Collaborative Natural Resource Management Research Articles

Power across scales and levels of fisheries governance: Explaining the active non-participation of fishers in Two Rivers, North Carolina

The great emphasis placed on the democratic participation of local user groups as necessary for sustainable natural resource and environmental governance by commons scholars and advocates and practitioners of collaborative natural resource management demands a greater focus on who is and who is not participating in governance processes, and why, as well as the associated consequences. This project examines a case where commercial fishers in Two Rivers, North Carolina practice active non-participation regarding fisheries governance; they choose not to become involved in formal political activities, while instead participating in informal governance activities. I examine the causes for the active non-participation of commercial fisherpeople by tracing power across multiple levels and scales of analysis, which not only shape the participation of local Two River fishers in governance activities, but also lead to environmental degradation. Data was collected through observations, interviews, and document and policy review. An important finding from this study is that although the active non-participation of fishers is a rational response to the inequities of the formal fisheries governance system, their absence is hastening the displacement of commercial fishers from, as well as the degradation of, the fisheries they depend upon for a living.

Desertification through Rural People Participation (Experience of International Project of Carbon Sequestration in South Khorasan Province – East of Iran)

This project was the participatory work between forest, pastures and aquiferous organization in Iran and UNDP in order to achieving revival destroyed pastures in the field of Hosein abad Sarbisheh in South Khorasan province, IRAN by using resistant varieties and absorbing additional carbon in atmosphere with profiting participation of people during 2003-2014. Carbon sequestration Projects are paying with using participatory methods in rural empowerment of low income groups and specially low income group to the development of rural infrastructure. This participation was performed for the first time a non-profit institutions and charities and takes place in the “Kasrab” Village of the project within poverty reduction, employment creation, providing sustainable livelihood opportunities,women's empowerment and environmental rehabilitation will be able to gain empower rural with resource management in addition to their capacity and necessary self-esteem to influence executive policy. The project demonstrated that desertified rangelands can be cost-effectively reclaimed by and for the benefit of the local people and that there is a significant potential to sequestrate carbon in plants and soil in these areas for overall global benefit. The lessons drawn in true collaborative rehabilitation and management of natural resources could be applied in similar places in Iran and even in other countries with similar conditions.

Law for Country: the Structure of Warlpiri Ecological Knowledge and Its Application to Natural Resource Management and Ecosystem Stewardship

Indigenous Ecological Knowledge (IEK) is deeply encoded in social processes. Our research shows that from an Indigenous perspective, IEK is a way of living whose core aim is to sustain the healthy functioning of people and country through relationships of reciprocity. However, IEK is often portrayed more prosaically as a body of knowledge about the environment. We introduce a framework, called ngurra-kurlu, that enables appreciation of indigenous perspectives on IEK. The framework was identified from the collaborative work of the authors with Warlpiri aboriginal elders in the Tanami Desert region of central Australia. Ngurra-kurlu facilitates cross-cultural understanding by distilling, from a complex cultural system, the five distinct conceptual categories that comprise IEK: law, skin, ceremony, language, and country. The framework enables engagement with nuanced environmental knowledge because it synthesizes, for cross-cultural audiences, all the key areas of knowledge and practice in which IEK is located. In particular, the framework highlights how social systems mediate the transmission, deployment, and regulation of environmental knowledge in on-ground situations, including collaborative natural resource management. Although the framework was generated in relation to one indigenous group, the epistemological structure of Warlpiri IEK is relevant throughout Australia, and the framework can be applied internationally to the emerging interest in fostering ecosystem stewardship in which the cultural connections between people and place are an integral part of ecosystems management.

Active non-participation among local natural resource-dependent communities: The case of North Carolina fisheries governance

The great emphasis placed on the democratic participation of local user groups as necessary for sustainable natural resource and environmental governance by scholars, advocates, and practitioners of collaborative natural resource management demands a greater focus on who is and who is not participating in governance processes, why, and the potential consequences. This project examines a case where commercial fishers in North Carolina practice active non-participation regarding the governance of sea turtles, spotted seatrout and gill nets. Active non-participation is a choice to not participate in formal political activities. Data was collected through observations, interviews and document and policy review. An important finding from this study is that the active non-participation of commercial fishers is contributing to their displacement from, as well as the mismanagement of, the fisheries they depend upon for a living.

