Pastoralists’ knowledge of plant palatability and grazing indicators in an arid region of South Australia

2013 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 445 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen P. Waudby ◽  
Sophie Petit ◽  
Guy Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Natural Resource Management ◽  
Land Management ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
Indicator Species ◽  
Climatic Variability ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Wide Range

Indicator species have been used for several decades as measures of ecosystem health. In arid Australian rangelands, which are dominated by commercial grazing enterprises reliant on native pastures, the development of efficacious indicators is particularly important to monitor production and biodiversity values. The high temporal and spatial climatic variability of arid rangelands means that developing broad indicators is difficult and resource intensive. However, pastoralists, who observe their pastures and the species favoured by stock under a range of conditions, can provide information on local indicators. This paper examines pastoralists’ knowledge in terms of its value for natural resource management in rangelands, including their use of local indicators and understanding of palatability of selected plant species. A survey was mailed to all 51 occupants of pastoral properties in the Stony Plains region of South Australia. Pastoralists were asked what species they considered indicators of overgrazing, whether they would destock if they noted changes in these indicators, what they knew of the palatability of certain plant species, and the usefulness of cracking-clay areas (a key landscape feature in the region) for grazing. Views of respondents on indicator species and plant palatability mostly concurred with published reports on the preferences of livestock for these species. A wide range of indicators (all perennial plant species and no animal species) was listed by respondents, suggesting that indicators are highly location-specific, plant-focussed, and not viewed consistently among pastoralists. Respondents related specific information about cracking-clay areas on their leases, including the influence of the timing and amount of rainfall on pasture productivity, and the value of these areas for livestock. It can be difficult for natural resource management practitioners, who may not observe the landscape regularly, to evaluate land condition and prescribe appropriate land management strategies. It is argued that the participation of pastoralists in science and policy development is fundamental to achieving sustainable land management, providing opportunities for social learning within an adaptive management framework.

Application of Quantitative Methods in Natural Resource Management in Africa

2013 ◽  
pp. 205-234
Author(s):  
Elias T. Ayuk ◽  
William M. Fonta ◽  
Euphrasie B. Kouame
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Natural Resource Management ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
Resource Preservation ◽  
The People ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Natural Resource Base ◽  
Quantitative Approaches

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)’s natural resource base constitutes the sub-continent’s greatest asset. These Natural Resources (NRs), both renewable and non-renewable, are the backbone of the continent as they play very critical functions in the livelihood strategies of the people. There are a wide range of questions and issues concerning the proper management of these NRs. One of the issues relates to the economics of resource preservation, which includes questions associated with the quantifiable benefits of resource preservation, the environmental costs and benefits of Soil and Water Conservation (SWC) strategies, the economic impact of land use changes, and valuation of ecosystem goods and services. The other issue concerns the ecosystem and economic system interaction. Particular themes of interest are the co-management of natural resources, trans-boundary natural resource management, and the management of resources to reconcile revenue generation, social development, and environmental services of natural resources. This chapter reviews the literature on quantitative approaches that have been undertaken to enhance the understanding of selected Natural Resource Management (NRM) problems on the continent. The review suggests that a wide range of quantitative approaches have been applied in the context of the African resource economics literature, but this review also identifies some specific areas that have received little attention.

scholarly journals A Stakeholder Analysis for a Water-Energy-Food Nexus Evaluation in an Atlantic Forest Area: Implications for an Integrated Assessment and a Participatory Approach

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 1977 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giacomo Melloni ◽  
Ana Turetta ◽  
Michelle Bonatti ◽  
Stefan Sieber
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Resource Management ◽  
Natural Resource Management ◽  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
Stakeholder Analysis ◽  
Social Representation ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Rural Landscapes ◽  
Wide Range

