Implications of landholders’ management goals, use of information and trust of others for the adoption of recommended practices in the Wet Tropics region of Australia

Abstract

The adoption of recommended management practices on privately owned rural lands in the catchments of the Great Barrier Reef is central to the strategy being employed by Australian Governments to improve the health of terrestrial and aquatic environments in Queensland. The paper describes the results of surveys of rural landholders in the Wet Tropics NRM region of North Queensland. Mail and interview surveys were used to explore landholders’ land and water management practices, attitudes to natural resource management issues, management objectives, use of information to support management decision making, trust of organisations and individuals and their socio-economic and demographic characteristics. Principal components analyses were used to assess the factors underlying responses to questions about landholders’ management objectives, trust of others and use of information sources. Three main factors were identified for management objectives which correspond to ‘economic’, ‘environmental’ and ‘social’ dimensions. The four factors underlying landholders’ appraisal of information sources were termed ‘enterprise’, ‘finance and family’, ‘environment groups’ and ‘media’ which correspond to the subject matter and accessibility of the various sources. Five factors were identified underlying landholders’ trust of other people and organisations were related to the primary interests and role of these organisations and people. These were termed ‘productivity groups’, ‘government general’, ‘State government’, ‘neighbours’ and ‘environment groups’. ANOVA tests revealed significant differences in the management objectives, use of information and trust between landholders with differing primary purposes for landownership. The implications for the design and implementation of natural resource management policies and programs are discussed.