Lecture 3: Approaches used in natural Resources

management

Dr. Mukhovi
Natural resources are scarce due to the
following;
• limited supply in nature
• Due their non-renewability
• physical scarcity as a result of lack of
prevailing conditions or over utilization-
income, lifestyle and consumption
• increasing demand as compared to supply,
increasing population and levels of
development
• Geopolitical scarcity e.g oil and water
Source: Aljazeera
Management of the resources
• Natural resource management issues are
inherently complex ,
• They involve the ecological cycles, hydrological
cycles, climate, animals, plants and geography
etc.
• All these are dynamic and inter-related and a
change in one of them may have far reaching
and/or long term impacts which may even be
irreversible.
• In addition to the natural systems, natural
resource management also has to manage
various stakeholders and their interests, policies,
politics, geographical boundaries, economic
implications and the list goes on.
• It is very difficult to satisfy all stakeholders. This
results in conflicting situations.
• It recognizes that people and their livelihoods
rely on the health and productivity of natural
resources and their actions as stewards of the
resources play a critical role in maintaining this
health and productivity.
• Natural resource management specifically
focuses on a scientific and technical
understanding of resources and ecology and
the life-supporting capacity of those resources
• Environmental management is also
similar to natural resource
management.
• The basic objective of resource
management is to optimize yield from a
particular resource by exerting
governmental control on the resource
process.
Definitions cont.
• Natural resource protection refers to any
activity to maintain or restore the quality of a
natural resource, it may consist of:
• Changes in characteristics of goods and services
• Changes in consumption patterns
• Changes in production techniques
• Recycling, reuse,reduce
• Prevention of degradation of the ecosystem
objectives of natural resources management

• The objectives of the resource management and planning system are

• (a) to provide the sustainable development of natural and physical
resources and the maintenance of ecological processes and genetic
diversity; and
• (b) to provide for the fair, orderly and sustainable use and
development of air, land and water; and
• (c) to encourage public involvement in resource management and
planning; and
 objectives of natural resources management
cont.
d) To facilitate economic development
e) To promote the sharing of responsibility for resource
management
f) planning between the different spheres of Government, the
community and industry in the state.
 Management of natural resources
There are five approaches to NRM, namely:

1. Top-down (command and control)

2. Community-based natural resource
management
3. Adaptive management
4. Precautionary approach
5. Integrated natural resource management
 Top-down (command and control)
approach
• Governance institutions play a critical role in
developing strategies to manage uncertainty and risk,
and to build adaptive capacity from household to
national level in the context of climate change.
• Local governance and bottom-up NRM and
development strategies the notion of good governance
is related to effective public government institutions.
• At the municipal level this involves local government
and civic society organizations partnerships, which in
turn involve the incorporation of different local
stakeholders in planning, implementing, monitoring
and evaluating policy decision-making processes
 Top-down (command and control) approach
cont.
• Thus, improving local governance in particular means empowering poor
and formerly excluded local communities.

• The appropriate mix of top-down and bottom-up and the subsidiarity

principle the notion of subsidiarity is the guiding principle for successful
NRM and local governance institution building

