Letting People in: Redefining Collaboration in Wildland–Urban Interface Governance. Mosso, C., Fried, H., Courtney, K., Salerno, J., Kampf, S., & Farah, A. B. Environmental Policy and Governance, May, 2026. _eprint: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/eet.70093![Letting People in: Redefining Collaboration in Wildland–Urban Interface Governance [link]](https://bibbase.org/img/filetypes/link.svg "link")
Paper doi abstract bibtex Intensifying wildfire regimes and expanding human settlements into wilderness areas have heightened concerns about the wildland–urban interface (WUI) due to the associated increase in fire risk. However, the WUI presents broader social-ecological challenges that go beyond wildfire risk and remain understudied. We assessed two WUI governance systems to identify challenges and opportunities for implementing adaptive governance and facilitating transdisciplinary approaches to WUI planning and management. Our approach considers WUI areas as complex social-ecological systems and the challenges of WUI planning and management as a wicked problem. Specifically, we focus on collaboration and participatory processes within WUI governance, recognizing their potential to integrate broader perspectives and facilitate the co-production of knowledge that characterizes transdisciplinary approaches. Results from policy analysis and semi-structured interviews suggest that WUI governance systems in Colorado (US) and Neuquén (Argentina) present a mix of opportunities and challenges for advancing adaptive governance and facilitating transdisciplinary approaches to WUI management. Reflexive policies (flexible and adaptable) based on minimum standards and legal sunsets (periods for policy revision and adaptation) emerged as adaptive governance enablers in both systems. However, ambiguity in the definition of social-ecological boundaries and the way in which participatory processes are currently implemented represent important challenges to adaptive governance and transdisciplinary approaches to WUI planning and management. We suggest that, to advance a more comprehensive management of WUI areas, WUI governance systems (including actors, legal frameworks, processes, etc.) should emphasize collaboration and participatory processes, facilitating active forms of community participation and the co-development of WUI management objectives.
@article{mosso_letting_2026,
title = {Letting {People} in: {Redefining} {Collaboration} in {Wildland}–{Urban} {Interface} {Governance}},
volume = {n/a},
copyright = {© 2026 The Author(s). Environmental Policy and Governance published by ERP Environment and John Wiley \& Sons Ltd.},
issn = {1756-9338},
shorttitle = {Letting {People} in},
url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/eet.70093},
doi = {10.1002/eet.70093},
abstract = {Intensifying wildfire regimes and expanding human settlements into wilderness areas have heightened concerns about the wildland–urban interface (WUI) due to the associated increase in fire risk. However, the WUI presents broader social-ecological challenges that go beyond wildfire risk and remain understudied. We assessed two WUI governance systems to identify challenges and opportunities for implementing adaptive governance and facilitating transdisciplinary approaches to WUI planning and management. Our approach considers WUI areas as complex social-ecological systems and the challenges of WUI planning and management as a wicked problem. Specifically, we focus on collaboration and participatory processes within WUI governance, recognizing their potential to integrate broader perspectives and facilitate the co-production of knowledge that characterizes transdisciplinary approaches. Results from policy analysis and semi-structured interviews suggest that WUI governance systems in Colorado (US) and Neuquén (Argentina) present a mix of opportunities and challenges for advancing adaptive governance and facilitating transdisciplinary approaches to WUI management. Reflexive policies (flexible and adaptable) based on minimum standards and legal sunsets (periods for policy revision and adaptation) emerged as adaptive governance enablers in both systems. However, ambiguity in the definition of social-ecological boundaries and the way in which participatory processes are currently implemented represent important challenges to adaptive governance and transdisciplinary approaches to WUI planning and management. We suggest that, to advance a more comprehensive management of WUI areas, WUI governance systems (including actors, legal frameworks, processes, etc.) should emphasize collaboration and participatory processes, facilitating active forms of community participation and the co-development of WUI management objectives.},
language = {en},
number = {n/a},
urldate = {2026-05-27},
journal = {Environmental Policy and Governance},
author = {Mosso, Clara and Fried, Harrison and Courtney, Karissa and Salerno, Jonathan and Kampf, Stephanie and Farah, Andrea Baudoin},
month = may,
year = {2026},
note = {\_eprint: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/eet.70093},
}
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