Volunteer participation in collaborative watershed partnerships: insights from the Theory of Planned Behaviour

A growing body of literature in collaborative natural resource management has identified factors associated with group processes, outputs and outcomes. Scholars have also begun to identify variables that affect whether, why and how volunteers choose to participate in collaborative efforts. To date, however, these variables have been analysed largely in isolation. This study examines variables from the Theory of Planned Behaviour and volunteerism literature. Analysis of data from members of 11 watershed partnerships in Ohio, USA, indicates significant links from attitudes, subjective norms (how ‘important others’ expect an individual to behave), and personal requests to active participation in group activities.

Mobilized Bias and Multistakeholder Protected-Area Planning: A Socio-Institutional Perspective on Collaboration

By examining the Kawartha Highlands Local Stakeholder Committee, this article considers how historical factors impact the efficacy of local collaborations. Tasked with developing an initial planning framework for a new protected area in Ontario, Canada, the design of this largely inefficacious process exhibited several questionable trade-offs between competing procedural objectives. However, these factors were not the sole driver behind the establishment of a second, more regionally driven process; previous planning initiatives were equally important. Ontario's larger history of land use planning contributed to the emergence of rigid discursive constructions among powerful stakeholder coalitions, whose interests were consistently accommodated through closed-door negotiations. Healey's (2006; 2007) socio-institutional approach, which frames such historical factors as part of the informal “infrastructures” of collaboration and as a form of mobilized bias, is offered as a conceptual bridge between the potential scales and units of analysis involved in the study of collaborative natural resource management.

Collective action on the western range: coping with external and internal threats

Collaborative natural resource management institutions enable agents with diverse interests to come together to solve complex problems. These actors must overcome a series of collective action problems to create, maintain, and evolve these institutions. In addition to the challenge of heterogeneous actors, these commons social-ecological systems often face internal and external threats or disturbances. The institutional arrangements may be effective with problems that are internal to a social-ecological system – ones that they are designed to handle, but how do these arrangements cope with external disturbances, especially ones caused by large-scale political and economic decisions, events, and processes. Using ethnographic and archival data we conduct an institutional analysis outlining the existing and emerging collaboratives, the important actors, and ongoing efforts to cope with the five major challenges identified by rangeland actors. We trace the evolution of institutions on the western range with a focus on their ability to cope with challenges that are largely within the system – biodiversity, fire, and water management, and those that are driven externally by actors who are largely absent – border militarization and violence and exurbanization.

Commentary: Implementing Regional Sustainability Initiatives: Lessons from the United States Department of Defense

Many sustainable development goals require collaboration among agencies and stakeholders at the regional scale in order to motivate and enable action. The need for regional-scale institutions to facilitate this collaboration has resulted in innovative activities by the United States Department of Defense (DoD). This article reviews the recent experiences of the DoD in the context of existing literature on collaborative natural resource management and finds many common challenges. Even though collaboration at this scale is difficult and there are few hard and fast rules for success, lessons from the DoD can help advance the state of practice. The question remains whether large public organizations like the DoD can institutionalize these newer collaborative approaches and make the necessary long-term commitments that are necessary for success.

Implications of gendered environmental knowledge in water allocation processes in central Australia

The existence of gendered knowledge has been identified as a significant feature of Indigenous Australian culture, and the importance of considering the implications of gendered environmental knowledge in collaborative cross-cultural natural resource management has been highlighted. There is a lack of case studies that demonstrate how Indigenous women's knowledge and laws can be provided for in resource management contexts. From collaborative research with Anmatyerr women in central Australia, we discuss the implications of gender bias in relation to gendered knowledge in natural and cultural resource management, with a specific focus on Anmatyerr women's involvement in providing inputs about the cultural values of water within water allocation planning processes. This research highlights Anmatyerr women's own perspectives of their roles in contemporary contexts and identifies the existence of cultural change and continuity in relation to rights and responsibilities around water.

