Building trust for collaborative natural resource management through participatory modeling

A central requirement of collaborative natural resource management is establishing trust between the actors involved, both horizontally between resource users and vertically between users and regulators. Previous studies have demonstrated that participatory modeling—the act of building a shared representation of a system with resource users—can surface assumptions, facilitate communication, and promote social learning around the resource system, all of which help build trust. We explored the potential for participatory modeling to contribute to building trust in the context of collaborative water management in Michigan. While water in Michigan is relatively abundant, it is subject to the Great Lakes Compact which places limits on withdrawals to protect freshwater ecosystems. We conducted a survey of large quantity water users in Michigan, and a focus group discussion with members of the state regulatory body in charge of water withdrawals. We found that water users in Michigan and water regulators held substantially different mental models of water scarcity, with users being mistrustful of the scientific basis for water regulation. We also found a lack of trust from water users in the state regulatory body, which was severe enough to preclude us from collecting additional data. We determined that this lack of trust can be tied to a disbelief on the part of water users in the state’s benevolence—most water users, and especially farmers, do not believe that the state regulatory body has their best interests in mind, or wishes them well, influencing their mistrust of information and decisions that come from that body. If collaborative water governance in Michigan is to be successful, this lack of trust will have to be remedied through intentional engagement over time.