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Regional modelling, participatory processes and rangeland
profiles
Evaluating and planning rangeland use
 At
the CSIRO's Centre for Arid Zone Research, scientists have
been involved in developing better ways to balance conservation
and land use. Land use planning in the arid lands has tended
to be highly centralised and driven by the collection of data
which is often under-utilised. It has often been uni-sectoral
rather than integrated across sectors and then runs the risk
of being susceptible to influence by vested interests. Implementation
has been confused by conflict between regional and central
government policies and is often not supported by institutional
arrangements.
An alternative model has received widespread support during the 1990s. It is characterised by community participation at regional level and equity amongst stakeholders, regardless of their skills and resources. Integration of economic, social and environmental objectives is fundamental and an effective framework for negotiating change, including policy, is a feature. Decision-making is driven by information, not political lobbying by individual stakeholder groups.
Research in support of regional planning can address a diversity of issues. How can the community become effectively involved in regional planning? What are the options for institutional structures, given the ways different regions might form partnerships with governments? What are the appropriate policies and planning instruments which could be developed to suit regional needs?
Regional communities and local government will benefit from participating in the development of institutional processes that are best suited to their particular needs. State and national governments will be better placed to assist regions with institutional processes that best suit their circumstances, and to support them with appropriate policy and resources. Community and government resources will thus be better utilised, whether environmental, social or economic.
Examples involving our scientists in collaboration with others
are:
- defining viable and socially desirable regions (Outback
Atlas)
- developing and showcasing stories of successful innovation
by desert Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), in order to help other businesses adopt
similar practices (Innovation in the desert - telling the
stories)
- helping the central Australian communitydevelop a holistic approach to investment in tourism, a joint project with
the Alice Springs town Council and the Northern Territory
Tourist Commission (Tourism Futures)
- the development of off-reserve, regional conservation
planning approaches which look after biodiversity in the
context of a thriving pastoral industry (BioGraze)
- the development of community-based regional land use
planning across all land uses in a region (Rangeways)
Research projects
The following are an example of some of the current and completed
research projects concerning regional modelling participatory
process and rangeland profiles.
Outback Atlas
One of the main principles emerging from work on defining
healthy savannas is that people are part of the system and
that social and economic issues play a key role in natural
resource management. A recent study on modelling in regional
dynamics has emphasised how there are strong differences between
the issues faced in outback Australia compared with those
faced in more densely settled areas. In addition, there is
considerable diversity in the issues faced by different parts
of the outback, and this can get overlooked by general representations
of remote areas. In this context, the idea of developing an
outback 'Atlas' is being proposed as a way of helping to define
and represent issues and indicators that characterise viable
and socially desirable regions. Unlike a conventional Atlas,
the idea is to produce a dynamic atlas that will integrate
and disseminate CRC research and also help target future activities.
Innovation in the desert - telling the stories
In order to highlight innovative desert businesses, a pilot
project to tell their stories was conducted by CSIRO's Centre
for Arid Zone Research in Alice Springs, with the support
of Desert Knowledge Australia. Australian deserts feature
strongly in our myths and imaginations, but our knowledge
of desert-based enterprises is limited. CSIRO's new web site
aims to turn that around. The focus is on the stories of successful
innovation by desert small and medium enterprises (SMEs),
in order to help other businesses adopt similar practices.
The two case studies in the pilot project are:
- Littlefish Pangaea, which works with remote Aboriginal
communities in central Australia to present complex financial
reports as simple graphics and icons, making reports easy
to understand for those with little business experience.
- Diab Engineering, a Geraldton based business that
services the mining industry in remote locations.
The project has an enthusiastic steering committee with members
from Alice Springs, Kalgoorlie and Broken Hill. The project
website was launched on October 14 2003, by Federal Minister
for Science Peter McGauran.
Tourism futures
The future of some regions in Australia is strongly linked
to tourism, Australia's second biggest industry. Within such
regions tourism has a primary effect on most other regional
industries, as well as on infrastructure needs and the quality
of life of the local population.
What is the short-term future of tourism? How can we sustainably
grow the industry and ensure the continued provision of flow-on
benefits it provides to the region? In what direction is tourism
heading; what are the rates of change in the factors affecting
its future; and, most importantly, what implications does
it have for other industries in the region? In central Australia,
tourism plays a major role in regional development and investment.