A water-energy-food (WEF) nexus assessment supports natural resource management by providing an integrated framework for evaluation and decision-making. The participation of a wide range of stakeholders is essential for achieving environmental, economic, and social sustainability in this framework. This analysis supports the decision-making process of the nexus assessment by facilitating dialogue between stakeholders in order to achieve long term efficiencies, especially in rural landscapes where most of the services connected to WEF securities are provided. We identify the most relevant stakeholders operating in the connection between agricultural practices and the WEF nexus to stimulate their engagement in the nexus governance. The study area was the Atlantic Forest Reserve of Ribeirão das Lajes, Brazil. A stakeholder analysis, generating qualitative data using snowball sampling interviews was applied and, after the identification of stakeholders, an analytical categorization disclosing potential conflicts among them was performed. We obtained a pool of stakeholders from different organizational types, including a large number of public entities at local and state levels. The main threat to the development of the project is considered to be the lack of communication between the parties. We note that the prior identification of this group of stakeholders facilitates this communication, enhancing social representation in the area. Outcomes of this study demonstrate the relevance of stakeholder analysis in nexus governance for integrated natural resource management.

scholarly journals Enabling Development and 'Transition' among Food-Supported Producers in Ethiopia: A Comparative Case Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Peter Jackson
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Natural Resource Management ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
Food Aid ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Current Phase ◽  
Management Interventions ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Instrumental Approaches

<p>Ethiopia is synonymous with protracted drought, natural resource degradation, and hunger and impoverished livelihoods among many millions of farm-based producers. Since 1971, the Government of Ethiopia and foreign donors have channelled food aid and administrative and extension support to relief and rehabilitation projects for improved natural resource management. One such intervention is MERET-PLUS (Managing Environmental Resources to Enable Transition to more sustainable livelihoods through Partnership and Land User Solidarity), a long-standing, watershed-based food-for-assets development project. In its latest form, MERET-PLUS like many similar 'new generation' food-funded natural resource management interventions has multiple positive impacts, both for targeted watershed areas, and for the inhabitants of these areas. In spite of this, successfully enabling 'transition' of participants from receiving food aid remains highly problematic. Transition has not received sufficient attention in programming or - until recently - in academic literature. Partly for this reason, such interventions often lack an agreed, coherent definition of transition, a strategy for achieving such transition, and a means of measuring progress toward transition. Recognising potential for transition to advance policy and practice for such projects, I critically evaluate transition as an inherent objective of the current phase of MERET-PLUS, through the positional lens of my internship with a major donor to the project, the World Food Programme (WFP). I use four case study woredas as talking points, and use quantitative and qualitative information gathered from extensive research from site- through to federallevel. I wish to answer two research questions about transition through this research. Firstly: to what extent has 'enabling transition' in MERET-PLUS been developed as a concept, in policy or strategy, and as an understood and measurable concept? And secondly: what place does transition have in the MERETPLUS project? In relation to the first question, this research presents four main findings. Firstly, formal strategy for transitioning MERET-PLUS beneficiaries from project support has been formed only after thirty years of continuous food support. In many ways, this reflects the legacy of continued difficulties in linking relief, rehabilitation and development - and of achieving real development and independent capacities to sustain this development - through food-supported programming. Secondly, there are currently diverse interests in transition across all levels of the MERET-PLUS project, which must be factored-in to any strategy for implementation. In sub-federal government offices for example, strategy for transition is formed by observing the particular contexts of particular successful sites within their area. By contrast, at federal level, in the WFP Country Office, strategy for transition tends to be formed as part of instrumental programming goals. Thirdly, two particular components of MERET-PLUS make it difficult to conceive of transition as inherent in programming, or as an instrument introduced from higher levels. First, the integrated nature of MERET-PLUS, with a wide range of activities for land and water-source rehabilitation and human livelihood improvement, makes it difficult to conceive of one, integrated strategy for transition. Second, the holistic, participatory approaches to targeting project assistance and planning project activities make instrumental approaches to transition inappropriate. 'Transition as inherent' and 'transition as instrumental' approaches represent unrealised potential for scalable improvements of project impacts, coupled with the challenge of building the kind of concerted confidence required among beneficiaries, planners, leaders and government agencies. Fourthly and finally, information from project beneficiaries, planning teams, and project managers at higher levels has highlighted the importance of asset-based measures of communities' and households' livelihoods in assessing readiness for transition. Communication and planning for transition with engaged beneficiaries remains an important challenge, and one which has not been sufficiently understood in the literature. The goal of 'enabling transition' in MERET-PLUS is as yet unrealised in practice and at scale. A number of factors indicate real potential for transition in case study areas, including income generation from collective farm-based activities, and more broadly, confidence and belief among beneficiaries in improving their livelihoods through available project activities. As a snapshot of potential to 'enable transition', this research contributes practice-based insights for progressively phasing out "outsiders" assistance to vulnerable communities.</p>

