Regional Natural Resource Management Bodies Research Articles

Making time for space: The critical role of spatial planning in adapting natural resource management to climate change

Climate change is driving shifts in social-ecological systems globally. In response, humans must adapt to altered climatic and environmental conditions. While climate change adaptation is a pressing issue in many sectors and regions, the adaptation of environmental management strategies is particularly urgent because of the severity and extent of risks associated with projected impacts. Robust adaptation of environmental management requires effective spatial and temporal implementation of interventions, with explicit consideration of trade-offs between different socio-economic and environmental objectives. We investigate the critical interface between regional governance systems and spatial planning for climate adaptation by exploring the case of Australia’s Natural Resource Management (NRM) bodies. Australia’s NRM bodies provide an ideal case study for two reasons. First, Australia faces significant threats from current and future climate changes. Second, Australian NRM bodies have recently undertaken a major program of spatial planning and research to explicitly address the need for climate adaptation. We explore the interface between regional governance systems and spatial planning by: 1) reviewing the historical development of institutional arrangements in relation to spatial planning by Australia’s regional NRM bodies; 2) documenting current planning processes with regard to climate adaptation and more generally; and 3) identifying strengths and weaknesses of the existing governance system at various scales with respect to its ability to foster effective spatial planning. We find that the institutional and resource capacity of the Australian regional NRM bodies is currently being eroded and that the national governance system is broadly failing to deliver on the intended outcomes of climate-ready NRM plans. We make recommendations for governance reform and institutional adaptation to improve spatial planning for climate adaptation in Australia and discuss the broader implications of our findings.

‘Raising the bar’: The role of institutional frameworks for community engagement in Australian natural resource governance

Australian natural resource governance has recently embarked on a new round of regional experimentation. One decade after regional natural resource management bodies were established in response to ideals of devolution and subsidiarity, political commitments to ‘localism’ have resulted in a paradoxical shift to bigger regional boundaries, and an apparent retreat from values of environmental conservation. A retreat from government funded public good natural resource management has seen a growth in ideals of market instruments and an economic paradigm of productivity and profit begin to dominate. A long held divide between conservation and production landscape values has seen community engagement emerge as the battleground of rural environmental policy.Through two qualitative case studies of community governance mechanisms this paper examines how one Australian jurisdiction has responded to these challenges. Findings include a valuable role for best practice standards and compliance requirement in driving new norms of community engagement; a difficult balance between accountability and innovation in implementing community governance; and significant disruption caused by regular cycles of reform. Recommendations include developing community skills for participatory governance and the development of negotiated accountability frameworks that support rural governance innovation.

The cost of collaboration: how Caring for Our Country has shaped regional Natural Resource Management in an Australian river catchment

Funding arrangements for Natural Resource Management (NRM) in Australia have undergone a number of changes in the last decade, including the transition from the Natural Heritage Trust (NHT) to the Caring for Our Country (CfoC) program (recently merged with Landcare to become the National Landcare Programme). It has been suggested that CfoC eroded some of the gains in regional autonomy, community engagement and goodwill made under the NHT. This article presents the results of research conducted with regional NRM bodies and community-based stakeholders in the Upper Murrumbidgee catchment, south-eastern Australia. It explores the impacts of the CfoC grants structure on NRM bodies and communities, and examines the practical responses of resource managers to funding constraints. The research demonstrates that the structure of NRM funding delivery under CfoC played a key role in shaping the strategic and operational activities of regional NRM bodies and community groups. In particular, the short-term, single-issue focus of the program placed pressure on collaborations between regional NRM bodies and other groups, and could inhibit strategic and integrated approaches to NRM. At the same time, however, NRM planners and community stakeholders have actively managed the limitations of the CfoC structure to optimise catchment outcomes for communities and the environment.

