David Brunckhorst | University of New England - Australia (original) (raw)

Uploads

Papers by David Brunckhorst

Research paper thumbnail of Designing Robust Common Property Regimes for Collaboration Towards Rural Sustainability

Sustainable resource …, 2007

Research paper thumbnail of Hunter and Central Coasts, New South Wales, Vulnerability to Climate Change Impacts

Research paper thumbnail of Strategic Spatial Governance: Deriving Social–Ecological Frameworks for Managing Landscapes and Regions

Since the 1980s, watersheds or catchments have been the primary regions used for natural resource... more Since the 1980s, watersheds or catchments have been the primary
regions used for natural resource management in many countries.
Catchments however, often do not represent the range of biophysical and
social characteristics of importance for effective resource governance. The
requirements for spatial definition of resource governance regions have
received little analysis in science or policy. Research on ‘place’ attachment
and community participation in resource management provides a
grounding to re-examine such regional arrangements. This chapter describes
three characteristics considered to be of priority importance in
identifying regional boundaries for resource governance. Firstly, the
boundaries of resource governance regions should enclose areas of high
interest and importance to local residents. Secondly, the biophysical characteristics
of a resource governance region should be as homogenous as
possible. Thirdly, the nature and reach of environmental externalities of
resource use should determine the size and nesting of resource management
regions. An example of the application of these concepts to derive a
hierarchy of nested regions for the State of New South Wales, Australia is
provided. The results have been used by the New South Wales Government
and the Electoral Commission to reconsider local government, natural resource
management regions, and representative democracy within the
State. Wider applications might include review of municipal boundaries
and regional governance frameworks in other nations and across the
European Union.

Research paper thumbnail of An Eco-civic Regionalisation for Rural New South Wales: Final Report to the NSW Government

Research paper thumbnail of Strategic spatial governance: deriving social–ecological frameworks for managing landscapes and regions

Landscape Analysis and …, Jan 1, 2008

Research paper thumbnail of Identifying land use/land cover trends for Future Scenarios in the Northern Rivers Region of New South Wales

Research paper thumbnail of Interdisciplinary Conversations on Complexities of Food/In Security

Food Security in Australia, 2013

Research paper thumbnail of Strategic Spatial Governance: Deriving Social–Ecological Frameworks for Managing Landscapes and Regions

Lecture Notes in Geoinformation and Cartography, 2008

Since the 1980s, watersheds or catchments have been the primary regions used for natural resource... more Since the 1980s, watersheds or catchments have been the primary regions used for natural resource management in many countries. Catchments however, often do not represent the range of biophysical and social characteristics of importance for effective resource governance. The requirements for spatial definition of resource governance regions have received little analysis in science or policy. Research on 'place' attachment and community participation in resource management provides a grounding to re-examine such regional arrangements. This chapter describes three characteristics considered to be of priority importance in identifying regional boundaries for resource governance. Firstly, the boundaries of resource governance regions should enclose areas of high interest and importance to local residents. Secondly, the biophysical characteristics of a resource governance region should be as homogenous as possible. Thirdly, the nature and reach of environmental externalities of resource use should determine the size and nesting of resource management regions. An example of the application of these concepts to derive a hierarchy of nested regions for the State of New South Wales, Australia is provided. The results have been used by the New South Wales Government and the Electoral Commission to reconsider local government, natural resource management regions, and representative democracy within the State. Wider applications might include review of municipal boundaries and regional governance frameworks in other nations and across the European Union.

Research paper thumbnail of Synergies for Social, Ecological and Economic Recovery on Newly Created Commons

This discussion draws on a variety of parts of a puzzle and assembles a different perspective for... more This discussion draws on a variety of parts of a puzzle and assembles a different perspective for development of future Common Property Resource regimes. From this landscape ecologist's point of view, we must urgently move on from theory and historical lessons to boldly design and adaptively or experimentally develop New Commons (common property resource management institutions) as potential long-term solutions to restoration and future sustainability of rapidly degrading environments. Without repeating theory or concepts that are well known to institutional analysts and political scientists studying Common Pool Resources, I attempt to draw together the identified characteristics of successful enduring Common Property regimes with the needs for maintaining and restoring social and ecological capital especially in rural areas. I then highlight the concepts and logistical objectives behind the 30 year old UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Program, which appears to have great potential as ...

Research paper thumbnail of Tilbuster Commons: Synergies of theory and action in new agricultural commons on private land

Ecological Management & Restoration, 2003

Research paper thumbnail of Institutions to sustain ecological and social systems

Ecological Management and Restoration, 2002

This paper reviews some theoretical concepts necessary for better matching human systems and land... more This paper reviews some theoretical concepts necessary for better matching human systems and land management systems to the scales and needs of ecosystems. Two applied research projects demonstrating 'on-ground' application stem from these theoretical underpinnings and will be reported in the near future.

