What makes catchment management groups "tick"?
The work of catchment management groups throughout Australia represents a significant economic and social investment in natural resource management. Institutional structures and policies, the role of on-ground coordinators, facilitation processes, citizen participation and social capital are critical factors influencing the success of catchment management groups. From a participant-researcher viewpoint, this paper signposts research directions and themes that are being pursued from the participant/coordinator, catchment group, and lead government/non-government agency perspective on the influence of these factors on the success of a catchment management group in the Pumicestone Region of Southeast Queensland, Australia. Research directions, themes and discussion/reflection points for practitioners include--the importance of understanding milieu; motivation; success; having fun; "networking networks"; involvement of "nontraditional" stakeholders; development of stakeholder/participant partnerships; learning from other practitioners; methods of stakeholder/participant representation; evaluation; the need for guiding principles or philosophy; the equivalence of planning, implementation, evaluation, and resourcing; catchments as fundamental units of Nature; continuity of support for groups; recognising a new role for government; working with existing networks; and the need for an eclectic approach to natural resource management.
Oliver
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Queensland Department of Natural Resources, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Griffith University, Queensland, Australia.
D003159:Community-Institutional Relations; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D017753:Ecosystem; D006077:Government Agencies; D006801:Humans; D007373:Interinstitutional Relations; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D007857:Leadership; D009042:Motivation; D011050:Policy Making; D011639:Public Opinion; D011640:Public Policy