Best Management Practice for Complex Problems: a Case Study of Defining BMP for Dryland Salinity

Abstract

AbstractThe concept of ‘best management practice’ (BMP) has become popular in the context of natural resource management in Australia and is a core principle of the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality. However, despite the emergence of this concept, it seems to have been mostly overlooked for critical assessment by geographers and social scientists. This paper presents an overview of the BMP concept and its use in natural resource management, identifying two distinct types of BMP, one associated with regulation and one focused on innovation. The paper presents findings from focus groups with farmers and scientists seeking to implement BMP to manage dryland salinity in the Western Australian wheatbelt. The focus of the paper concerns defining what is meant by BMP for managing dryland salinity, and drawing attention to complications with the BMP concept as it is used in Australia to address salinity. In particular, the paper discusses the contested nature of defining BMP against a background of imperfect knowledge. As a complex environmental problem, a prescriptive approach to BMP for the management of dryland salinity is problematic. However, the concept has some merit when conceptualised as a process of continual improvement and learning.