The Impact of Institutional Heterogeneity: A Mixed Methods Approach to Understanding Management of the Invasive Mile-a-Minute Weed (Mikania micrantha) in Chitwan, Nepal

Abstract

"Based on fieldwork conducted in 2014, differences in institutional arrangements and efforts to remove an invasive plant, the-mile-a-minute weed (Mikania micrantha), are explored in five case study community forests in Chitwan, Nepal. An institutional analysis informs an examination of heterogeneous governance relationships and norms related to Mikania management, while a content analysis provides an understanding of reoccurring themes in the interviews and their implications for social and ecological outcomes in the community forests. The complex governance relationships and regular themes of distrust of government and non-government officials help to explain collective action efforts and management decisions. In addition to distrust, other factors influencing Mikania management are explored in the case study community forests. The content analysis suggests that Mikania is impacting people’s daily lives but the degree of severity and the response to the disruption varies substantially and is heavily impacted by other problems experienced in each case. Our results indicate that understanding institutional arrangements and their impacts on community issues, like trust of actors, can contribute to successful efforts to manage Mikania, and other invasive plants globally, in the future. We present data informed propositions about invasive species management and governance, and suggest that this study contributes to a better understanding of how institutions mediate invasive plant removal efforts."