The Model Forest Program in Canada: Building consensus on sustainable forest management

Contemporary sustainable development theory recognizes the need for partici pants in resource management issues to work in partnership to build consens us on options for moving forward. Thus, building consensus within cooperati ve multi-stakeholder partnership settings is receiving considerable attenti on from governments and resource managers alike. In Canada, the Model Fores t Program was developed with an eye to bringing traditional adversaries in forest resource management issues to the same table to build consensus on p rograms, policies, and approaches to achieving sustainable forest managemen t. This article applies the "Guiding Principles" for building consensus for a sustainable future, developed by the Round Tables on the Environment and Economy in Canada, to the Canadian Model Forest Program, in general, and s pecifically to the Manitoba Model Forest. This is done to illuminate the ap proaches to working together to build consensus on sustainable forest manag ement attempted by disparate stakeholder organizations.