摘要：Stakeholder participation in environmental management is increasing. Staff of environmental agencies, however,often lack training in communication and in conducting participatory processes. Their interpretation of "participation" is ofinterest because interpretation affects how participation is practiced. We explored how participation was interpreted within theSoil Conservation Service of Iceland and how the interpretation affected how participation was carried out in two land restorationprojects. Our methods included semi-structured interviews with agency staff and involved stakeholders, participant observations,and document review. The findings showed that participation was seen as a method to accomplish the agency's tasks, and thefocus was primarily on the outputs, or products, of the participatory processes. This interpretation worked well and createdpositive outcomes as long as process factors, such as interaction with other stakeholders and shared influence, were adequatelyattended to and joint gains were assured, but other stakeholders expressed dissatisfaction when they were not. We conclude that,although tangible outcomes are necessary for environmental agencies, maintaining a balance between product and process focusin participatory projects is important for optimal results. To increase their ability to deal with process factors, environmentalagencies, and ultimately environmental management, would benefit from enhancing their personnel's understanding ofparticipation, and capacity to conduct participatory processes. To facilitate participation, this understanding should also beintegrated in the institutional framework the agencies work within
关键词：environmental management; influence; interaction; interpretation of participation; joint gains; land restoration;participatory approaches; participatory processes
