This presentation examines five proposed new principles of environmental governance that require institutions that promote social learning. These new principles suggest why many existing organizations resist new environmental agreements and management approaches so strongly.

By working from a new set of governance principles it is possible to better understand the conflicts and changes in environmental administration and management occurring in many regions and countries.

About Profesor Shannon
Prof. Margaret A. Shannon is Associate Professor, State University of New York at Buffalo, School of Law.

Professor Shannon´s research focuses on the emergence of a participatory approach to developing natural resource policy that engages people and organizations in substantive, creative roles rather than reactive and passive roles.

To expand on her work in the US, she is participating in a European COST Action to create and analyze participatory approaches to developing integrated, cross-sectoral national forest programmes within Europe and around the world. In the US, she has followed the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Assessment Process from its inception in 1994 as well as examining nearly a dozen other cases of bioregional science-policy cases.

She received her BA degrees from the University of Montana, and MS and PhD degrees from the University of California at Berkeley, School of Renewable Natural Resources.