Enchantment and Disenchantment: The Role of Community in Natural Resource Conservation

The poor conservation outcomes that followed decades of intrusive resource management strategies and planned development have forced policy makers and scholars to reconsider the role of community in resource use and conservation. In a break from previous work on development which considered communities a hindrance to progressive social change, current writings champion the role of community in bringing about decentralization, meaningful participation, and conservation. But despite its recent popularity, the concept of community is rarely defined or carefully examined by those concerned with resource use and management. We seek to redress this omission by investigating “community” in work concerning resource conservation and management. We explore the conceptual origins of the community, and the ways the term has been deployed in writings on resource use. We then analyze those aspects of community most important to advocates for community's role in resource management — community as a small spatial unit, as a homogeneous social structure, and as shared norms — and indicate the weaknesses of these approaches. Finally, we suggest a more political approach: community must be examined in the context of development and conservation by focusing on the multiple interests and actors within communities, on how these actors influence decision-making, and on the internal and external institutions that shape the decision-making process. A focus on institutions rather than “community” is likely to be more fruitful for those interested in community-based natural resource management.     

The effects of communal land resource management on forest conservation in northern and north-eastern Namibia

The area under natural forests has diminished steadily while deforestation has escalated progressively in the past 10 years. Strategic constraints leading to this ever-increasing rate of forest depletion are examined, and relevant policy interventions for overturning them are suggested. Communal ownership and management of natural resources in the northern and north-eastern Namibia are identified as a major underlying constraint on natural resource conservation because the communal system lacks mechanisms for regulating access. Nonetheless, the study acknowledges the optimistic views on communal use and management in other parts of the world. The assumptions about community, the willingness of its members to realise joint environmental or social goals, and their motivation and skills for natural resource management have been challenged. The perception that communities are custodial and non-materialistic in their attitudes to natural resources is rejected. It is concluded that common resources should be brought under more formal management. There should be a state-community/private partnership, with the state performing an advisory function, and implementation at the highest level through the use of state institutions for law enforcement, while the community or the private interest undertakes day-to-day management and law enforcement activities. Maintaining state ownership of natural resources in communal areas and inviting local people to manage them on their own, or mainly on government terms, is not a solution to natural resource degradation.     

浅论自然资源的资产化管理

自然资源的资产化管理是自然资源管理发展的趋势,如何对自然资源实施有效的管理以持续合理的利用自然资源成为我们面临的主要问题。本文首先介绍了自然资源资产化管理的现状,其次明确了自然资源资产化管理的目标和原则,最后在此基础上提出了实现自然资源资产化管理的建议。     

Modelling nature-based tourism impacts on rural development and conservation in Sikunga Conservancy,Namibia

Community-based natural resource management and nature-based tourism often go hand in hand to drive conservation and economic development in sub-Saharan Africa. However, the complementarity of the two strategies is controversially discussed in the literature. Built on survey data from 200 households conducted in 2012 we analysed the trade-off between conservation and development objectives by means of a mathematical programming model representing the economy of a rural conservancy in Namibia. We found that in the scenario describing unrestricted resource extraction, local communities mainly benefit from fishing and utilising forest products. In comparison, the scenario representing the social optimum, implying sustainably managed fish stocks and appropriate diets for community inhabitants, shows that community households increase agricultural diversification and shift livelihoods towards tourism employment.     

Problems and prospects for conservation and indigenous community development in rural Botswana

Community development and conservation programmes have recently been combined in the form of community-based natural resource management programmes. Community participation is recognized as an integral component of these programmes. Communities, however, often lack the administrative or technical knowledge to participate fully in the planning and implementation of the programmes. As government and non-governmental organisations also become involved, the design of programmes becomes more complex. Given the diversity of experience, knowledge and interests of these stakeholders, disagreements in the design of programmes among and within groups are almost unavoidable. Using informal semi-structured interviews, workshops and document analysis that involved the indigenous peoples, non-governmental organisations and the Government of Botswana, we identified the main issues that affect the design of programmes in the northern Okavango panhandle in Botswana. These are savings, capacity building and training, research, community health, cattle industry, conservation of the Okavango Delta, employment, economic diversification, natural resource management, land tenure, cultural identity, traditional leadership, language and representation in and responsiveness of the national government. Strategies for dealing with these issues are discussed.     

