Factors for collaboration in Florida's tourism resources: Shifting gears from participatory planning to community-based management

Filling gaps in participatory theory is vital as natural resource policy increasingly shifts from community-based planning to community-based management. This study was designed to identify how participatory planning factors (i.e., the perception of non-monetary resources, community ownership, non-government organization involvement, and local government involvement) contributed to perceived management success in a working example of collaborative management, the Florida Scenic Highways Program. Using a web-based questionnaire, participants in four locally-based scenic highway groups were asked to rate their perceptions of success (i.e., dependent variable) and factors that guided their scenic highway management (i.e., independent variables). Results showed non-monetary resources (i.e., information and skilled personnel) and community ownership most important for management achievement. Specifically, the study showed that a feeling of community ownership improves the outcomes of a project. This research and other tests of participatory theory will help achieve sustainable management as it pertains to the role communities play in decision-making.