The Impact of Varying Statutory Arrangements on Spatial Data Sharing and Access in Regional NRM Bodies

Abstract. Spatial information plays an important role in many social, environmental and economic decisions and increasingly acknowledged as a national resource essential for wider societal and environmental benefits. Natural Resource Management is one area where spatial information can be used for improved planning and decision making processes. In Australia, state government organisations are the custodians of spatial information necessary for natural resource management and regional NRM bodies are responsible to regional delivery of NRM activities. The access and sharing of spatial information between government agencies and regional NRM bodies is therefore as an important issue for improving natural resource management outcomes. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the current status of spatial information access, sharing and use with varying statutory arrangements and its impacts on spatial data infrastructure (SDI) development in catchment management sector in Australia. Further, it critically examined whether any trends and significant variations exist due to different institutional arrangements (statutory versus non-statutory) or not. A survey method was used to collect primary data from 56 regional natural resource management (NRM) bodies responsible for catchment management in Australia. Descriptive statistics method was used to show the similarities and differences between statutory and non-statutory arrangements. The key factors which influence sharing and access to spatial information are also explored. The results show the current statutory and administrative arrangements and regional focus for natural resource management is reasonable from a spatial information management perspective and provides an opportunity for building SDI at the catchment scale. However, effective institutional arrangements should align catchment SDI development activities with sub-national and national SDI development activities to address catchment management issues. We found minor differences in spatial information access, use and sharing due to varying institutional environment (statutory versus non-statutory). The non-statutory group appears to be more flexible and selfsufficient whilst statutory regional NRM bodies may lack flexibility in their spatial information management practices. We found spatial information access, use and sharing has significant impacts on spatial data infrastructure development in catchment management sector in Australia.

Balancing trade-offs between biodiversity and production in the re-design of rangeland landscapes

The conflict that exists between the competing needs of biological conservation and pastoral production is well recognised but few studies have examined these conflicts due to their complexity and the uncertainty that surrounds these relationships. The development of a Bayesian network model that examines the trade-offs between the conservation value of the landscape for a range of taxa (flora, mammals, birds and herpetofauna) and its primary production value under alternative land uses is described. The model emphasises structural diversity of vegetation and ecosystem productivity as key drivers of both biodiversity and agricultural production. Simple scenarios, used to examine the influence of different land uses on multiple components of biodiversity and agricultural productivity, demonstrated the potential for the analysis of the trade-offs associated with alternative landscape designs. The potential of the model, as a planning or policy development tool for land management agencies or regional Natural Resource Management bodies, at multiple scales, is identified.

EXPLORING THE APPLICATION OF VOLUNTEERED GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION TO CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT: A SURVEY APPROACH

Abstract. The participation and engagement of grass-root level community groups and citizens for natural resource management has a long history. With recent developments in ICT tools and spatial technology, these groups are seeking a new opportunity to manage natural resource data. There are lot of spatial information collected/generated by landcare groups, land holders and other community groups at the grass-root level through their volunteer initiatives. State government organisations are also interested in gaining access to this spatial data/information and engaging these groups to collect spatial information under their mapping programs. The aim of this paper is to explore the possible utilisation of volunteered geographic information (VGI) for catchment management activities. This research paper discusses the importance of spatial information and spatial data infrastructure (SDI) for catchment management and the emergence of VGI. A conceptual framework has been developed to illustrate how these emerging spatial information applications and various community volunteer activities can contribute to a more inclusive spatial data infrastructure (SDI) development at local level. A survey of 56 regional NRM bodies in Australia was utilised to explore the current community-driven volunteer initiatives for NRM activities and the potential of utilisation of VGI initiatives for NRM decision making process. This research paper concludes that VGI activities have great potential to contribute to SDI development at the community level to achieve better natural resource management (NRM) outcomes.

