Exploring Environmental Stewardship in the Niagara Region of Canada: How Do Elements of Environmental Stewardship Relate to Success?

Abstract

Environmental stewardship is imperative as it provides a means for individuals and society to reconnect with the biosphere as well as work to protect and conserve the environment for future generations. While the concept of stewardship is not new, the scholarship addressing it is still developing. In particular, there is limited research that addresses what makes stewardship successful. This thesis addresses calls in the literature for empirical investigations into local-scale environmental stewardship. Specifically, it contributes to a better understanding of elements of stewardship and what makes stewardship initiatives successful. Two studies were conducted in the Niagara Region of Canada. The first study investigated the social-ecological context of the area and examined the elements of environmental stewardship initiatives by empirically testing a framework for environmental stewardship. The second study examined factors allowing for stewardship success, from the perspective of the organizations conducting the work. In concert, the findings reveal: a nuanced relationship between context and stewardship elements; factors making for stewardship success; and an expanded conceptual framework which more fulsomely describes local environmental stewardship. Finally, recommendations for future work in this realm of empirical environmental stewardship investigations are put forth.