Book Reviews

Book Reviewed in this issue. Global Trade and Poor Nations: The Poverty Impacts and Policy Implications of Liberalisation. Edited by B. M. Hoekman and M. Olarreaga. Globalization and Change in Asia. Edited by Dennis A. Rondinelli and John M. Heffron. Defining Poverty in the Developing World. By F. Stewart, R. Saith and B. Harriss‐White. Regulating Development: Evidence from Africa and Latin America. Edited by Amann Edmund. The Politics of Aid Selectivity: Good Governance Criteria in World Bank, US and Dutch Development Assistance. By Wil Hout. Good Governance and Development. By B. C. Smith. Decentralizing Governance: Emerging Concepts and Practices. Edited by G. Shabbir Cheema and Dennis A. Rondinelli. Mexican Immigration to the United States. Edited by George J. Borjas. National Bureau of Economic Research Conference Report. Tools for Institutional, Political and Social Analysis of Policy Reform. By Jeremy Holland and the World Bank. Integrated Water Resources Management: Global Theory, Emerging Practice and Local Needs. Edited by Peter P. Mollinga, Ajaya Dixit and Kusum Athukorala. Sharing Power: A Global Guide to Collaborative Management of Natural Resources. By G. Borrini‐Feyerabend, Michel Pimbert, M. Taghi Farvar, Ashish Kothari and Yves Renardet. African Anthropologies: History, Critique and Practice. Edited by Mwenda Ntarangwi, David Mills and Mustafa Babiker.

Ethical Concerns in Researching Collaborative Natural Resource Management

Using three cases of watershed management in the Midwest as illustrations, this article argues that existing ethical guidelines for researching collaborative natural resource management are not always sufficient. While most researchers are monitored by institutional review boards, there are still numerous decisions that the researcher can make in the course of conducting research that can cause unintentional harm to the researched individuals and communities. The article focuses primarily on ethical considerations related to (1) collecting data and (2) publishing and dissemination of findings. The article concludes with suggested guidelines for conducting research on collaborative natural resource management efforts.

The Awash National Park, Ethiopia: A Clash of Cows and Cultures

The Awash Valley is well known for anthropological studies. Several fossil-rich sites representing all stages of hominid evolution, including the one that yielded "Lucy," have attracted worldwide attention since the 1970s. Also, the anubis-hamadryas baboon hybrid zone in Awash National Park has been the focus of primatologists since the 1960s. What we know less about are the various indigenous pastoral populations that live in the very places where the hominid fossils and baboons have been studied and where shrinking resources are undermining their traditional livelihoods. In this paper, I focus on attempts to create a collaborative natural resource management system for the park and surrounding areas and highlight barriers uncovered along the way.

Collaborative Environmental Management: What Roles for Government? T. M. Koontz, T. A. Steelman, J. Carmin, K. S. Korfmacher, C. Moseley, and C. W. Thomas. 2004. RFF Press, Washington, DC. 200 pp. $50 cloth, $23.95 paperback.

Collaborative Environmental Management: What Roles for Government? T. M. Koontz, T. A. Steelman, J. Carmin, K. S. Korfmacher, C. Moseley, and C. W. Thomas. 2004. RFF Press, Washington, DC. 200 pp. $50 cloth, $23.95 paperback. The concepts and practices surrounding institutionalized public participation in the United States have evolved over the past six decades, resulting in increased attention toward collaboration. Koontz et al. open their book with a thorough, but succinct, review of this evolution, providing excellent context for this book's focus on the role that government plays in collaborative natural resource management. Following the introductory chapter, the authors document six case studies organized around government roles as follower, encourager, and leader in collaborative activities. This is an effective organizing principle that provides the reader with valuable insight into the direct and indirect roles that government plays in any environmental management effort. The case studies are geographically diverse and cover both land and water management projects. The cases highlighting government as follower and as leader document details of specific collaborative processes, while the two cases featuring government as an encourager place more emphasis on how to establish a collaborative process. The case studies include efforts that were largely successful, as well as those that did not achieve their goals. A summary chapter provides a solid overview, with helpful tables documenting the governmental roles of actor and institution in the case studies. The final chapter offers a thoughtful discussion about what role government might play in collaborative efforts in light of the findings from the research presented. The authors describe the limitations of the present work and provide ample ideas for future research to better understand the dynamics inherent in collaboration. They also provide citations to allow the reader to review research that is critical of the collaborative approach.

