Challenges and opportunities
for natural resource managers
RSSA Journal Club – July 2012
Allan Holmes
Chief Executive
NRM reform in SA
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One of the Minister’s priorities
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Reform components
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A new State NRM Plan
Integration of regional delivery
Renewed focus on community
State NRM Plan 2012 – 2017
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More guiding, less
prescriptive
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Components:
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A long-term vision
3 goals
10 guiding targets
10 priority actions to
improve system
NRM Standard
State NRM Plan goals
Goal 1
People taking responsibility for
natural resources and making
informed decisions
Goal 2
Sustainable management and
productive use of land, water, air and sea
Goal 3
Improved condition and resilience of
natural systems
Challenges (opportunities?)
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Getting the balance right
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People, production, conservation
A new model of shared service delivery
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Declining government resource base
Accountability for levy spend
Empowering communities or cost-shifting?
Challenges (opportunities?)
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New ways of working with community
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Taking the time to get this right to achieve
‘community at centre’
Building non-science skills
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Maintaining identity of Boards as link to community
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Aligning effort
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Annual implementation plans: bringing together
community and government priorities
Challenges (opportunities?)
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Understanding success
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Monitoring and evaluation
The shifting role of science
Performance improvement (NRM Standard)
Political timeframes
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What if a new government changes
arrangements?
And thinking further ahead…
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Natural and productive landscapes will
change over the next 50 years…
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Climate change
Competing land uses
Greater recognition of the interconnectedness
of issues
Increasing pressures on natural resources
Technological advancement
What might NRM look like?
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How will the relationship between people and natural
systems change into the future?
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How will changing landscapes be valued (and used)?
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What societal preferences will determine trade-offs?
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Will regions remain the optimal scale of management?
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Will markets, voluntarism or regulation dominate as a
management response?
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Autonomous, empowered communities or … ?