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Adaptive community-based biodiversity conservation in Australia's tropical rainforests

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 May 2010

ROSEMARY HILL ,
KRISTEN J. WILLIAMS ,
PETINA L. PERT ,
CATHERINE J. ROBINSON ,
ALLAN P. DALE ,
DAVID A. WESTCOTT ,
ROWENA A. GRACE  and
TONY O'MALLEY
ROSEMARY HILL*
Affiliation:
CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, PO Box 12139, Earlville BC, Cairns Qld 4870, Australia School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville QLD 4811, Australia
KRISTEN J. WILLIAMS
Affiliation:
CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, PO Box 284, Canberra ACT 2619, Australia
PETINA L. PERT
Affiliation:
CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, PO Box 12139, Earlville BC, Cairns Qld 4870, Australia
CATHERINE J. ROBINSON
Affiliation:
CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Qld Biosciences Precinct, 306 Carmody Rd, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
ALLAN P. DALE
Affiliation:
Terrain NRM Inc., PO Box 1756, Innisfail, QLD 4860, Australia
DAVID A. WESTCOTT
Affiliation:
CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, PO Box 780, Atherton, QLD 4883, Australia
ROWENA A. GRACE
Affiliation:
Terrain NRM Inc., PO Box 1756, Innisfail, QLD 4860, Australia
TONY O'MALLEY
Affiliation:
Terrain NRM Inc., PO Box 1756, Innisfail, QLD 4860, Australia
*
*Correspondence: Dr Rosemary Hill e-mail: [email protected]
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Summary

In the globally significant Australian tropical rainforests, poor performance of community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) approaches mandated by national policy highlights the importance of the global search for better models. This paper reports on co-research to develop, apply and test the transferability and effectiveness of a new model and tools for CBNRM in biodiversity conservation. Adaptive co-management, designed with specific communities and natural resources, recognized as linked multi-scalar phenomena, is the new face of CBNRM. New tools used to achieve adaptive co-management include a collaborative focal species approach focused on the iconic southern cassowary, scenario analysis, science brokering partnerships, a collaborative habitat investment atlas and institutional brokering. An intermediate-complexity analytical framework was used to test the robustness of these tools and therefore likely transferability. The tools meet multiple relevant standards across three dimensions, namely empowering institutions and individuals, ongoing systematic scientific assessment and securing effective on-ground action. Evaluation of effectiveness using a performance criteria framework identified achievement of many social and environmental outcomes. Effective CBNRM requires multi-scale multi-actor collaborative design, not simply devolution to local-scale governance. Bridging/boundary organizations are important to facilitate the process. Further research into collaborative design of CBNRM structures, functions, tools and processes for biodiversity conservation is recommended.

Keywords

adaptive co-managementAustraliabiodiversity conservationcassowaryCBNRMcollaborative focal speciescommunity-based natural resource managementco-researchdesignscenarios
Type
THEMATIC SECTION: Community-based natural resource management (CBNRM): designing the next generation (Part 1)
Information
Environmental Conservation , Volume 37 , Issue 1: Thematic section. Community-based natural resource management (CBNRM): designing the next generation (Part 1) , March 2010 , pp. 73 - 82
Copyright
Copyright © Foundation for Environmental Conservation 2010

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