How can we foster transformation at the local and state/province governance scales?

There is a saying in the US that "all politics are local." And there is a body of science to suggest that local, tight feedback social-ecologocal systems are more sustainable. And people value nature. To the degree that global and national governance systems dilute this personal value for nature and local, tight feedback loops, how can we foster more local governance while still meeting the global goals of biodiversity conservation and sustainable development? It seems at once intractable, and at the same time that a clever appraoch to scaling interventions through scales of governance could be key. One model might be to target associations of local government units. As US example (that is the governance system that I am familiar with), the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, which acts as a bridge between state/province scale fish and wildlife agencies and the national govnerment.