Credit makers and credit takers: issues of equity in Australian Government natural resource governance programs

Abstract

Since the late 1980's successive Australian and State Governments have recognised the national significance of sustainable management of Australia's natural resource base expressed through various publicly funded community based natural resource management (NRM) programs, all of which relied heavily on Government/community partnerships underpinned by high levels of voluntary participation. In 2002 a new national approach to community based NRM was initiated with the formation of 56 regional NRM bodies across Australia, each formulating a regional NRM action plan for investment. Despite the considerable public and private investment since the late 1980s to date, the health of Australia's natural systems continues to decline coupled with ongoing criticism of NRM policy in Australia targeting the failure of demonstrated outcomes from the various community based NRM programs. What might an effective, efficient and enduring regional NRM system require to deliver resilient sustainable ecosystems and human communities through equitable public good outcomes? To determine the critical success attributes required, a model (informed from theory and practice) was developed and used as an evaluative tool to analyse regional NRM bodies in Australia. National evaluations were undertaken in 2006 and 2012. This paper presents the results of the two national surveys and offers insights into the effectiveness, efficiency and enduring nature of the current regional NRM systems in Australia, challenging myths that have underpinned the design and implementation of community based NRM approaches in Australia.