ABSTRACT
Collaborative resource governance continues to expand as an approach to solving very complex environmental problems, including those arising in large-scale ecosystem restoration. Such problems transcend geographic and regulatory jurisdictions and involve cause-and-effect relationships that introduce layers of political and economic complexity. This entry focuses on the nature of collaborative resource governance as a means of managing complexity and cross-jurisdictional issues in large-scale ecosystem restoration. In doing so, we review the evolution, characteristics, challenges, and opportunities of various collaborative resource governance models for ecosystem management. We then discuss the task force as an institutional mechanism for collaborative resource governance and compare its application in the restoration of the Gulf Coast ecosystem following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill with its much longer-term use in the Florida Everglades ecosystem restoration program. We conclude by discussing how these programs can inform future research on governance structures and environmental management.
