Natural Resource Management

Politics Within and Without — The Origins and Development of a Rangelands Landcare Group

by Nicholas Gill

2004, Australian Geographical Studies, 42(2), 135-151

What is the Problem: Usefulness, the Cultural Turn, and Social Research for Natural Resource Management

by Nicholas Gill

2006, Australian Geographer, 37(1), 5-17.

One strand of criticism of the ‘cultural turn’ in geography and other disciplines is that it produces research that is... more One strand of criticism of the ‘cultural turn’ in geography and other disciplines is that it produces research that is of limited ‘usefulness’ and has disarmed academics. This paper argues that elements of the critique of the cultural turn are overstated. It then argues that criticism of the ‘usefulness’ of cultural research rests on simplistic assumptions concerning the relationship of the social research to users such as policy makers. The problem is depicted as largely related to the nature of the information flowing to ‘users’. Such assumptions are critiqued through discussing the concept of ‘use’, influences on the use of research, and models of relationships between ‘users’ and researchers. Finally, the paper argues that a key issue in the relationship between policy making and social sciences is the users’ expectations. A recent example from research in natural resource management (NRM) policy making shows that ‘users’ of social science research can have a questionable foundation from which to assess social research. This example also points to clear roles for cultural research in NRM. The problem of connecting with policy makers is multidimensional. It is one for social researchers as a whole and it includes the norms and practices regarding nature and natural resources of potential‘users’.

Stewardship among lifestyle oriented rural landowners

by Nicholas Gill

With Peter Klepeis and Laurie Chisholm, 2010, Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 53(3). 317-334

Changes in landownership associated with amenity migration are affecting the
demographic, cadastral and... more Changes in landownership associated with amenity migration are affecting the
demographic, cadastral and ecological conditions of rural landscapes. These
changes and concerns about their impacts on natural resource management,
including ecological conservation, relate to both the structural consequences of landownership change, land subdivision and to the motivations, management ability and attitudes of lifestyle oriented rural landowners. Based on an Australian case study near Sydney, NSW, this paper examines the motivations and practices of such landowners, assesses potential consequences for vegetation and characterises the landowners according to three stewardship types

Elites' Survival and Natural Resource Exploitation in Nigeria and Niger

by Yvan Guichaoua

Published in: Rosemary Thorp, Stefania Battistelli, Yvan Guichaoua, Jose Carlos Orihuela and Maritza Paredes (ed). 2012. The Developmental Challenges of Mining and Oil Lessons from Africa and Latin America. Basingstoke: Palgrave-Macmillan

Social context and the role of collaborative policy making for private land conservation

by Ascelin Gordon

Published in the Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 2011

Recent decades have seen a proliferation of conservation programmes designed to encourage private landholders to... more Recent decades have seen a proliferation of conservation programmes designed to encourage private landholders to protect and enhance biodiversity on their land. This paper reviews research emphasising the role of social context in shaping private land conservation (PLC) outcomes. We examine the potential for a collaborative policy-making process incorporating design and implementation of PLC programmes to reduce conflict between conservation agencies and landholders and increase community consensus around PLC issues. Collaborative partnerships nested at the sub-watershed governance level may represent the most appropriate geographic scale for engaging community interest, whilst linking PLC efforts to higher-level institutional frameworks.

Social Perceptions of Environmental Changes and Local Development within the Usumacinta River Basin

by Jérôme Gandin

APCBEE Procedia, 2012

The transboundary river basin of the Usumacinta is facing a growing number of environmental and socioeconomicmore The transboundary river basin of the Usumacinta is facing a growing number of environmental and socioeconomic
changes in recent years. Regarding the wealth of natural resources it contains, this watershed has a high development
potential. However, the local populations remain among the poorest in Mexico and Guatemala and furthermore their
lives are profoundly weakened by environmental degradation. Being excluded from any development intervention,
the local communities have chosen the path of mobilization to ensure themselves better living conditions and call
attention to the natural and cultural heritage of the Usumacinta river basin. Social perceptions of environmental
change and expectations of local people in terms of local development are examined by using mixed methods. The
results highlight the failure of the traditional approaches of conservation and local development. This article puts
forth a reconsidered concept of sustainable development by taking into account the dimension of culture and makes
an effort of contextualization to address the socio-economic and environmental problems.

