Puijon hoito- ja käyttösuunnitelma : Analyysi osallistamisen onnistumisesta metsäsuunnittelun päätöksenteon näkökulmasta

Due to urbanization the importance of forests surrounding cities and municipal centers has grown significantly among residents. Increased use of recreational forests has led to the state where decisionmakers have started to pay more and more attention to forest management goals and participatory methods. In many cases municipalities and cities have started to incorporate resident’s perspectives to management plans and planning processes have developed towards strategic planning. The aim of this study was to determine, how well the participation was incorporated to planning process and, were the planners able to include stakeholder’s perspectives into the Puijo’s management plan. The data for this study was collected with internet based survey from stakeholder and steering group members that participated to the planning. The data was analyzed with Q-method. Qualitative analysis based on Tuler and Webler’s (1999) normative principles of participation was also carried out to assess the planning process. According to Q-analysis respondents formed four different perspective groups that described the planning process and its outcomes The groups were as follows: group disappointed to possibilities to affect planning, cooperation skeptics, supporters of systematic planning and the plan of the silent majority. All the groups felt that the planning process did not improve cooperation between stakeholders. Also, the availability of information was generally considered as a weak part of the process. The practical arrangements and the opportunity to participate to planning were considered successful areas by all the perspective groups. The group’s perspectives varied the most with issues concerning the ability to affect planning and its outcomes. Puijo’s planning process was a good example of, how a number of different participation methods can be incorporated seamlessly into the planning process. Simple formula for successful planning process could not be determined because participatory methods and their scope must be arranged according to the planning problem and the influence of the parties involved. However, the results provided valuable information for planners developing and carrying out participatory planning. In future participation processes stakeholders should be made clear, what are their abilities to affect the outcomes because over optimistic expectations can easily lead to disappointment. Also, the objectives of the planning process should be paid more attention. Objectives should be shaped to more concrete form. This way intersecting objectives could be easily addressed before conflicts develop. The use of decision support methods should also be increased because they offer more transparent way to justify decisions to stakeholders.