Participatory monitoring and evaluation to aid investment in natural resource manager capacity at a range of scales

Natural resource (NR) outcomes at catchment scale rely heavily on the adoption of sustainable practices by private NR managers because they control the bulk of the NR assets. Public funds are invested in capacity building of private landholders to encourage adoption of more sustainable natural resource management (NRM) practices. However, prioritisation of NRM funding programmes has often been top-down with limited understanding of the multiple dimensions of landholder capacity leading to a failure to address the underlying capacity constraints of local communities. We argue that well-designed participatory monitoring and evaluation of landholder capacity can provide a mechanism to codify the tacit knowledge of landholders about the social-ecological systems in which they are embedded. This process enables tacit knowledge to be used by regional NRM bodies and government agencies to guide NRM investment in the Australian state of New South Wales. This paper details the collective actions to remove constraints to improved NRM that were identified by discrete groups of landholders through this process. The actions spanned geographical and temporal scales, and responsibility for them ranged across levels of governance.

Local and Regional Partnerships in Natural Resource Management: The Challenge of Bridging Institutional Levels

Although collaboration and multi-stakeholder partnerships have become a common feature in natural resource management throughout the world, various problems are associated with attempts to up-scale community-based natural resource management from the local to the regional level. To analyze the reasons behind these problems, this article reports on two examples of collaboratives in Australia: local Landcare groups, and regional natural resource management (NRM) bodies. Recent government-induced changes have shifted the focus from local Landcare group action to strategic planning and implementation by regional NRM bodies. Two typologies of collaboratives are applied to analyze the characteristics of both these groups. The study uses data from 52 qualitative interviews with key informants at the local and regional level in Victoria and Tasmania, participant observation, as well as literature and document analysis. The article illustrates how the groups' distinct characteristics can cause conflicts when the different types of collaboratives operate in parallel. In addition, the article reports how stakeholders perceive the level of community participation in decision-making processes. The key message is that the benefits of community participation and collaboration that arise at the local level can be lost when these approaches are up-scaled to the regional level unless there is an intermediary or 'mediating structure' to facilitate communication and create the link between different types of collaboratives.

Understanding the role of assigned values in natural resource management

Understanding community values can improve communication and ownership of decisions about the management of natural resources. However, the extent that values predict environmental behaviour is less certain. Most research has focused on held values, those values towards the environment in general. In contrast, assigned values relate to specific natural places, and we hypothesise that they may be a better predictor of behaviour. Drawing on existing theory and our case study findings, we developed a conceptual model of factors that influence assigned values and of the role of assigned values in shaping environmental behaviour. This model builds on the widely accepted value-belief-norm theory with additional components addressing asset characteristics, socialisation processes and externally-imposed factors. An understanding of community-assigned values is likely to assist decision-making by regional natural resource management bodies as they move towards a more targeted approach to the investment of public funds and a focus on the most highly valued environmental assets.

Decision-making by regional bodies for natural resource management in Australia: current processes and capacity gaps

In Australia, major government programmes for management of the environment and natural resources rely on planning and prioritisation by regional natural resource management bodies. The task faced by these organisations is complex. In this study, we qualitatively analysed phone interviews with a sample of regional bodies to identify areas where the use of information in decision-making could be improved. The type of information used was largely biophysical, with relatively poor consideration of economic and social information. Even for the biophysical information, there was very little assessment regarding the quality of the information. Regional bodies face particular challenges in relation to integration and interpretation of information, and evaluation of their own investments. Results of this study highlight the need for these bodies to become more systematic users of information, with stronger processes to integrate knowledge from a range of disciplines and from regional stakeholders.

Capacity building for natural resource management: lessons from risk and emergency management

This article examines capacity building measures used by the risk and emergency management (REM) sector in Australia relevant to natural resource management (NRM), and in particular to the regional delivery of two national NRM programs – the Natural Heritage Trust Extension (NHT2) and the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality (NAP). Australia has recently formalised a network of 56 regional NRM bodies and boards. Together, they form an important part of governance in rural and regional Australia, and are widely perceived as needing capacity development to fulfil their responsibilities. Examining measures adopted in REM has particular relevance as the sector already has a significant presence in rural Australia, and mirrors NRM in many respects – notably responsibility largely rests at state or territory level, each with multiple agencies, and program delivery is highly reliant on volunteer networks. This article discusses 12 major measures, primarily as they may be applied to regional NRM boards, and identifies many valuable ideas that warrant trial within the NRM domain.

