Activity 4.2: Environmental Policy Framework

 

Bryan, T. (2003).  Context in environmental conflicts	Davis, C. B., & Lewicki, R. J. (2003). Environmental conflict resolution	Donald A. Schon and Martin Rein (1994) Frame Reflection: Toward the Resolution of Intractable Policy Controversies
	Identity Addresses, "Who am I?"  Relation or comparison to social categories Questions beliefs and values
Political Consists of characteristics of the political processes and institutions in a society
Demographic Contains characteristics of the population such as age, gender, race, religion and ethnic categories Technological Characterized by the general level of knowledge and capability of science, engineering, medicine, and other substantive areas	Fact Finding Show how to seek and accept information based on how non-expert stakeholders frame the use and value of technical information
Cultural Consists of the values, attitudes, beliefs, social customs, and socialization processes concerning such things as sex roles, family structure, work orientation as well as religious and political practices	Social Control Represent individual views about how decisions regarding social issues should be made	Metacultural culturally shared systems of belief
	Power Frames Gaining power or leverage within a dispute
Legal Formal laws, regulations, legal procedures, and court decisions; characteristics of legal institutions and values, such as provisions for individual rights and jury trials		Policy Action frame that an institutional actor uses to construct the problem of a specific policy situation Examples include courts, legislatures, political parties, editorial pages, radio and television programs Institutional frame A more generic action frame from which institutional actors derive their policy frames.  Affect how institutional actors frame policy issues.
		Rhetorical Underlies the persuasive use of story and argument in policy discourse
	Characterization Similar to identity frames in that they are statements made by individuals about how they understand someone else to be  "Who are they?"

• Identity

 This is a way that allows individuals to analyze their identity and group affiliation influence on how they view and respond to conflict. In terms of our identity, we tend to try and protect the parts of our identity that help create our sense of self. This could include our beliefs, values, group affiliations, etc. 

When our identities are threatened or challenged through conflictual situations, they tend to respond in ways that reinforce their so-called identity reputation, to put it in simpler terms. In such situations, we tend to view the conflict in ways that align with and do not threaten our identities, therefore we aim to suppress, reject, or dismiss those perspectives that do threaten our identities. I also resonate this topic with the infatuation we seemingly have with our "first-impressions". They can determine a lot about how others perceive us and our own identities, hence, suppressing the more negative projections. 

• Demographic

For our purposes, the demo-graphic environment also includes characteristics of populations brought about by migrations that may determine social and political dimensions within communities and regions. Such alterations may change the demographic context in which a conflict occurs and may influence conflict dynamics in unique ways. I find this as a very reliable framework tactic as we refer to actual results within the population and how we act/co-exist with each other. 

• Power

Power frames are used to persuade the other parties that the speaker has, or can use, power to gain advantage in the dispute. 

• Characterization

Characterization frames influence how we view and respond to particular conflict situations, based on how we view others in the conflict. Characterization frames can include both negative and positive, or neutral characterizations. Often, characterization frames arise out of one's allegiance to a particular group and its representative values, interests, positions, or goals in the conflict. In other words, this particular framework is a great example of existing stereotypes or social "norms" within a large or small group. 

• Rhetorical

Rhetoric is the way in which you communicate in everyday life. These communications can be persuasive in nature and can be made of text, images, video, or any other type of media. This framework analysis requires an understanding and control of language and knowledge of culture; the rhetorical situation which includes the purpose, audience, topic, writer, and context, genre, etc. In many cases, rhetorical appeals include tactics of ethos, pathos, and logos, that can also contribute to its intended purpose.

    I decided to include the most important, but also unique framework tactics on my list. 

Starting with identity, this framework can be completely personalized depending on the individual. We all perceive ourselves and others completely different. As mentioned in my brief summary/definition, I feel as if this could also include first impressions. Sometimes we let others' opinions about us overtake what we do and how we present ourselves, it is just in our nature, (most of the time).  There are the negative and positive projections we have to deal with, and some will accept that, while others do what they can to hide it. 

    I feel as if demographics are a well-known source of evidence. You are getting a collective amount of data with the characteristics of the population included. Demographics are real-life examples of statistics and could possibly make or break results depending on the topic in question. I view demographics as a particularly easy method to use if given the right information as well. 

    

    Framework methods based on power seem pretty self-explanatory. They establish a source of power and authority that could be very helpful when setting a ground of credibility. Especially in arguments or conflicts. Using power, I feel, could also give off a more stern, believable tone when asserting dominance in any provided evidence or given explanation. 

    Like identity, characterization could also be projected as positive or negative. In many ways, this is similar to one's identity, but in this case, you could use characterization when referring to a group or groups of different individuals. It can also be used to "assign" stereotypes and explain why they are categorized as such. Using characterization can help introduce a group but also divide them by the different personalities they consist of.

    I chose to use rhetorical because it seemed unique in comparison to the others. We have all heard of rhetorical analysis' and this is exactly that, with a few tweaks to fit the framework method. What I like most about being able to possibly use a rhetorical framework is the use of the three appeals. Such as ethos, pathos, and logos. These appeals can all be used or just one, but nonetheless, still prove a clear point and thesis to their readers. 

sources:

Bryan, T. (2003). Context in environmental conflicts: Where you stand depends on where you sit. Environmental Practice, 5(3), 256-264.

