Landcare and Catchment Management in Australia: Lessons for State-Sponsored Community Participation

Abstract

Australia is beset by a range of difficult, long term environmental problems impacting on agricultural productivity, biodiversity, public health, and living stan dards. State intervention can be justi ed in terms of the public bene ts that often ow from remedial and preventative works. W hile a suite of instruments has been used, intervention has focused on promoting voluntary change using participatory approaches. T he National Landcare Program, the billion dollar Natural Heritage T rust, and establishment of an institutional framework for regional catchment man agement have been the main mechanisms for delivering government support to private land managers. Recent experience in Australia suggests that state sponsored citizen participation can work. Critical factors identi ed include separat ing the roles of regional planning bodies and local organizations ; e ectively linking regional bodies and local groups ; establishing robust, productive agency community partnerships ; adopting bene t based cost sharing mechanisms for public investment on private property ; and designing exible policy packages, including economic incentives for landholders to maintain the supply of public bene ts.