scholarly journals Community-based natural resource management: governing the commons

Water Policy ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 9 (S2) ◽  
pp. 83-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Fabricius ◽  
S. Collins
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Natural Resource Management ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Capacity Development ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Governance Structure ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Wide Range

Community-based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) focuses on the collective management of ecosystems to promote human well-being and aims to devolve authority for ecosystem management to the local (community) level. CBNRM therefore requires strong investments in capacity development of local institutions and governance structures. CBNRM has come under strong criticism for its failures to deliver real benefits to communities. In this paper we explore the reasons for the frequent failure of CBNRM. We postulate that good governance buffers CBNRM against unexpected change, notably conflicts, especially in the early stages when income generation, infrastructure development and capacity development have not yet taken place. We assess the key characteristics of CBNRM governance systems that could perform this buffering function, using case study examples from Macubeni, Nqabara, Makuleke and Richtersveld to support our propositions. In our case studies, 11 strategies have been used to increase the incidence of success of CBNRM: understand and describe the social-ecological system; establish and communicate a clear vision; build on local organizations; plan ahead; create rules for resource use and enforce them; communicate the vision, plan and rules; develop management capacity; finance the initial stages of the initiative; work within available legal frameworks; monitor and learn all the time; and create lasting incentives. Despite these strategies there are, however, a number of obstinate implementation challenges, related to governance shortcomings and external factors which management cannot control. We therefore propose seven additional strategies to promote good governance in CBNRM: 1. Develop knowledge networks that draw on the experience and wisdom of a wide range of key individuals. 2. Establish formalised decision-making structures (e.g. multi-level project steering committees) with clear constitutions and codes of conduct. 3. Clearly define and legitimise conflict resolution procedures. 4. Ensure acceptance of the governance structure by community members. 5. Obtain formal commitment to well-defined roles and responsibilities by key individuals. 6. Establish tangible incentives to key individuals for meeting their commitments. 7. Develop the capacity for facilitation to promote communication. Local communities, government and scientists have important roles to play in maintaining these knowledge and governance networks through adaptive co-management.

scholarly journals From Rio to Rwanda: Impacts of the IMFN over the past 20 years

2012 ◽  
Vol 88 (03) ◽  
pp. 245-253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Bonnell ◽  
Ronnie de Camino ◽  
Chimère Diaw ◽  
Mark Johnston ◽  
Przemyslaw Majewski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Natural Resource Management ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
Regional Model ◽  
The Past ◽  
International Model ◽  
Sustainable Natural Resource Management ◽  
Wide Range

2012 represents the 20th anniversary of the Model Forest concept and the International Model Forest Network (IMFN). Since it was announced at UNCED in 1992, the network has grown to almost 60 Model Forests in 25 countries covering over 100 million hectares. Model Forests have been involved in a wide range of activities in support of sustainable natural resource management. In this paper, we will provide an overview of the context within which the Model Forest concept emerged in the early 1990s, describe the Model Forest approach and the IMFN, highlight the evolution of the regional Model Forest networks, and provide a few examples of the impacts of the IMFN and Model Forests over the past 20 years.

