Landscape and Urban Planning 97 (2010) 213–220 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Landscape and Urban Planning journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/landurbplan Factors for collaboration in Florida’s tourism resources: Shifting gears from participatory planning to community-based management Gabriela E. Yates a , Taylor V. Stein b,∗ , Miriam S. Wyman b a Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, CW 405, Biological Sciences Bldg., Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E9 b School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, P.O. Box 110410, Gainesville, FL 32611-0410, United States article info Article history: Received 9 July 2009 Received in revised form 24 May 2010 Accepted 2 June 2010 Available online 7 July 2010 Keywords: Co-management Community-driven conservation Ecotourism Environmental policy Florida tourism Scenic highways abstract Filling gaps in participatory theory is vital as natural resource policy increasingly shifts from community-based planning to community-based management. This study was designed to identify how participatory planning factors (i.e., the perception of non-monetary resources, community own- ership, non-government organization involvement, and local government involvement) contributed to perceived management success in a working example of collaborative management, the Florida Scenic Highways Program. Using a web-based questionnaire, participants in four locally-based scenic highway groups were asked to rate their perceptions of success (i.e., dependent variable) and factors that guided their scenic highway management (i.e., independent variables). Results showed non-monetary resources (i.e., information and skilled personnel) and community ownership most important for management achievement. Specifically, the study showed that a feeling of community ownership improves the out- comes of a project. This research and other tests of participatory theory will help achieve sustainable management as it pertains to the role communities play in decision-making. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction The need to better integrate community residents into natural resource decision-making is a widely held belief, but the factors that underlie effective community-based planning and manage- ment are not well understood (Wilson, 2006). Frameworks for participatory planning often describe the characteristics for com- munity empowerment, beginning with Arnstein’s (1969, p. 217) basic definitions for participation, varying from “manipulation” to “citizen empowerment” or full participation. Much of the literature, from watershed councils to ecotourism cooperatives, supports full community participation at every stage of decision-making (e.g., Getz and Jamal, 1994; Chambers, 1994a; Akama, 1996; Scheyvens, 1999). 1.1. Community-based planning vs. management Many participatory planning models that have been developed and implemented in industrialized countries are used in short-term planning, which is defined as decision-making on future action that occurs in a finite time period (e.g., Getz and Jamal, 1994; Chambers, 1994b). Natural resource and tourism policies are undergoing a ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 352 846 0860; fax: +1 352 846 1277. E-mail addresses: gyates@ualberta.ca (G.E. Yates), tstein@ufl.edu (T.V. Stein), mwyman@ufl.edu (M.S. Wyman). landmark shift from community-based planning into community- based management, which is decision-making, implementation, and monitoring of actions for indefinite time periods (Wilson, 2006). The new application of participatory concepts in ongo- ing management creates a pressing research need. Theory-based frameworks that define the structure, function, and limitations of community-based decision-making groups must now address ongoing management settings if we are to expect appropriate appli- cation of this increasingly advocated practice (Korfmacher, 2000; Steelman and Carmin, 2002; Moore and Koontz, 2003). 1.2. An example of community-based management of tourism resources in the US The Florida Department of Transportation’s (FDOT) Florida Scenic Highways Program was created to coordinate with the fed- eral National Scenic Byway Program (Transportation Consulting Group [TCG], 1998). The FDOT office of Environmental Manage- ment oversees the Florida Scenic Highways Program. Several state representatives assist applicants in the set-up of their local corridor program. The purpose of the Florida Scenic Highways Program is to identify roadways that increase visitor and resident awareness of Florida’s unique resources, history, and culture and manage the designated roadways in a fashion that promotes culturally appro- priate tourism and provides for community enhancement (TCG, 1998). 0169-2046/$ – see front matter © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2010.06.003