The Power of Narrative in Environmental Networks successfully combines a rationale and framework for qualitative narrative analysis with case studies demonstrating this technique. Despite being primarily focused on environmental networks, there are pertinent lessons inside this book for environmental educators.

The introduction gives a background to the research field and also highlights the significance of this form of communication as a whole. I am sure that many environmental educators would be familiar with the engaging effect of a good story; by reading through this account, I found it both encouraging and informative for my practice. It also speaks to the potential for narrative to be put to greater use in the sciences, where an increasingly sceptical public can no longer be convinced by facts, figures, and evidence (p. 11). This is especially the case for emotionally charged issues such as climate change, or for environmental issues where there is conflict and opposing views.

The authors capture the capability of narrative to bind together an environmental network, and they introduce this point early on: ‘Stories, or narratives, create the glue that binds people together in networks, providing them with a sense of history, common ground and future, thus enabling them to persist even in the context of resistance’ (p. 2). We are encouraged to perceive the groups as ‘narrative networks’, with each actor offering their own perceptions and additions to the story. This is the ‘many voices’ or plurivocity of the network.

Lejano and the Ingram partners describe how a narrative analysis of a network can fill in the gaps of understanding left by a purely quantitative approach. The authors explain how typically, network analysis looks at the number, structure, and patterns found within a network. This quantitative approach delivers important knowledge, describing the ‘what’ of the network. However, it misses in-depth qualitative knowledge of the network, or the ‘why’ (see Chapter 2). For example, why does one network persist longer than another? Why do individuals participate, and what is their role? How meaningful is the network?

Accordingly, the authors argue that using an analysis of a network's narrative will complement traditional network analysis and provide a greater depth of understanding to research in this field. By using specific case studies that the authors have been involved with and developing pertinent tools to analyse a network's story, the result is an elegant demonstration of this analytical construct. These case studies highlight how the narratives of the environmental networks can be used to disentangle complex issues and find successful policy outcomes for seemingly disparate parties.

The Turtle Islands or Tawi-Tawi (Chapter 5) at the extreme south-western tip of Philippine territory make for interesting reading. This is a narrative of multiple relationships with place, and details how the changing bureaucratic approaches to turtle conservation from a far-off government have an impact on this community. The narrative analysis reveals a nuanced and complex web of interactions between groups, perhaps most tellingly how the project officers brought in to enact the new conservation program needed to think creatively and work with the community to ingratiate their place in the story.

I found it fascinating to read about the intricate nature of this situation. Given that the community relied on some partial harvesting of turtle eggs, the project officers (biologists and experts in turtle conservation) needed to tread a fine line. Their culturally sensitive management approach ensured that they became respected as part of the community.

Some of these approaches would appear to be extremely bizarre, and perhaps even self-defeating from a Western perspective (with examples such as turning a blind eye to some egg poaching). The result was that good conservation rates were achieved, and for the first time over nearly a decade, scientific data could be recorded about egg numbers. The ability of the project group to understand the community and act in this way built a mutual respect between seemingly separate groups.

This work all came to an abrupt end when the Manila government enacted stricter conservation legislation, with complete bans on all egg harvesting. In a complete backfire, the local government evicted the project group from the islands. To this day, no data is gathered on egg numbers conserved or harvested, and it is considered highly likely the harvesting would have increased. In this regard, this text informs about effective environmental management options in culturally sensitive situations.

The Turtle Islands case study speaks to the oversimplification that often exists when situations are cast in a human versus nature dichotomy. The dichotomy is clearly false, with the narrative allowing us to see the intertwined way that humans interact with nature. Through analysis of the narrative we are granted insight into the way the community operates to manage their resource, insights that would not have been understood with other formal modes of analysis (p. 139). For example, the important, yet informal, arrangements that facilitate relationships between parties are not written down and would not be spoken about except in confidential interview.