Application of Quantitative Methods in Natural Resource Management in Africa

2013 ◽  
pp. 816-845
Author(s):  
Elias T. Ayuk ◽  
William M. Fonta ◽  
Euphrasie B. Kouame
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Natural Resource Management ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
Resource Preservation ◽  
The People ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Natural Resource Base ◽  
Quantitative Approaches

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)’s natural resource base constitutes the sub-continent’s greatest asset. These Natural Resources (NRs), both renewable and non-renewable, are the backbone of the continent as they play very critical functions in the livelihood strategies of the people. There are a wide range of questions and issues concerning the proper management of these NRs. One of the issues relates to the economics of resource preservation, which includes questions associated with the quantifiable benefits of resource preservation, the environmental costs and benefits of Soil and Water Conservation (SWC) strategies, the economic impact of land use changes, and valuation of ecosystem goods and services. The other issue concerns the ecosystem and economic system interaction. Particular themes of interest are the co-management of natural resources, trans-boundary natural resource management, and the management of resources to reconcile revenue generation, social development, and environmental services of natural resources. This chapter reviews the literature on quantitative approaches that have been undertaken to enhance the understanding of selected Natural Resource Management (NRM) problems on the continent. The review suggests that a wide range of quantitative approaches have been applied in the context of the African resource economics literature, but this review also identifies some specific areas that have received little attention.

scholarly journals Geographic Information System (GIS) for Natural Resources Management in Rural Areas:- A Case Study of Village Jeeda, Block Goniana, District Bathinda (Punjab)

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (7) ◽  
pp. 40-43
Author(s):  
Charanjeet Singh ◽  
Hardeep Singh
Keyword(s):  
Information System ◽  
Resource Management ◽  
Geographic Information System ◽  
Natural Resource Management ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
Irrigation Water ◽  
Water Channels ◽  
Geographic Information ◽  
Google Earth ◽  
Wide Range

Geographic Information System is a computer based tool for marking specific Places on maps. It is a collection of map systems, geographic datum and human knowledge makes it possible to present the geography around us with the aid of digital technology. We have collected locations of Work Sites using Google Earth Android Application and Sharing Locations on WhatApp Messenger. We have selected Village Jeeda in District Bathinda(Punjab) for GIS planning of Works which are to be executed under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). Works related to Natural Resource Management such as Plantation, Renovation of Community Ponds, Maintenance of existing plantation, Irrigation Water Channels Maintenance etc. Block plantation, Ponds are marked with Polygons attributes and Line Plantation, Irrigation Water Channels are marked with paths attributes. GIS has a wide range of applications. It is equally important in Natural Resource Management. The GIS in Natural Resource Management is a resourceful technique in measuring natural resource assets.

scholarly journals Enabling Development and 'Transition' among Food-Supported Producers in Ethiopia: A Comparative Case Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Peter Jackson
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Natural Resource Management ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
Food Aid ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Current Phase ◽  
Management Interventions ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Instrumental Approaches

