The mother range: investigating the power dynamics of climate change adaptation in an Arizona fire-prone contested landscape

Cannon, William Henry (2022) The mother range: investigating the power dynamics of climate change adaptation in an Arizona fire-prone contested landscape. Masters thesis, Northern Arizona University.

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Abstract

Interviews with diverse actors regarding wildfire, values, and individual perspectives were conducted to add to the emergent body of literature utilizing a political ecology case study approach in the context of more developed countries. The Bighorn Fire as a case study provided several unique dynamics, such as community awareness of the fire, controlled management of the fire away from structures, ecological variability, the likelihood of near-future climate stress for the Tucson area, and history of socially prominent wildfires. Semi-structured interviews best aligned with the iterative nature of data analysis required by a political ecology approach. This methodology, combined with guidance from case study literature, informed the organization of interview data and the general structure of the research process. Analysis of interview data utilizing research questions informed by political ecology yielded rich insights into barriers to future governance efforts on and around Mt. Lemmon as well as novel findings of charismatic ‘indicators’ of climate change impacts for actors with different values and power. Future case studies examining communities, wildfire, and climate change impacts would benefit from similar critical engagements with local geography to understand how power influences both discourse and resulting action in relation to adaptive governance.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Publisher’s Statement:	© Copyright is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the Cline Library, Northern Arizona University. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.
Keywords:	Adaptation; Climate change; Indicators; Mitigation; Social diversity; Wildfire; Santa Catalina Mountains, Arizona; Forest ecology;
Subjects:	S Agriculture > SD Forestry
NAU Depositing Author Academic Status:	Student
Department/Unit:	Graduate College > Theses and Dissertations College of Social and Behavioral Science > Geography, Planning and Recreation
Date Deposited:	15 Jul 2022 17:14
Last Modified:	25 May 2023 08:30
URI:	https://openknowledge.nau.edu/id/eprint/5856

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