Public involvement and dispute resolution courses in natural resources schools

In a survey of SAF-accredited natural resources schools, 36 of 40 educators said natural resource professionals needed more training in public involve ment and dispute resolution, and 96 percent of respondents said such traini ng was "important" or "essential." Despite budgetary and staff constraints, the number of SAF-accredited schools offering specific courses in these to pics has grown dramatically, from a reported three in 1992 to 15 in 1997. A t most schools, these topics also have been incorporated into already-requi red courses on policy, planning, and management. The authors describe a mod el course in public involvement and conflict resolution and list resources for educators.