity, uncertainty, and the need for iterative learning.
[This summary has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
Keywords
Documents