How do you integrate social & economic factors into NRM planning?
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To plan well for natural resource management, you need to have an understanding of the social and economic conditions, and the characteristics, needs and aspirations of the region. Sustainable environmental impacts depend not only on managing natural resources, but also on sustaining the economic base of communities and ensuring social wellbeing.
Why is social and economic information important?
The environment, society, and the economy are fundamentally intertwined. Our future depends on our ability to maintain healthy regions that have retained their biodiversity and productive capacity. Regional NRM bodies, in partnership with their local communities and other interest groups, must work together to ensure that NRM plans consider the social and economic aspects of their environmental plans.
9 steps for integrating social and economic factors into NRM planning
Use the following 9-step process as a guide:
1. Understand the socioeconomic trends in your region
Use existing sources of data to find out about social and economic trends in your region.
Focus on trends such as rural population shifts, profitability of agriculture, information technology networks, income and debt, changing demographics, access to services and community attitudes.
Conduct your own research on community trends using methods such as surveys, focus groups, meetings and community 'conversation' techniques.
2. Select the most important social, environmental and economic issues
Identify and select the most important issues relevant to NRM outcomes.
This often means rating issues for their importance to sustainable development, the extent to which regional action can influence the issues, the capacity of organisations to improve the issues, and the extent to which impacts spread across the region. You can build a 'decision tree' by rating the issues (e.g. 1 = not relevant, 5 = very relevant) against each other.
3. Identify high priority issues
Identify the issues that are a high priority in your community—they may be as diverse as unemployment and water pollution.
Analyse these issues in detail, looking at the current situation, desirable goals and opportunities for planning. Once your analysis is complete, consider your region's high priority social and economic issues when developing NRM plans.
4. Benchmark your region's baseline situation
A benchmark is a point of reference against which you can measure change.
Benchmarking usually involves describing the likely condition of the environment, the social situation and the economy.
Measuring the attitudes of residents to river water quality is an example of a social benchmark. An NRM body might use such a benchmark to compare future changes in attitudes following an activity such as a public awareness campaign.
5. Assess likely impacts of targets and actions
Assessing the likely impacts of NRM targets and actions is a crucial step in integrating social and economic issues in NRM planning.
Most NRM actions have both a direct and indirect impact on the economy or society. For example, to reduce soil erosion, NRM bodies may encourage farmers to adopt an expensive, labour-intensive new technology. While use of the technology will lead to environmental benefits, the immediate social and economic impacts may discourage farmers from continuing.
This is just one example of why NRM bodies should assess the impact of their actions and ensure that they achieve the most appropriate social, environmental and economic outcomes.
6. Estimate the potential impacts of the proposal
It is crucial to actively engage the community by this stage of the impact assessment process.
Good quality social and economic data can help you ask—and answer—the most difficult questions in NRM planning, such as the likely positive and negative impacts of change. For example, how broadly will an impact be felt throughout the community? For how long? How prepared or willing are stakeholders to change? Is the preferred option economically feasible?
The more you discuss the issues and share any socio-economic data, the better.
7. Conduct detailed planning and analysis
Armed with detailed socio-economic data, you can analyse a range of regional NRM issues. You may need to seek advice from social scientists or economists, especially if you are involved in a major NRM project.
Some of the more sophisticated analytical methods available are input/output analysis, cost/benefit analysis, cost effective analysis, and multi-criteria analysis, or social impact assessment.
8. Recommend the best actions
When you've weighed up all of the impacts, benefits, and alternatives, you should be ready to recommend an appropriate management action plan and investment strategy. Remember, you need to consider social and economic impacts to ensure the best possible NRM outcome. You may need to consider using incentives.
Finally, once actions are underway, you should develop and maintain an ongoing monitoring and evaluation program.
9. Overcome barriers and build bridges
Integrating social and economic factors into NRM planning is not always easy. A variety of social and economic factors may interact to motivate or constrain landholders from engaging in NRM. Sometimes, these motivators and constraints are complex, difficult to isolate, and difficult to manage.
By conducting solid social and economic research, you can begin to understand local constraints and tailor your NRM programs to fit your region.
Useful resources
This report provides further information on why and how to conduct social and economic impact assessments. It highlights the questions that practitioners could ask at each stage, and the practical steps in the process.
The CQRIS database provides accurate and timely information of an economic, social, geospatial and/or demographic nature to support regional planning and implementation.
This handbook highlights research into social aspects of NRM.
NAP funded five social and economic state-wide investment projects in Queensland. These projects helped to institutionalise social and economic impact assessment in regional NRM, collect social and economic data, undertake social and economic research, and trial incentives and market-based instruments to improve natural resource management in Queensland.
Related topics
- How do you create social and economic profiles for a region?
- Why consider social and economic aspects in natural resource planning?
- How can you use social and economic factors in funding proposals?
- What are the policies supporting effective NRM planning?
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Last updated 07 January 2009