Date of Award
5-2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management
Committee Chair/Advisor
Aby Sene-Harper
Committee Member
Elizabeth Baldwin
Committee Member
Lori Dickes
Committee Member
Lauren Redmore
Abstract
Federal coastal protected areas in the United States are increasingly shaped by intersecting social, ecological, and institutional pressures, including climate change, amenity-driven population growth, rising visitation, and sustained public land disinvestment. Within this context, Participatory Land Management (PLM) has been promoted as a mechanism to enhance legitimacy, incorporate local knowledge, and foster shared stewardship. However, the implementation of PLM within U.S. federal land agencies remains under-theorized, particularly in ecologically dynamic landscapes that have designated wilderness. This dissertation examines PLM at Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, a federally managed coastal refuge embedded within a rapidly changing social-ecological system and constrained by declining institutional capacity. Using a mixed-method case study design, the research integrates primary data from refuge visitor surveys and community members, as well as semi-structured interviews with federal agency staff, community leaders, and nongovernmental organization (NGO) partners, alongside secondary data, including policy documents and federally collected data. The findings reveal a central governance paradox: while stakeholders express broad support for engagement and shared stewardship, participation is constrained by limited agency capacity, divergent community expectations regarding influence, and the symbolic and regulatory complexities associated with wilderness designation. This research advances PLM scholarship by situating participation within the current institutional realities of U.S. federal land management and by integrating wilderness governance into participatory theory.
Recommended Citation
Alvidrez, Kelly, "Participatory Land Management in a Dynamic Coastal, Wilderness Landscape: Stakeholder Engagement, Public Land Disinvestment, and a Paradox at Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge" (2026). All Dissertations. 4267.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/4267