基于工程项目的知识管理支撑体系研究

知识管理作为一种管理模式,已经得到普遍的重视,知识资源是企业资源的重要组成部分。工程项目中的知识是建筑企业知识的重要来源,由于项目一次性的特征,使得项目中的知识随着项目竣工、项目团队的解散而流失,造成资源的极大浪费。文章通过分析知识管理的功能目标,分析工程项目中知识流失的现状,阐述工程项目中知识管理的困难,构建工程项目中知识管理的支撑体系。     

企业多项目管理中人力资源调度效率研究——基于知识复用的视角

将合适的人在最短的时间内调度到项目相应的岗位并有效完成特定任务,是项目成功的前提。然而,由于项目所具备的临时性、独特性特征,企业多项目管理中人力资源调度所追求的"来得了"、"干得好"的目标往往不能有效实现,存在"无人可调"和"调人低效"等问题。针对以上问题,在项目人力资源管理中引入知识管理理论,验证了知识复用水平对项目人力资源调度效率具有正向促进作用,证明了员工胜任力和企业文化协同对以上二者关系产生的正向中介效应。从提升知识复用水平视角提出了改善项目人力资源调度效率的建议,为多项目管理环境下企业人力资源的优化配置提供了理论依据与管理参考。     

How trade in ecotourism services can save nature: a policy scenario analysis

This article considers a developing country which is abundant in a non-renewable natural resource but scarce in industrial goods. The resource can be used for consumption or for exporting ecotourism services. The article examines scenarios in which technical progress, rising demand for tourism services and higher preferences for the environment reduce today's optimal depletion of the resource. Myopic behaviour and future terms-of-trade gains, however, encourage overexploitation of the resource. As a remedy, the article derives the socially optimal subsidy for the conservation of the resource and discusses North–South transfer schemes which save nature via trade in ecotourism services. Numerical examples suggest that under optimistic assumptions a subsidy rate of about 10% would suffice to preserve the natural resource in the developing country for the provision of tourism services. The resulting cost burden would represent less than 0.03% of the Northern GDP.     

浅议我国自然资源的资产化管理

自然资源的资产化管理是自然资源管理发展的趋势,如何对自然资源实施有效的管理以持续合理的利用自然资源成为我们面临的主要问题。     

Social capital and self-organised collective action: Lessons and insights from a South African community project

ABSTRACT

Through the lens of new institutional economics, this paper provides exploratory analysis of the elements of social capital behind the success of self-organised collective action in a longstanding and effective community-based conservation and development project. Our qualitative institutional analysis suggests that critical elements of project-level structural social capital in the Umgano project case study include: forward-thinking and capable leadership; long-standing partnerships with external agencies; sound operational structures and management; and legitimate participation facilitated by forms of representation that are transparent and accountable to constituents. In accordance with the theory, insights from the study also indicate that successful collective action relies on processes of long-term and earnest trust building, within and across communities, and between communities and external agents. Such insights serve as a point of reference for role-players in similar community-based projects and have the potential to inform future research on resource governance in South Africa.     

项目人力资源管理探析

目前人力资源管理在施工项目管理中的重要性尚未得到充分重视,在项目实践中引发了诸多问题。由此,本文提出了项目人力资源管理的观点,并对其必要性、内涵和与项目管理其他内容的整合进行了探讨。最后强调了项目经理在项目人力资源管理中的重要作用。     

Natural Resources and Decentralization in Nicaragua: Are Local Governments Up to the Job?

Both decentralization and natural resource management literature suggest that natural resources could benefit from the redistribution of centralized management authority. Yet, neither has sufficiently examined the processes already underway in numerous developing countries to decentralize resource management from central to municipal government authorities. This study reviews the role of 21 local governments in forest management in Nicaragua. It finds that most interventions are economically motivated, and that three key factors are needed for local governments to be good resource managers: capacity, incentive and long-term commitment. These three factors are part of a process in which civil society can play a critical role.     

当前我国矿产资源管理体制的改革与创新研究

矿产资源是我国自然资源的重要组成部分,加强矿产资源的管理有利于合理利用有限资源。本文从法律法规、矿业权流转等方面对我国矿产资源管理中存在的一些问题进行了较为系统的分析,提出了矿产资源管理改革与创新的基本原则,并针对其中的问题提出了具体可行的办法和措施。     

新疆经济与环境：问题、破解

新疆自然资源丰富,但是生态环境系统极其脆弱。与全国相比,新疆经济增长过度依赖于能源消耗,致使自然资源的破坏严重。新疆能源消耗结构不合理,煤炭为能源消费的主体,电力消费居高不下;高耗能行业产能及消费量增长迅速;新增企业中高耗能行业能源消费占九成以上。因此,本文认为应坚持生态立区的发展途径,结合新疆环境自身的特点,重点强化各级政府节能环保意识;调整优化产业结构,加快构建节能型产业体系;抓好重点耗能企业节能工作;开发清洁、多样化的可替代能源,全面推行清洁生产;建立健全严格的建设项目环境准入机制,提高企业环境准入门槛;加强企业保护生态环境的社会责任心;平衡地区发展,对落后地区的生态发展进行合理补偿。     