Davis, C. B., & Lewicki, R. J. (2003). Environmental conflict resolution: Framing and intractability--an introduction. Environmental Practice, 5(3), 200-206.

Frame Reflection: Toward the Resolution of Intractable Policy Controversies, Donald A. Schon and Martin Rein, (New York: Basic Books, 1994).

Activity 2.3.2 Ranches as Grassland Conservation

  

1. Exploratory 

In terms of brief statistics, Howell mentions that, “grasslands in aggregate globally comprise about 40% of the lands surface area, which is about 12 billion acres.” 

 

When providing and introduction to the topic he is about to discuss, Howell includes how “grasslands are the most under-conserved biome globally. A lot of them have been converted into monoculture cropping areas.” Which is a great reason behind the podcast episode and why he is speaking out about the process and providing his knowledge on said issues.  

 

In addition, when proving his point behind the loss of land that we have had due to degradation, Howell claims that “the Midwest is almost 100% corn and soybeans instead of grasslands.” 

 

“Brutal tending environments are landscapes that, because of the nature or the pattern of the precipitation either it's very erratic meaning it's highly unpredictable how it falls over the course of the year or it's very seasonal and concentrated which means that for a big part of the year there is no rainfall.” 

 

Towards the ending segment of the podcast, Howell describes the correlation grazing issues could have on the economy. After being asked of the knowledge behind land value and what determines it, he mentioned that, “in New Zealand, their property values are totally tied to how many sheep stock unit equivalents a property can carry.” 

 

2. Diagnostic 

Grasslands can possibly get grazed severely, but as long as it can fully recover, according to Howell, they deplete their carbohydrate reserves and their root system, changing the growing patterns or, depending on the species, causes them to die. When livestock continue grazing before the crops have been restored, that’s when it becomes such a big problem. 

In addition, when looking into an external source about some other factors that play into causing overgrazing, it is said that overstocking, drought, and land can also cause this issue. According to the article provided by Geoffrey Migiro the World Atlas website, “overstocking occurs when a piece of land is stocked with more livestock than it can support for a grazing period. Drought affects the survival and growth of vegetation. Extended periods of drought result in the drying out and stunted growth of plants. Land usage determines the soil fertility of an area. Therefore, certain types of land use, such as mining, land pollution, logging activities, and burn and slush farming techniques reduce the amount of land available for grazing.” Which is a bit more of a thorough understanding to what Howell mentioned in the podcast.  

 

3. Cause and Effect 

As Howells discusses, the presence of animals is super crucial to these grasslands. Part of the grazing method he speaks about consists of managing the plants, and managing the cattle in bigger herds. This changes how the animals interact with the landscape. Instead of over resting the land, or overgrazing, they tend to stray 2 or more miles away from the water, expanding the use of the land which is way more productive than the alternative. With more land coverage from the animals, comes a higher value of profit when selling.  

This approach makes these ranches more productive, thus, also providing a better income for ranchers.  

 

4. Priority 

There has been a gradual degradation of the world's grasslands. As Howell puts it, this is a result of the loss of “ecological integrity and biological diversity across landscapes.” But this degradation has been due to a multitude of reasons that Howell gives his input of knowledge on. Whether it is the cattle overgrazing, the economy, or just natural earth processes, it causes major problems.  

Land degradation can even lead to food insecurity which in turn leads to rising prices of foods, environmental hazards, loss of ecosystem and biodiversity etc., which then becomes an even bigger issue for the population to worry about.  

 

5. Application 

Just as we learned from the last lesson, the land/ farming industry could affect the population in the long run without a doubt. This is where we raise our cattle and grow our food, it’s not just land up for show. Listeners of the podcast can now understand everything that goes into taking care of this land so these natural processes can continue on undisturbed. Because if not, it can result in a chain reaction that will eventually affect our cattle, the economy, and how we grow our crops. Though I am not a farmer myself, I can still say I have developed and even greater respect for all that they do to ensure that this cycle isn’t harmed and that our land isn’t at risk in the future.  

 

6. Critical 

My huge away from the podcast is learning about how these farms and grazing methods of preservation impact the economy. If the land isn’t properly taken care of, yes, of course the value will go down. But I didn’t realize how much the value could go up if the grazing is simply being expanded. Of course, farmers are looking for the bare minimum in terms of land upkeep, but this grazing method goes beyond those expectations. I don’t know why I never put two and two together with that correlation of value before. It seems like this is a long trail of cause-and-effect situations that could go in so many different directions. Howell even spoke briefly about this topic in relation to real-estate prices and tactics. I also became aware of how serious overgrazing can be as it causes a bump in the road for landowners. This not only sets back growth, but also any possible animal desire to expand or care for the area enough to properly graze it.  

 

 

Sources: 

 

Migiro, Geoffrey. “What Is Overgrazing?” WorldAtlas, 29 July 2019, www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-is-overgrazing.html. 

 

Roberson, E. (Host). (2016, May 26). Conserving and restoring the world’s grasslands [Audio podcast episode]. In Mountain & Prairie Podcast. http://mountainandprairie.com/jim-howell/