Determinants of yield in a non-timber forest product: Copaifera oleoresin in Amazonian extractive reserves

by Pete Newton

Authors: Newton, P., Watkinson, A.R., Peres, C.A.
Journal: Forest Ecology and Management
Volume: 261
Pages: 255 - 264

Developing sustainable extractive industries in otherwise intact tropical forest regions requires a sound... more Developing sustainable extractive industries in otherwise intact tropical forest regions requires a sound understanding of the production potential of key resource populations. The oleoresin extracted from Copaifera trees is an economically important non-timber forest product harvested throughout the lowland Amazon basin. We studied oleoresin extraction from four species of Copaifera trees with known harvest histories within two contiguous extractive reserves in western Brazilian Amazonia.Weconducted a largescale experimental harvest of 179 previously unharvested Copaifera trees, in both seasonally flooded (várzea) and adjacent unflooded (terra firme) forests. The likelihood of trees yielding any oleoresin was principally determined by their species identity: C. multijuga was the only species to regularly yield oleoresin (70% of trees). Yield volumes varied both amongst species and forest types: C. multijuga (restricted to terra firme forest) had the highest mean yield of 505 ml, whilst C. guyanensis produced higher volumes of oleoresin in várzea (139 ml) than terra firme (15 ml) forest. Intraspecific differences were driven mainly by tree size. To assess extraction sustainability, we reharvested a sample of C. multijuga trees and compared the oleoresin production of 24 conspecific trees that had been initially harvested one year previously with that of 17 trees initially harvested three years previously. Reharvested trees produced just 35% of the oleoresin volume compared to that when originally drilled, but this response was not affected by the time interval between consecutive harvests. We demonstrate that, within a population of Copaifera, both morphological and environmental factors restrict total productivity; consideration of these factors should inform sustainable management practises. We additionally raise methodological considerations that may improve the comparability of studies.

Determinants of livelihood strategy variation in two extractive reserves in Amazonian flooded and unflooded forests

by Pete Newton

Authors: Newton, P., Endo, W., Peres, C.A.
Journal: Environmental Conservation
Volume: 39
Pages: 97-110

Extractive reserves account for a significant proportion of the remaining intact forest within Brazilian Amazonia.... more Extractive reserves account for a significant proportion of the remaining intact forest within Brazilian Amazonia. Managers of extractive reserves need to understand the livelihood strategies adopted by rural Amazonians in order to implement projects that benefit the livelihoods of local residents whilst maintaining forest integrity. Whilst resident populations are often descended from immigrant rubber-tappers, dynamic economic and social conditions have led to a recent diversification of land-use practices. This two-year study in two large contiguous extractive reserves encompassing both unflooded (terra firme) and seasonally flooded (várzea) forest, shows the degree to which local livelihood strategies of different settlements are heterogeneous. Extractive offtake of forest products and fish catches and agricultural activities, together with income from sales, for 82 households in 10 communities were quantified in detail by means of weekly surveys. The survey data were combined with interviews to examine the demographic and wealth profile, and engagement in alternative activities, in 181 households across 27 communities. All households and communities were engaged in all three subsistence activity types, but there was large variation in engagement with income-generating activities. Households within a community showed considerable congruence in their income-generating activity profiles, but there was significant variation among communities. Yields from agriculture and fishing were more temporally stable than extraction of highly-seasonal forest products. Generalized linear mixed models showed that forest type was consistently important in explaining yields of both agrarian and extractive products. Communities with greater access to terra firme forest were inherently more agricultural, and strongly committed to manioc production. Communities with greater access to flooded forest, however, showed a greater dependence on fishing. Conservation should be more attuned to the diversity and dynamism of livelihood strategies in protected areas; in particular, reserve managers and policy makers should account for the effect of local variation in physical geography when designing sustainable development projects.

