The Metagovernance of Climate Change: Institutional Adaptation to the Mountain Pine Beetle Epidemic in British Columbia

Abstract

The interior region of British Columbia is experiencing the most extensive mountain pine beetle outbreak ever recorded in North America, with 9.2 million hectares of red-attach pine forest identified in 2006. The epidemic is attributed to changing climate conditions and forest management policies that have resulted in a large number of mature, even-aged pine trees. Owing to the dominance of the forest industry in this region, there is widespread recognition that the mountain pine beetle outbreak will have significant socioeconomic impacts on forest-based communities in British Columbia. This paper examines the adaptation strategies of several communities that are affected by the mountain pine beetle epidemic. First, drawing from household survey research, latent levels of institutional apacity are discussed. Second, recent institutional adaptations are examined through the emergence of regional-scale beetle action coalitions. These institutional innovations can be characterized as a form of metagovernance, whereby collaboration and negotiated decision making are realized in the context of bureaucratic hierarchy and the extension of state power. The paper concludes with a call for stronger linkages between public and private sectors, as well as more robust forms of civic engagement as the basis for collective response to the mountain pine beetle outbreak.