NRM Regions in Australia: the ‘Haves’ and the ‘Have Nots’

AbstractThis paper identifies external factors affecting the capacity of Australia's now‐formalised 56 regional natural resource management (NRM) bodies and their community‐based Boards to meet planning and management responsibilities. It demonstrates that little is known about the basic capacity‐related characteristics of NRM regions, despite the lengthy and elaborate process of regionalism that Australia has embarked upon, with its associated and substantial devolution of responsibilities and resources. A suite of indicators is used to develop an ‘exploratory’ capacity typology of NRM regions. The ten regional ‘types’ identified are found to attract varying budget allocations under the Natural Heritage Trust Extension and National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality. There are indications that State and regional interests within and outside NRM can significantly influence the distribution of resources. An examination of resources allocated to capacity‐building activities shows significant differences between regions in the scale of resources allocated (0–96% of total budget). The paper argues the case for intervention to reduce the gap between ‘have’ and ‘have not’ regions, and for further exploration of disparities in the allocation of resources to capacity‐building activities. Clarification is needed of the extent to which capacity‐building activities adequately target regional NRM bodies and their Boards.

Preparing Australian broadacre agriculture for environmental scrutiny using Environmental Management Systems: implications for extension services

Environmental Management Systems (EMS) have been trialled in the broadacre industries across Australia. This paper outlines the trends in extension service provision, comments on changes needed if environmental issues are to become higher priority and discusses institutional issues. For EMS in Australia to become a mainstream farm business management activity there needs to be sufficient private good outcomes for land managers to adopt them and sufficient public good outcomes for public money to be invested in their implementation. As there are few market drivers at present, extension and incentives are likely to be needed to facilitate their uptake. Evaluation of likely cost-effective public good outcomes is needed for continued public sector investment. Regardless of whether EMS or similar schemes are provided by the public or private sector, if they are to become mainstream there needs to be a move from the dominant extension models used by the public sector (group facilitation and empowerment) to a programmed learning approach. Building on a ‘personalised consultant’ model is recommended for land managers prepared to pay for information to maintain their competitive edge. For more ‘traditional’ land managers, partnerships with the public sector through Landcare networks and regional natural resource management bodies and rural resellers are more realistic. There is large need for formalised training of both public and private extension providers. The institutional arrangements and current alignment and supportiveness for EMS between state agencies, farmer organisations and regional natural resource management bodies is highly variable across the states, but currently appears strongest in Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia. Australian broadacre industries are globally exposed in being prepared to take on increased environmental scrutiny. It will take many years to reduce this risk given the large and dispersed nature of the broadacre industries. All players, especially governments, regional organisations, peak farmer and peak industry groups need to take a more proactive role in funding and implementing EMS or similar type schemes if they believe there are long-term benefits in doing so. The alternative is to wait for a crisis and be limited to taking a reactive approach to environmental accountability.

Major paradigm shifts in NRM in Australia

This paper examines the influence of global discourses on policies and programmes for Natural Resource Management (NRM) in Australia, and the emergence of 56 formalised regional NRM bodies and their community-based Boards of management with responsibilities for NRM planning and implementation. It traces the emergence of the 'landcare movement' and the trend toward 'Integrated Catchment Management (ICM)', including governments around Australia embracing greater community input. It examines 'sustainable development' and 'neoliberalism', which have been advocated in concert, but with signs of the latter dominating. The formalisation of 'regionalism' for NRM in Australia has marked a shift in power and resources from the state level to both the federal and regional levels. What remains to be seen is whether the responsibilities devolved to regional NRM bodies and their Boards are realistically within their capacities to deliver.

