“They're All Really Important, But…”: Unpacking How People Prioritize Values for the Marine Environment in Haida Gwaii, British Columbia

In this paper we report on research designed to learn about how people prioritize outcomes of the management of marine ecosystems. Using Q methodology, we asked residents to sort outcomes such as food security, trustworthy governance, harvest and recreational opportunities, education, and employment in terms of their importance to community well-being. We also asked them to discuss the strategies they used when faced with difficult tradeoffs, and their feelings throughout the sorting process. We identified four strategies that people used for resolving trade-offs and four social discourses that informed participants' sorts: the strategies for prioritization reflect aspects of people's ethical standpoint, as well as whether they are employing short or long-term thinking; the discourses reflect concerns regarding state-based governance, local autonomy, and people's desire to be engaged and connected with the marine environment. Our findings shed light on how people in natural resource dependent areas think about environmental governance and negotiate among multiple priorities. Our findings also offer explanations for why people agree or disagree with policies and management actions, especially in cases where people's preferences appear inconsistent with their stated values. We conclude by discussing the implications of these findings for natural resource management and research.