What are the barriers & opportunities for participating in regional NRM?
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This fact sheet explores the barriers and opportunities for participating in regional NRM at three scales: individual, property and regional.
The success of regional NRM projects depends on the active participation of communities and organisations. Participation has grown considerably over the past decade. Sometimes, however, barriers prevent people from working together to achieve their goals.
What are barriers and opportunities?
Barriers prevent people from achieving their goals. They may be personal (lack of belief, time, skills, information, motivation, conflict, etc) or organisational (lack of funds, resources, responsibility, power, collaboration, etc). They may be cultural (conflicts with language, values, beliefs, etc) or political (changing government policies, funding availability, etc).
Opportunities are favourable conditions for people to achieve their goals. They may be personal (high levels of motivation, leadership, trust, wealth, commitment, etc) or organisational (strong community networks, volunteerism, funding, skills, etc). Usually, a mix of opportunities is necessary to achieve extensive participation in regional NRM.
What are typical barriers and opportunities to participating in regional NRM at the regional scale?
| Barriers at the regional scale | Opportunities at the regional scale |
| Limited opportunities for local participation | Partnerships work well at regional and catchment levels |
| Narrow focus of effort | Close social networks and personal relationships |
| Community capacity | Existing community networks within regional NRM bodies |
| Unfavourable institutional arrangements | Strong sense of place and identity |
| Limited time for regional groups to implement complex plans | Community ownership of local NRM issues |
| Uncertainty over long-term commitment of funding arrangements | Shared expectations of NRM plans and actions |
| Inequitable power and responsibility sharing | Skilled extension practitioners |
| Unclear role sharing between government and non-government groups | Active research, development and extension providers |
| Poorly produced information products and services | High levels of volunteerism |
What are typical barriers and opportunities to participating in regional NRM at the property level?
| Barriers at the property level | Opportunities at the property level |
| Low farm income and high family debt | Property owners make a significant impact to regional NRM goals |
| Lack of farming or business management skills | Incentives and rewards |
| Limited time, finances or labour | Access to local knowledge and practical examples of 'best practice' |
| Lack of belief that conservation measures are effective | Interactive communication with other landholders, resource managers, scientists and peak industry groups |
| Lack of reliable science to prove production benefits | Attendance of well-designed NRM workshops, courses and field days |
| Drought | Access to IT, quality broadband and communication systems |
| Personal conflict | Collaboration with surrounding property owners |
| Fragmented information | Land owners are trusted sources of information |
| Poor delivery of knowledge about sustainable farming practices or new NRM guidelines | |
| Distrust of government agencies | |
| Conflict between competing agencies |
Useful resources
Related topics
- Who should regional bodies develop partnerships with?
- How do you develop effective NRM partnerships?
- How do you develop partnerships with research, development, and extension providers?
- How do you encourage community participation in NRM activities?
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Last updated 05 January 2009