Abstract
This Masters Degree Project proposes an evaluation framework for forest co-management practice. Organized under the main headings of Guiding Principles, Institutional Structure, and Operations of a co-management board, this framework describes a wide range of criteria known to contribute to the success of co-management. This approach differs significantly from existing evaluation models where the level of power shared between parties is presented as the most important criteria for success and co-management is shown as a static end-point rather than a dynamic process. The proposed framework is applied to two co-management board case studies located in the NorSask Forest Management License Area, Northwest Saskatchewan. The NorSask experience is unique in Canada as the co-management process has developed between the forest industry and both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal local communities with little government involvement. A significant conclusion of this research is that participant satisfaction with the process and their experience must be included as a major criteria in evaluating the success of any co-management regime.