International Conference on Peri-Urban Landscapes: Water, Food and Environmental Security, Sydney, Australia, July 8-10, 2014. Stephanie Spry Presentation

1. RM Consulting Group: Stephanie Spry, Shayne Annett, Simon McGuinness
Port Phillip & Westernport Catchment Management Authority: Stephen Thuan
Engaging Peri-Urban Landholders in NRM
Tuesday 8th July 2014

2. Managing natural resources in peri-urban
landscapes
• Characteristics of peri-urban landscapes
• The challenges
- Addressing competing government priorities
- The high number and diversity of landholders
- Using the right mix of landholder engagement approaches
• Implications of the challenges
- Higher costs
- Setting natural resource management targets
• What can we do?
- Factor these challenges into project planning
- Learn from past experience
- Identify and understand the target audience
- Try new and innovative approaches
- Use adaptive management
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3. Characteristics of peri-urban landscapes
• High distribution of natural assets
• Urban/rural interface
• Large variety of land uses
• Dynamic and transitional
- New and diverse communities
- Rapid land use change
• Development pressure
- High population growth
- Smaller lot sizes (fragmentation)
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URBAN RURALPERI-URBAN
35%
35%
19%
11%
Source: landholder survey results HPAC –
land use

4. The challenges
• Addressing competing government priorities
- Environmental conservation
- Managing housing availability and affordability
- Recreation and open space
- Industry and agriculture
• High number and diversity of landholders
- Varied environmental awareness and interest
- Range of property aspirations
- Varied knowledge and skills in natural resource management
- New to the area, likely to be less connected to the local community
- Spend less time on their property
- Derive most income off the property
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5. The challenges
• Using the appropriate mix of landholder engagement
approaches
- Conventional rural approaches will not work (as the stand alone approach)
- Who is doing the engagement matters
- Communication channels and networks are important
- Perceived benefit of doing environmental works (from landholder perspective)
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6. Implications of the challenges
• Higher costs
- More landholders to engage (compared to rural area of same size)
- A variety of approaches will be required
- Capital costs likely to be greater (more smaller projects, external contractors)
• Setting natural resource management targets
- Drivers of landholder behavior and it’s affect on likely participation rates
- Developing biophysical targets in isolation from landholder engagement targets
- Competitive nature of funding and investment programs
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7. What can we do?
• Factor these challenges into project planning
- Cost and budget
- Target setting
- Understanding drivers and barriers to landholder participation
• Learn from past experience
- Many others are facing these challenges – not a unique problem
- Numerous reviews and evaluations have already been completed
- Look outside your own backyard
• Identify and understand the target audience
- Know who you are trying to engage, their motivations, drivers and values
- Use local champions (e.g. LG environment officer), ABS data, community
profiling, baseline surveys
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8. What can we do?
• New and innovative approaches
- Tapping into groups/networks not related to natural resource management (e.g.
local child care, pony club)
- Non conventional approaches – weekend markets, messaging, delivery of
engagement activities
• Adaptive management
- Flexibility in the delivery of landholder engagement activities
- Adequate review points
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