From government to governance in forest planning? Lessons from the case of the British Columbia Great Bear Rainforest initiative

Much has been written about a supposed shift ‘from government to governance’ in many policy areas, including forest policy. However, the idea remains very much at the level of hypothesis as few empirical studies have confirmed the transition. Part of the problem is the multi-dimensional character of governance itself, which includes traditional ‘government’ as one of many possible governance modes. By providing a three dimensional picture of these potential governance modes, including overlapping institutional, political and regulatory dimensions, this article analyses the complex and incomplete character of moves towards any new governance mode in a high-profile land use planning exercise in British Columbia, that of the “Great Bear Rainforest” protected area strategy on the province's mid-coast region in 2006. Little evidence of such a shift is uncovered, despite much rhetoric to the contrary.