21st century fisheries management: A spatiotemporally explicit tariff-based approach combining multiple drivers and incentivising responsible fishing.

by Edward Codling

Cultural perspectives on knowledge management in central and eastern Europe: The SECI model of knowledge conversion and ‘ba’

by Matthew Jelavic

Jelavic, M., & Ogilvie, K. (2010). Cultural perspectives on knowledge management in central and eastern Europe: The SECI model of knowledge conversion and ‘ba’. Journal of Information & Knowledge Management, 9(2), 161 – 169.

This research discusses the SECI Model of Knowledge Conversion as it relates to the 10 Central and Eastern European... more This research discusses the SECI Model of Knowledge Conversion as it relates to the 10 Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) that are now part of the European Union (EU). The socio-economic conversion from socialism to capitalism of these societies is unique in historical precedence, whereby utilising the contextual models in knowledge conversion are applicable for understanding the implications of such a phenomenon. The results indicate that there is a unique set of variables that need to be considered within this context and for future similar situations.

Keywords: SECI; knowledge conversion; national culture; Ba; central and eastern Europe.

Knowledge Management Views in Eastern and Western Cultures: An Integrative Analysis

by Matthew Jelavic

Jelavic, M., & Ogilvie, K. (2010). Knowledge management views in eastern and western cultures: An integrative analysis. Journal of Knowledge Globalization, 3(2), 51 – 69.

Traditional eastern and western views of knowledge continue to influence the knowledge management practices in today’s... more Traditional eastern and western views of knowledge continue to influence the knowledge management practices in today’s global workplace. Based on these views, several dominant theories have emerged on how to best manage in the international work environment. This research illustrates contradictions in these theories and extracts a new perspective from the dynamic literature stream. This innovative perspective provides an opportunity to leverage cultures and relationships holistically for effective knowledge transfer and cross-cultural understanding, and hence for effective management

Keywords: Knowledge, Culture, International Management, Knowledge Management, Hofstede Framework

Socio-Technical Knowledge Management and Epistemological Paradigms: Theoretical Connections at the Individual and Organisational Level

by Matthew Jelavic

Jelavic, M. (2011). Socio-technical knowledge management and epistemological paradigms: Theoretical connections at the individual and organisational level. Interdisciplinary Journal of Information, Knowledge, and Management, 6(1), 1 – 16.

This paper provides an evaluation of the literature pertaining to the autopoietic, connectionist, and cognitivist... more This paper provides an evaluation of the literature pertaining to the autopoietic, connectionist, and cognitivist epistemological paradigms. These paradigms exist at the individual and organisational level through diametrically opposed functionalist versus interpretive and integrative socio-technical knowledge management perspectives. The alignments of individual and organisational epistemologies are essential to the effectiveness of a knowledge management system. Knowl-edge management should consider the roots of knowledge theoretically in order to share or man-age knowledge dissemination successfully in organisations. The term ‘knowledge sharing’ has been emphasised and discussed comprehensively through its epistemological influential factors. This paper concludes the development of a Knowledge Management Epistemological Synthesis Model (KM-ES Model) and a comprehensive discussion and conclusion section focussing on the implications of epistemological influences on the knowledge management system of an organisa-tion. The results from this study provide both researchers and academicians with a clear under-standing of the interplay between epistemologies and a foundation for establishing an effective organisational knowledge management system.

Keywords: socio-technical, knowledge management, knowledge sharing, epistemology, cognitiv-ist, connectionist, autopoietic, functionalist, interpretive, KM-ES Model

Multidisciplinary Technical Teams: A Case Study

by Matthew Jelavic

Ogilvie, K., & Jelavic, M. (2009). Multidisciplinary technical teams: A case study. Canadian Manager, 33(3), 18 – 19.

Interorganizational Macrocultures in the North American Automotive Manufacturing Industry

by Matthew Jelavic

Jelavic, M., & Ogilvie, K. (2009). Interorganizational macrocultures in the North American automotive manufacturing industry. Canadian Manager, 34(2), 20 – 21.

