Governing invasive plants: Policy and practice in managing the Gamba grass (Andropogon gayanus) – Bushfire nexus in northern Australia

Richardson

Journal of Environmental Management

et al. 2019

233

227

Human perceptions of nature and the environment are increasingly being recognised as important for environmental management and conservation. Understanding people's perceptions is crucial for understanding behaviour and developing effective management strategies to maintain, preserve and improve biodiversity, ecosystem services and human well-being. As an interdisciplinary team, we produced a synthesis of the key factors that influence people's perceptions of invasive alien species, and ordered them in a conceptual framework. In a context of considerable complexity and variation across time and space, we identified six broad-scale dimensions: (1) attributes of the individual perceiving the invasive alien species; (2) characteristics of the invasive alien species itself; (3) effects of the invasion (including negative and positive impacts, i.e. benefits and costs); (4) socio-cultural context; (5) landscape context; and (6) institutional and policy context. A number of underlying and facilitating aspects for each of these six overarching dimensions are also identified and discussed. Synthesising and understanding the main factors that influence people's perceptions is useful to guide future research, to facilitate dialogue and negotiation between actors, and to aid management and policy formulation and governance of invasive alien species. This can help to circumvent and mitigate conflicts, support prioritisation plans, improve stakeholder engagement platforms, and implement control measures.

Section: Socio-cultural Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Explaining people's perceptions of invasive alien species: A conceptual framework

Richardson

Journal of Environmental Management

et al. 2019

233

227

Journal of Environmental Planning and Management

“…Many papers identified a lack of multiple resources as limiting decision-making capacity and emphasised the compounding impact of such restrictions can have in addressing environmental issues over time. For example, in a study of weed management in the Northern Territory of Australia, L. Head and Atchison (2015) identified a lack of human and financial resources as a factor lowering the capacity of land managers to simultaneously address immediate issues such as fire threat, and managing ongoing and emerging weed infestations.…”

Section: 11capacitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Disconnected dots?: A systematic review of governance challenges for natural resource management

Potts

2019

As concerns for the ongoing and increasing degradation of the natural environment worldwide, have increased the impetus for action, and development of governance arrangements to support natural resource management. Despite this, issues around governance remain a significant challenge to the success of natural resource management. This study reports the findings of a systematic literature review of 240 papers to better understand how governance challenges manifest spatially, how they change over time, and identify key priority areas for strategic governance reform. This paper reveals that the capacity of natural resource management governance systems internationally is most limited by factors that limit connectivity and collaboration between stakeholders in decision-making processes, and the alignment of vision and objectives across institutions. The paper shows clear spatial disparities and temporal changes in the number of studies and governance challenges of natural resource management identified in developing and developed countries.

Journal of Environmental Management

“…Indeed, one commentator working for a biodiversity conservation organisation has already framed the grevillea situation as a conflict of interest (Lehavana, 2012). Given the widespread extent of grevillea, perhaps more realistic and productive frame for management and governance might be one of 'living with weeds' (Head and Atchison, 2015) that does not impose a authoritative framing but seeks to interactively, flexibly, and inclusively develop a shared, responsible and pragmatic practices.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Divergent perceptions of the ‘neo-Australian’ forests of lowland eastern Madagascar: Invasions, transitions, and livelihoods

Kull

Harimanana

Andrianoro

et al. 2019

Grevillea banksii (Proteaceae), a non-native shrubby tree, has in the past five decades expanded to cover hundreds of thousands of hectares in lowland eastern Madagascar, accompanied by other Australian and pan-tropical species, including Melaleuca quinquenervia, Acacia mangium, and Eucalyptus spp. We investigate contrasting perceptions of this new landscape with view to facilitate future management. Field research was based on 290 surveys, key informant interviews, and ecological inventories at six sites from Farafangana in the south to Fenerive Est in the north. After documenting the ecology and usage of grevillea, we analyse differing ways in which it can be perceived. Perceptions promoted by scientists and administrators include the contrasting ideas of beneficial landscape greening, rampant biological invasion, novel ecosystems, and forest transition. Perceptions held by local actors are highly determined by practical livelihood concerns. These local views are largely positive due to the major role of grevillea firewood and charcoal sales in livelihoods; however, context plays a major role and a number of disadvantages are perceived as well, including difficulty of removal, competition with crop and pasture land, and the respiratory health impacts of involvement in charcoal production. We conclude that policymakers and managers - in this case and in similar cases around the world - need to be more reflexive on the ways in which environmental problems are framed and to put those frames more in conversation with local people's experiences in order to productively resolve invasive species management dilemmas.