The edges of conflict and consensus: a case for creativity in regional forest policy in Southwest Finland

In this paper I articulate and describe how societal systems can be meaningfully integrated into development and environmental policy planning. I contrast two cases, the planning and implementation of the Natura 2000 reserve network and the Regional Forest Programme of Southwest Finland and discuss the elements that make the former process conflictual and the latter consensual. An analogy between ecosystem health and institutional health connects the vocabulary used in this paper with the vocabulary of environmental sciences and management. I describe the constituents of institutional health and discuss their importance in affording groups and individuals with power to resist, liabilities to resilience and capacity to adapt. I conclude by presenting a case for reform in development and environmental planning.