Maslow and Management: Universally Applicable or Idiosyncratic?

by Matthew Jelavic

Jelavic, M., & Ogilvie, K. (2010). Maslow and management: Universally applicable or idiosyncratic? Canadian Manager, 34(4), 16 – 17.

Globalization, Knowledge Workers and the Expanding European Union: A Lesson for North America?

by Matthew Jelavic

Jelavic, M., & Ogilvie, K. (2010). Globalization, knowledge workers and the expanding European Union: A lesson for North America? Canadian Manager, 35(1), 26 – 27.

Management Consulting: Understanding the Process Using Concepts in Neuroscience

by Matthew Jelavic

Vincenti, M., & Jelavic, M. (2011). Management consulting: Understanding the process using concepts in neuroscience. Canadian Manager, 35(4), 22 – 23.

Competence Management in High-Technology Organizations

by Matthew Jelavic

Jelavic, M. (2011). Competence management in high-technology organizations. Canadian Manager, 36(1), 21 – 22.

Resource use and resource efficiency in Central and Eastern Europe and the Newly Independent States

by Christine Polzin

Co-authored with S. Giljum, B. Lugschitz, S. Lutter and M. Dittrich, published in "Promoting innovative industries and technologies for a sustainable future in the Europe and NIS region: Compendium of Background papers", UNIDO, Vienna, 2012, pp. 131-163

This study provides a comparative assessment of material consumption and material productivity in 30 selected... more This study provides a comparative assessment of material consumption and material productivity in 30 selected countries covering Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the Newly Independent States (NIS) in the Caucasus and Central Asia between 1995 and 2008. It was also commissioned by UNIDO. To facilitate comparison, the region was divided into three geographical groups: New EU Member States (NMS), South East Europe (SEE) and Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia (EECCA).

The results of the study reflect the extremely diverse development of the 30 countries. Many of them have gone through processes of economic transition and market liberalisation, with diverging effects on their use of natural resources. To varying degrees, the collapse of Communism and the transition towards market economies was initially (between 1989 and 1995) accompanied by high rates of inflation, a marked decline in output (on average by 40%), a stagnation in material extraction and a decline in resource consumption until the year 2000. During the first half of the 1990s, this development was exacerbated by conflicts in SEE and the Caucasus and extended in some parts of EECCA by the Russian currency crisis in 1997/98. These initial years of economic decline were swiftly followed by a period of strong economic growth, which was also reflected in a rise of resource use and resource efficiency.

While the economies of the new EU-members recovered faster and earlier, the process took longer and the falls were even deeper in most of the South East European and EECCA countries. The average per capita consumption of the 30 countries increased by 25% between 1995 and 2008, from 9.8 to 12.2 tonnes. This is above the global average of 10.4 tonnes but still below EU-15 average of 18.6 tonnes per capita in 2008.

Material consumption decoupled relatively from economic growth during the whole period under consideration in the 30 countries. Thus, material productivity rose continuously by an average 42% between 1995 and 2008. This general improvement in resource efficiency across the region partly reflects the economic restructuring that has taken place since the early 1990s and is partly due to increased production efficiency in some sectors.

Are two resources really better than one? Some unexpected results of the availability of substitutes

by Giangiacomo Bravo

with Lucia Tamburino.
Journal of Environmental Management, 92(11): 2865-2874 (2011).

The possibility of exploiting multiple resources is usually regarded as positive from both the economic and the... more The possibility of exploiting multiple resources is usually regarded as positive from both the economic and the environmental point of view. However, resource switching may also lead to unsustainable growth and, ultimately, to an equilibrium condition which is worse than the one that could have been achieved with a single resource. We developed a dynamic model where users exploit multiple resources and have different levels of preference among them. In this setting, exploiting multiple resources leads to worse outcomes in both economic and ecological terms than the single resource case under a wide range of parameter configurations. Our arguments are illustrated using two empirical situations, namely oil drilling in the North Sea and whale hunting in the Antarctic.