Achievement

Institutional Rigidity and Change in Resource Management. Two trainees, Chanda Meek and Martin Robards, have explored the roles of institutional framework and agency culture in governing the effectiveness of the participation by indigenous communities in the management of marine mammal populations on which they have traditionally subsisted. Meek has documented the role of indigenous institutions (e.g., the Eskimo Whaling Commission) in national and international negotiations regarding the management of marine mammals. Robards has examined the effectiveness of agency monitoring programs in protecting the marine mammal populations. He finds that agencies have relied on traditional population approaches advocated by biologists (e.g., population estimates) rather than directly addressing the explicit management objectives of legislation (ecosystem management) that would be more feasible to implement in collaboration with local hunters.