ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the evolution of public involvement in natural resources planning and management. In light of the lessons learned, and argues that the public involvement challenge of the future is not simply more involvement or better techniques; rather the challenge is to address the changing roles of the major participants in public involvement activities. Discussing two major participants in public involvement activities-citizens and managers-the paper suggests some of the questions and dilemmas that must be confronted as the roles of these participants are affected and redefined in a changing policy framework. As societal values evolve, public involvement approaches need to be recast within the changed context of how we define the purposes of involvement in a democratic society and changing perceptions about the various roles that citizens and managers play in reaching those goals. Defining these new roles will require more than improving the techniques and tools of public involvement, or increasing the quantity of public participation.