<p>Ethiopia is synonymous with protracted drought, natural resource degradation, and hunger and impoverished livelihoods among many millions of farm-based producers. Since 1971, the Government of Ethiopia and foreign donors have channelled food aid and administrative and extension support to relief and rehabilitation projects for improved natural resource management. One such intervention is MERET-PLUS (Managing Environmental Resources to Enable Transition to more sustainable livelihoods through Partnership and Land User Solidarity), a long-standing, watershed-based food-for-assets development project. In its latest form, MERET-PLUS like many similar 'new generation' food-funded natural resource management interventions has multiple positive impacts, both for targeted watershed areas, and for the inhabitants of these areas. In spite of this, successfully enabling 'transition' of participants from receiving food aid remains highly problematic. Transition has not received sufficient attention in programming or - until recently - in academic literature. Partly for this reason, such interventions often lack an agreed, coherent definition of transition, a strategy for achieving such transition, and a means of measuring progress toward transition. Recognising potential for transition to advance policy and practice for such projects, I critically evaluate transition as an inherent objective of the current phase of MERET-PLUS, through the positional lens of my internship with a major donor to the project, the World Food Programme (WFP). I use four case study woredas as talking points, and use quantitative and qualitative information gathered from extensive research from site- through to federallevel. I wish to answer two research questions about transition through this research. Firstly: to what extent has 'enabling transition' in MERET-PLUS been developed as a concept, in policy or strategy, and as an understood and measurable concept? And secondly: what place does transition have in the MERETPLUS project? In relation to the first question, this research presents four main findings. Firstly, formal strategy for transitioning MERET-PLUS beneficiaries from project support has been formed only after thirty years of continuous food support. In many ways, this reflects the legacy of continued difficulties in linking relief, rehabilitation and development - and of achieving real development and independent capacities to sustain this development - through food-supported programming. Secondly, there are currently diverse interests in transition across all levels of the MERET-PLUS project, which must be factored-in to any strategy for implementation. In sub-federal government offices for example, strategy for transition is formed by observing the particular contexts of particular successful sites within their area. By contrast, at federal level, in the WFP Country Office, strategy for transition tends to be formed as part of instrumental programming goals. Thirdly, two particular components of MERET-PLUS make it difficult to conceive of transition as inherent in programming, or as an instrument introduced from higher levels. First, the integrated nature of MERET-PLUS, with a wide range of activities for land and water-source rehabilitation and human livelihood improvement, makes it difficult to conceive of one, integrated strategy for transition. Second, the holistic, participatory approaches to targeting project assistance and planning project activities make instrumental approaches to transition inappropriate. 'Transition as inherent' and 'transition as instrumental' approaches represent unrealised potential for scalable improvements of project impacts, coupled with the challenge of building the kind of concerted confidence required among beneficiaries, planners, leaders and government agencies. Fourthly and finally, information from project beneficiaries, planning teams, and project managers at higher levels has highlighted the importance of asset-based measures of communities' and households' livelihoods in assessing readiness for transition. Communication and planning for transition with engaged beneficiaries remains an important challenge, and one which has not been sufficiently understood in the literature. The goal of 'enabling transition' in MERET-PLUS is as yet unrealised in practice and at scale. A number of factors indicate real potential for transition in case study areas, including income generation from collective farm-based activities, and more broadly, confidence and belief among beneficiaries in improving their livelihoods through available project activities. As a snapshot of potential to 'enable transition', this research contributes practice-based insights for progressively phasing out "outsiders" assistance to vulnerable communities.</p>

Natural Resource Management implications of the pre-European non-volant mammal fauna of the southern tip of Eyre Peninsula, South Australia

2010 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew C. McDowell ◽  
Graham C. Medlin
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Introduced Species ◽  
Natural Resource Management ◽  
National Parks ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Vegetation Change ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Sediment Surface

Sinkholes and coastal caves located in, around and between the Coffin Bay and Lincoln National Parks were surveyed for pre-European fossils, which were collected from or just below the sediment surface. Twenty-four pre-European fossil samples, including eight already in the collections of the South Australian Museum, were analysed and 25 native and five introduced species of non-volant mammal were identified. Native and introduced species were often found together, indicating that the sites have accumulated mammal remains in both pre- and post-European times. Only four of the non-volant native mammals recovered are known to be extant in the study area today: Lasiorhinus latifrons, Macropus fuliginosus, Cercartetus concinnus and Rattus fuscipes. In contrast, 20 native species recorded have been extirpated and one (Potorous platyops) is now extinct. C. concinnus was recorded from only one of the fossil assemblages but is known to be widespread in the study area today. This may indicate recent vegetation change related to European land management practices and have implications for natural resource management in the area.

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