What strategies can be adopted to best ensure its sustained
success?
Most strategic planning exercises related to tourism deal
with collecting data about trends and looking at alternative
investments. However, in the absence of a formal understanding
of how different factors interact with each other, it is hard
to quantify the costs and benefits of alternative futures.
The present project actively undertakes this 'systems analysis',
using the best information available from data collection
and from the heads of knowledgeable industry leaders.
Biograze - Waterpoints and Wildlife
The Biograze project is concerned with managing the interactions
between grazing and biodiversity.
The rangelands - the dry pastoral lands - make up about 60%
of Australia and are home to many animals and plants. A high
proportion of these are not affected by pastoral land use.
Pastoralists know that there are grass and shrub species
that change in abundance under different grazing pressures
- some plants are "decreasers" under grazing, while
others are "increasers".
We now know that this pattern applies to most types of plants
and animals. Furthermore, some decreasers are so sensitive
that they occur only where there is negligible grazing pressure.
Areas with very light grazing pressure are usually a very
long way from water points.
The number of waterpoints in pastoral areas is increasing
because this is good management, to spread grazing pressure.
However, one result is that there is little land left that
is lightly grazed.This may lead to the severe decline of those
species that are very sensitive to grazing.
Regional planning processes - Rangeways
Land use planning in the arid lands has tended to be highly
centralised and driven by the collection of data which is
then under-utilised. It has often been uni-sectoral rather
than integrated across sectors and then runs the risk of being
susceptible to influence by vested interests. Implementation
has been confused by conflict between regional and central
government policies and is often not supported by institutional
arrangements.
An alternative model has received widespread support during
the 1990s. It is characterised by community participation
at regional level and equity amongst stakeholders, regardless
of their skills and resources. Integration of economic, social
and environmental objectives is fundamental and an effective
framework for negotiating change, including policy, is a feature.
Decision-making is driven by information, not political lobbying
by individual stakeholder groups.
Research in support of regional planning can address a diversity
of issues. How can the community become effectively involved
in regional planning? What are the options for institutional
structures, given the ways different regions might form partnerships
with governments? What are the appropriate policies and planning
instruments which could be developed to suit regional needs?
Regional communities and local government will benefit from
participating in the development of institutional processes
that are best suited to their particular needs. State and
national governments will be better placed to assist regions
with institutional processes that best suit their circumstances,
and to support them with appropriate policy and resources.
Community and government resources will thus be better utilised,
whether environmental, social or economic.
Rangeways - landuse planning for semi-arid Australia
From 1995, the Rangeways project researched community-based
planning for ecologically sustainable land use in the Western
Australian Goldfields. It developed collaboratively amongst
a number of organisations and agencies including CSIRO's Centre
for Arid Zone Research, and drew the involvement of all sectoral
interests in the regional community as well as further agencies
as it progressed. The project sought ways to identify and
reconcile opportunities for different land uses while protecting
biologically sensitive areas within the framework of community-based
regional planning and Ecologically Sustainable Development
policy. the outcome of this work are procedures that are applicable
elsewhere in Australia's rangelands.
- Please note, only a few printed copies of the Rangeways
report are still available. Please contact Karen Eva-Stirk
to obtain a copy. karen.eva-stirk@csiro.au
Living Outback
What will Outback Australia look like in 20, 50, 100 years'
time? Who will live in the outback? What will they be doing?
What will be the state of their environment?
Most people hope for harmonious and vigorous regional communities,
using their natural resources sustainably to contribute to
self-reliant local economies.
Problems such as isolation from services, the small population,
low productivity and past mismanagement means that the rangelands
are a long way from this vision at the moment. In fact many
regions are suffering serious economic stress, human hardship
and environmental damage.
Today regions are being asked to take responsibility for
creating their own futures, in partnership with governments.
But what options do different outback regions have? What
resources and investment is needed to take up those options?
Will the aspirations of one region complement or conflict
with those of other regions? How should a community manage
the trade-off between environmental, social and economic goals?
What social structures will allow people to pursue these goals
most effectively? How can government policy be implemented
most efficiently?
We need the ability to answer these questions.
For more information on the work done in this research area
at CAZR contact Margaret Friedel or Yiheyis Maru.
margaret.friedel@csiro.au
yiheyis.maru@csiro.au
Related sections: Australia's Arid
Lands, Skills and Expertise
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