• The subsidiarity principle was first introduced in the European Union´s

1991 Maastritch Treaty, ascertaining “decision-making to be performed
at the lowest possible effective administrative level” in the governance
system. ( District focus for rural development model of the 1980s in
Kenya).
Mix of top down-bottom-up approaches
• Top down approach starts with high-level organ
and ends with the low-level organ of resources
management.
• A bottom-up approach starts with the low level
organ ( community) and ends with the high
level organ ( national/ county government).
•
Advantages of the top –down approach
• The advantage of this approach is that decisions can be
made and implemented very quickly. This is particularly
important when time is limited.
• The other benefit of top-down project planning is that it
helps align the project goals with the organization's
strategic goals as upper management is giving the
directions.
 Community-based natural resource
management
(CBNM)
• The community-based natural resource management
(CBNRM) approach combines conservation objectives with
the generation of economic benefits for rural communities.
• The three key assumptions being that:
a. Locals are better placed to conserve natural resources,
b. People will conserve a resource only if benefits exceed the
costs of conservation,
c. People will conserve a resource that is linked directly to
their quality of life. When a local people’s quality of life is
enhanced, their efforts and commitment to ensure the
future well-being of the resource are also enhanced.
CBNRM cont.
• A problem of CBNRM is the difficulty of reconciling and
harmonising the objectives of socio-economic development,
biodiversity protection and sustainable resource utilization.
• The concept and conflicting interests of CBNRM show how the
motives behind the participation are differentiated as either
people-centred (active or participatory results that are truly
empowering) or planner-centred (nominal and results in passive
recipients).
• Understanding power relations is crucial to the success of
community based NRM.
• Locals may be reluctant to challenge government
recommendations for fear of losing promised benefits
 CBNRM cont.
• CBNRM is based particularly on advocacy by
nongovernmental organizations working with
local groups and communities
• on the one hand, national and transnational
organizations, help to build and extend new
versions of environmental and social advocacy
that link social justice and environmental
management agendas with both direct and
indirect benefits observed including a share of
revenues, employment, diversification of
livelihoods and increased pride and identity.
• CBNRM has raised new challenges, as concepts of
community, territory, conservation, and
indigenous are worked into politically varied
plans and programs in disparate sites.
Adaptive management Approach
• This approach includes recognition that adaptation
occurs through a process of ‘plan-do-review-act’. It
also recognizes several key components that
should be considered for quality natural resource
management practice;
ØDetermination of scale
ØCollection and use of knowledge
ØInformation management and evaluation
ØRisk management
ØCommunity engagement
 Precautionary approach
• The uncertainty surrounding potential threats to the
environment has frequently been used as a reason to avoid
taking action to protect the environment.
• it is not always possible to have clear evidence of a threat to
the environment before the damage occurs.
• Precaution – the “Precautionary Principle” or “Precautionary
Approach” – is a response to this uncertainty.
• recognizes that delaying action until there is compelling
evidence of harm will often mean that it is then too costly or
impossible to avert the threat.
• Use of the principle promotes action to avert risks of serious
or irreversible harm to the environment in such cases e.g. the
case for nuclear weapons
• The Principle therefore provides a fundamental policy basis to
anticipate, avoid and mitigate threats to the environment.
precautionary principle is generally only relevant where the following elements are present;

• First, in situations where there is uncertainty.

Where the threat is relatively certain (i.e. a causal link between an action and
environmental damage can be established, the probability of occurrence can
be calculated, and the damage insured against), measures may also need to be
taken.
However, these should be seen as preventive, not precautionary measures

• Second, where there is a threat of environmental damage. Where there is no

indication of a threat of environmental harm, the principle will not apply

• Third, where the threatened harm is of a serious or irreversible nature.

Where threatened damage is trivial or easily reversible, the principle will not
be relevant.
Some examples of different formulations of the Precautionary Principle

Rio Declaration, 1992 Principle 15

In order to protect the environment the Precautionary Approach shall be widely
applied by States according to their capabilities. Where there are threats of
serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a
reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental
degradation.

Convention on Biological Diversity 1992, Preamble

Where there is a threat of significant reduction or loss of biological diversity, lack
of full scientific certainty should not be used as a reason for postponing measures
to avoid or minimize such a threat.

Framework Convention on Climate Change 1992, Article 3.3

The Parties should take precautionary measures to anticipate, prevent or
minimize the causes of climate change and mitigate its adverse effects. Where
there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty
should not be used as a reason for postponing such measures, taking into account
that policies and measures to deal with climate change should be cost-effective so
as to ensure global benefits at the lowest possible cost.
Integrated natural resource management
approach(INRM)
• Integrated natural resource management (INRM) is a
process of managing natural resources in a systematic
way, which includes multiple aspects of natural resource
use (biophysical, socio-political, and economic) meet
production goals of producers and other direct users (e.g.,
food security, profitability, risk aversion) as well as goals of
the wider community
• It focuses on sustainability and at the same time tries to
incorporate all possible stakeholders from the planning
level itself, reducing possible future conflicts.
Integrated natural resource management
approach(INRM) cont.
• The conceptual basis of INRM has evolved in
recent years through the convergence of research
in diverse areas such as sustainable land use,
participatory planning, integrated watershed
management, and adaptive management.
• INRM is being used extensively and been
successful in regional and community based
natural management.