Knowledge, values, uses and management of the Araucaria araucana forest by the indigenous Mapuche Pewenche people: A basis for collaborative natural resource management in southern Chile

One of the most important endemic tree species of Chile and at the same time one of the most endangered ones is Araucaria araucana (Mol.) C. Koch, the monkey-puzzle tree. It grows in the Andes Mountains, homeland of the indigenous Mapuche Pewenche people who depend on this tree. This paper is based on field research that investigated the ecological knowledge, uses and management of the Araucaria araucana forest by indigenous Mapuche Pewenche people based on the socio-cultural, spiritual and ecological relationships they have with the Araucaria forest, to find out how indigenous, people and their knowledge could contribute to sustainable Araucaria forest management. A Mapuche Pewenche community located in the IX region of Chile contributed to this study. Based on the analyses this paper illustrates the nature of indigenous ecological knowledge of Araucaria araucana on the one hand, and its utility in native forest management on the other. The research shows that the Mapuche Pewenche hold ecological knowledge and conduct practices to manage their Araucaria forest in a balanced way. They conserve and use forest biodiversity at one and the same time. This paper provides recommendations for sustainable Araucaria forest management and conservation strategies ex-situ and in-situ incorporating indigenous knowledge and scientific knowledge and for promoting a collaborative natural resources management.

Facilitation of Collaborative Management: Reflections From Practice

Collaborative management of natural resources requires that multiple stakeholders come together to negotiate agreements. Who is a stakeholder, what is the boundary and the definition of an issue, and who has legitimacy to convene are interrelated, systemic questions. To address this challenge, this paper provides a conceptual framework with nine Contextual Dimensions. A workshop on collaborative and conflict management of the fishery in Chile, designed and facilitated by the authors, serves as a case study where multiple stakeholders came together to vision desirable futures and explored organizational linkages that could accommodate the different agendas. The workshop is analyzed through a conceptual framework and some conclusions are drawn on the value of experiential learning and on the importance of the iterative consultations that must precede such collaborative management events.

Collaboration Derailed: The Politics of “Community-Based” Resource Management in Nevada County

Collaborative natural resource management (CNRM) is often portrayed as a way to find “win–win” solutions that move “beyond ” bitter adversarial politics. Research on failures of CNRM emphasizes institutional and procedural barriers. In contrast, using a study of a failed CNRM program in Nevada County, California, we emphasize the role of intracommunity politics. We build on work by Few (2001) that examines political “containment” and “capture” of collaborative processes. In Nevada County, we identify another political tactic: the strategic use of “derailment” of CNRM by powerful interests to achieve goals outside the collaborative process. Expanding upon Amy (1987), we suggest that this example illustrates that collaboration is not separate from, or “beyond,” politics. CNRM can become an avenue of power that social groups use to achieve broader political ends. This calls into question the general optimism about CNRM and the current emphasis on making it “work” by refining institutions and procedures.

Institutional Preconditions to Collaboration

This article examines the institutional preconditions or rules that shape collaborative natural resource management between public agencies and citizen groups. In particular, it asks: How do the preconditions surrounding a given natural resource, such as property rights, legislative frameworks, and agency performance incentives, circumscribe the possibilities for collaboration? Drawing upon irrigation and forest management policies and practices in India from the mid-1800s onward, it is argued that the context of irrigation provides some opportunities for supporting agency-citizen collaboration, whereas such efforts in forestry are unlikely to succeed without fundamental structural change.

Evaluating Collaborative Natural ResourceManagement

In this article, we look at the evolving collaborative natural resource management movement in the United States and discuss current calls to evaluate it. We then explore approaches researchers have used to evaluate both specific efforts and the broader movement. Evaluative criteria developed thus far by several researchers show commonalities as well as differences. We argue that evaluation approaches will necessarily vary with the evaluation's intent, the type of collaborative effort being evaluated, and the values of the evaluator. Evaluators need to consider and make explicit their standards for comparison, criteria, and methods in order to clarify the nature of an evaluation and facilitate the synthesis of findings.

Social Learning for Collaborative Natural Resource Management

Social Learning for Collaborative Natural Resource Management

Social Learning for Collaborative Natural Resource Management

This article contributes to understanding about the potential and limitations of social learning for collaborative natural resource management. Participants in a deliberative planning process involving a state agency and local communities developed common purpose and collaborative relationships, two requisites of comanagement. Eight process characteristics fostered social learning: open communication, diverse participation, unrestrained thinking, constructive conflict, democratic structure, multiple sources of knowledge, extended engagement, and facilitation. Social learning is necessary but not sufficient for collaborative management. Other requisites for comanagement, including capacity, appropriate processes, appropriate structures, and supportive policies, are necessary to sustain joint action.