Drivers for uptake of environmental management systems by pastoralists in western Queensland

Pastoralists from 37 beef cattle and sheep properties in western Queensland developed and implemented an environmental management system (EMS) over 18 months. The EMS implemented by them was customised for the pastoral industry as part of a national EMS pilot project, and staff from this project encouraged and assisted pastoralists during this trial. The 31 pastoralists surveyed at the end of the pilot project identified few benefits of EMS implementation, and these were largely associated with environmental management and sustainability. In terms of the reasons for uptake of an EMS, these pastoralists identified drivers similar to those reported in other primary industry sectors. These included improving property and environmental management, financial incentives, a range of market benefits, assistance with red tape issues, access to other training opportunities and assistance and support with the development of their EMS. However, these drivers are weak, and are not motivating pastoralists to adopt an EMS. In contrast, barriers to adoption such as the time involved in developing and implementing EMS are tangible and immediate. Given a lack of effective drivers and that pastoralists are under considerable pressure from ongoing rural adjustment processes, it is not surprising that an EMS is a low priority. It is concluded that widespread uptake and on-going use of an EMS in the pastoral industry will not occur unless pastoralists are required or rewarded for this by markets, governments, financiers, and regional natural resource management bodies.

SMART Water Quality Targets for Great Barrier Reef Catchments

The Australian and Queensland Governments released the Reef Water Quality Protection Plan (RWQPP) in 2003 with the objective of ‘halting and reversing the decline in water quality entering the (Great Barrier) Reef within 10 years’. One of the Plan's objectives is to reduce the load of pollutants from diffuse sources in the water entering the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). The Plan commits the regional Natural Resource Management bodies to set water quality targets for the GBR catchments' rivers. Just what the targets should be, and how they might be prepared, is not made clear. This article argues for SMART targets, explicitly determined from achievable management practices set within an adaptive approach. The article briefly reviews the theoretical foundations for managing diffuse water pollution and concludes that targeting inputs or land management practices is the best approach. Water quality targets can be derived effectively from defined adoption rates of practices with known impacts on water quality and resultant loads. The article presents a working example of how this can be applied. This approach has potential wider application than in GBR catchments.

SMART Water Quality Targets for Great Barrier Reef Catchments

The Australian and Queensland Governments released the Reef Water Quality Protection Plan (RWQPP) in 2003 with the objective of ‘halting and reversing the decline in water quality entering the (Great Barrier) Reef within 10 years’. One of the Plan's objectives is to reduce the load of pollutants from diffuse sources in the water entering the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). The Plan commits the regional Natural Resource Management bodies to set water quality targets for the GBR catchments' rivers. Just what the targets should be, and how they might be prepared, is not made clear. This article argues for SMART targets, explicitly determined from achievable management practices set within an adaptive approach. The article briefly reviews the theoretical foundations for managing diffuse water pollution and concludes that targeting inputs or land management practices is the best approach. Water quality targets can be derived effectively from defined adoption rates of practices with known impacts on water quality and resultant loads. The article presents a working example of how this can be applied. This approach has potential wider application than in GBR catchments.

Facilitating multi-sector dialogue for natural resource management: Examples of rural governance in two Queensland regions

The definitions and interpretations of rurality and rural governance in Australia are being expanded through the current natural resource management (NRM) regional arrangements. Part of these expanding definitions is the notion of inclusive NRM decision-making in rural communities through multi-sector dialogue (e.g. between primary producers, local government, conservation, Indigenous and other community interests). Drawing on triangulated case study data collected over a 12-month period using multiple methods, this paper examines the functioning of multi-sector dialogue in two rural Queensland regional NRM bodies. Although subject to the same stakeholder representation, NRM plan and regional investment strategy accreditation requirements, the two organisations differed markedly in their philosophies and approaches towards multi-sector dialogue. Comparing the two approaches, the authors highlight the innovative solutions that each offers for more inclusive rural governance. Suggestions for improving multi-sector dialogue at the regional scale include strengthening the role of regional group’s collectives to provide for greater knowledge exchange between groups. Regional bodies also need to be encouraged, through collective forums, to access education and training programs that promote the adoption of innovations for facilitating sustainable NRM practices.