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Landcare in Australia and Germany: comparing structures and policies for community engagement in natural resource management
Author(s) -
Prager Katrin,
Vanclay Frank
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
ecological management and restoration
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.472
H-Index - 42
eISSN - 1442-8903
pISSN - 1442-7001
DOI - 10.1111/j.1442-8903.2010.00548.x
Subject(s) - context (archaeology) , natural resource management , natural (archaeology) , natural resource , resource management (computing) , environmental resource management , key (lock) , political science , business , public relations , geography , economics , ecology , computer science , archaeology , computer network , law , biology
Summary ‘Landcare’ is a specific form of community‐based natural resource management (CBNRM) that is expanding across the world. Although Landcare is widely understood to have originated in Australia in the late 1980s, a similar concept, Landschaftspflege , developed in Germany much earlier, with Landschaftspflegeverbände , or ‘Landcare Groups’, having been established around the same time. The existence of other forms of CBNRM around the world diminishes Australian Landcare’s claims to uniqueness but provides a richer context for further refinements of CBNRM models. Based on 57 qualitative key informant interviews and a thorough document analysis, this paper compares Landcare in Australia with Germany. A key finding is that there are substantial similarities but also significant differences. As a result of recent changes, it is likely that the differences will diminish over time. Recommendations for the design of initiatives to promote community involvement in environmental management are provided as are considerations for Landcare as it expands internationally.