“Death by a Thousand Cuts”: Conservation Stakeholders’ Perspectives on Protecting Lakes in a Tourist Region Surrounded by Agriculture

Abstract

Abstract Freshwater systems are complex social-ecological systems (SES) impacted by multiple activities within watershed boundaries beyond their shorelines. Since many of these systems provide important ecosystem services, are threatened, and are managed by complex governance structures, there is a need for empirical work to understand how social setting and interactions between stakeholders impact governance. This study assesses conservation stakeholders’ perspectives in the Iowa Great Lakes region, a valuable freshwater system that is a popular tourist destination nested within an intense agricultural production region. Conservationists work within a polycentric governance structure to protect the Lakes. Using 23 semi-structured interviews and the SES Framework, we examine the environmental pressures facing the region, barriers to mitigation efforts, and solutions within a polycentric system. Our results highlight the difficulties in using voluntary conservation measures to mitigate environmental pressures and the challenges of involving non-conservation stakeholders given competing goals and limited resources.