基于因子分析-模糊评价的绿色施工管理系统

近年来,建筑行业高速发展带来的弊端逐渐显现,传统施工方式追求利益最大化而忽略环境成本的产生,其高污染与高能耗的行业特性促使建筑业向资源节约型与环境保护型方向转型。为全面评价工程的绿色施工水平、推进绿色施工向标准化与规范化方向发展,基于绿色施工相关理论基础,采用主成分分析与模糊综合评价的研究方法,根据《绿色施工导则》与《绿色建筑评价标准》的规定,构造了能准确考量项目经济效益、社会效益与环境效益的绿色施工管理评价模型,为绿色施工的评估提供一种新思路。     

Participatory appraisal approaches versus sample survey data collection: a case of smallholder farmers well-being ranking in Njombe District, Tanzania

Social scientists and rural development interventionists inTanzania and in Sub-Saharan Africa depend mainly on conventionalsample surveys; in part this is a legacy of their basic training.Participatory rural appraisal and intervention approaches offera varied range of methods. We ask ourselves whether the resultsfrom participatory, rapid appraisals are conflicting and differentto those from sample surveys? This paper compares results ofa Rapid Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) with a conventionalsample survey. These surveys were conducted at the end of 1995and mid-1996 respectively, to establish socio-economic well-beingranks in Njombe district. A comparison of results shows thatthe well-being ranks established using PRA are valid and theapproach is reliable. The three qualitatively established well-beingranks differed empirically in many socio-economic indicators.These include resource endowment, labour force size, agriculturalland, livestock ownership, forest woodlot management, perceptionof food insecurity, technological advances in agricultural productionand natural resource management systems. Results show that thelow well-being group and female-headed households are disadvantaged.The goal of the Hifadhi Ya Mazingira-Njombe project is to developenvironmentally sustainable crop and livestock husbandry practicesin the district. The well-being ranking exercise has strongimplications for the project's strategy. We discuss the adoptedmethodology and implications. The paper recommends that developmentprogrammes and workers in Tanzania and Sub-Saharan Africa oughtto extend their approaches. It is time to include more of theparticipatory, relatively rapid rural appraisal and interventiontechniques. Benefits that they may accrue are time saving, lowercosts, quality information and stakeholder involvement.     

关于我国资源行政的法律规制

追求人与自然的和谐,必须保证资源的可持续利用,而其中最重要的是在资源开发过程中的资源行政。我国资源行政中存着诸多问题,如权属不清、政府部门职权混乱、经营与管理相混淆和法群内部矛盾等。通过对国外资源行政的考察与研究,对完善我国资源行政的法律规制作了阐述。     

我国资源约束问题与对策研究

我国自然资源总量丰富但人均少,资源利用率低且浪费严重。随着人口增长和经济发展,我国资源短缺状况日益突出。文章分析了我国目前面临的水、土、能矿资源问题,并针对性提出我国未来资源开发利用战略,即依托生态文明建设,以构建资源节约环境友好型社会为主线,利用政策、制度等规范措施,推动产业与技术升级,促进循环经济发展,实现资源节约高效利用,保障我国资源安全。     

基于熵值法的装配式建筑绿色建造研究

为了提高绿色建造水平,采用德尔菲法咨询20位行业专家,设计了由6个一级指标和37个二级指标构成的绿色建造评价指标体系。运用熵值法和模糊综合评价法,系统梳理装配式建筑绿色建造评价模型的建立过程,对案例项目进行评价分析。案例项目的绿色建造总得分为89.59分,绿色建造的评语等级为良好。识别出案例项目绿色建造中值得优化的地方为施工管理、节水与水源利用和节材与材料资源利用,并对绿色建造针对性地提出改进建议。     

Cattle numbers,biomass, productivity and land degradation in the commercial farming sector of Namibia, 1915‐95

As part of a natural resource accounting project undertaken in Namibia, livestock accounts have been drawn up and are being used to analyse the relationship between numbers of livestock, rainfall, land degradation, and economic and policy variables. Part of the analysis concerns an investigation into trends in cattle numbers, changes in cattle biomass and the productivity of livestock in commercial areas. Cattle numbers increased from 1914 until 1960, then declined steadily to half that number. This decline was at least partly due to deliberate actions by farmers to improve herd productivity and production efficiency. Although beef production did not decline over this period, productivity is still lower than potential industry standards. Range degradation (bush encroachment) may have contributed to this curtailment. This investigation has implications for an understanding of long‐term carrying capacity, land degradation and rangeland management, and for agricultural development policies in Namibia and similar regions in southern Africa.