Research paper thumbnail of Triumph of the Commons: Age-Old Participatory Practices Provide Lessons for Institutional Reform in the Rural Sector

Australasian Journal of Environmental Management, 1999

ABSTRACT There is ample evidence of poor management of ecosystems with conventional prescriptions... more ABSTRACT There is ample evidence of poor management of ecosystems with conventional prescriptions of resource management in many cases not resulting in sustainability. In fact, some of the resource crashes of recent years are of greater magnitude than those observed historically. These may reflect Hardin's ‘tragedy’ associated with open-access to common resources, but also the lack of success of privatisation as a solution. An examination of enduring, self-governing collectives managing common property regimes reveals that, despite relatively intensive use and unpredictability of some environmental and social elements, they sustained the natural resources under management over several centuries, clearly satisfying the criterion of sustainability. We examine the features of the community managed agricultural commons that have led to successful resilience and endurance across millennia. The lessons synthesised from these resilient social- ecological institutions may be valuable in the development of sustainable solutions for the ailing rural sector of our own time.

Research paper thumbnail of Identifying land use/land cover trends for Future Scenarios in the Northern Rivers Region of New South Wales

Research paper thumbnail of Creating Contemporary Commons to Enhance Economic Productivity: A Grazing Commons in Rural Australia

ABSTRACT "The loss of ecological function across landscapes and whole regions is clearly... more ABSTRACT "The loss of ecological function across landscapes and whole regions is clearly a global priority, not only because of the direct impacts on biodiversity and the processes it sustains but also the social consequences arising in communities whose very existence is dependent on this natural capital. Conventional attempts to address these issues invariably fail to capture appropriators wholes and are hampered through; narrowly focused programmes, entrenched property rights, institutional impediments, economic incentives and inappropriate spatial and temporal scales. "The enduring resource systems of Common Property Resources (CPR), collectively managed appear to contribute ecological and social resilience within an external context of high risk and uncertainty. The sustaining vigour of successful common property regimes (CPR) has provided the interface through which the demands placed on the natural environment by these communities were more closely matched to the broader scale natural processes that supplied these environmental goods and services, both spatially and temporally. We need to revisit these institutional forms and determine, through application, if these social organisational arrangements are socially and ecologically robust, to deliver sustainable rural futures. "A critical step in this endeavor and one of the greatest challenges facing researchers undertaking this type of study is to strategically commence adoption of CPR concepts utilising the experience gained by institutional and political theorists and applying them to on-ground scenarios, in a variety of contexts including those in western federated nations. Once demonstrated through application, the CPR approach, with its unique qualities of flexibility, collaboration and scale, may evolve into a powerful tool capable of addressing critical issues that have to date evaded the institutional constraints of conventional paradigms. "This paper outlines the early development of one such model and details the efforts of a group of graziers in Australia who are developing a contemporary CPR from private parcels of land in an attempt to address the degradational spiral that continues to challenge them, and their rural counterparts worldwide."

Research paper thumbnail of SOCIOECONOMIC CHANGE ANALYSIS

Research paper thumbnail of Identifying land use/land cover trends for Future Scenarios in the Northern Rivers Region of New South Wales

Research paper thumbnail of An Eco-civic Regionalisation for Rural New South Wales: Final Report to the NSW Government

Research paper thumbnail of A Geography of Place: principles and application for defining ‘eco-civic’ resource governance regions

Australian Geographer, 2006

... Working in this three-dimensional space, the simulated community areas were summed to produce... more ... Working in this three-dimensional space, the simulated community areas were summed to produce a 'social surface'. ... The level of agreement (Kappa statistic, see Carletta 1996) between the modelled boundaries and the measured boundaries in north ... A Geography of Place 157 ...

Research paper thumbnail of Lines on Maps: Defining Resource Governance Regions from the 'Bottom Up

River catchments have been the dominant form of regionalisation for natural resource management i... more River catchments have been the dominant form of regionalisation for natural resource management in many countries since the 1980s. Local governments play a considerable role in planning with ever increasing responsibilities for sustainable environmental management, planning and development controls. There has also been an increasing emphasis on community participation in resource management, which emphasises the need to re-examine the requirements for spatial definition of resource governance regions. This paper proposes three principles. Firstly, the nature and reach of environmental externalities of resource use should determine the size and nesting of resource management regions. Secondly, the boundaries of resource governance regions should enclose areas of greatest interest and importance to local residents. Thirdly, the biophysical characteristics of a resource governance region should be as homogenous as possible, which provides resource planning and management efficiencies. The paper describes a range of concepts and empirical techniques used to apply these principles to the derivation of a resource governance regionalisation of the State of New South Wales, Australia.

Research paper thumbnail of Eco-civic’ optimisation: A nested framework for planning and managing landscapes

Landscape and Urban Planning, 2006

An important institution for regional resource governance is civic engagement in local affairs, i... more An important institution for regional resource governance is civic engagement in local affairs, including resource use issues. Local civic engagement has traditionally been structured around local government and, more recently, to catchment-based decision-making bodies. If citizens are to participate in regional resource management in ways that are meaningful to them, it is important that both the landscape units being discussed and the jurisdictional boundaries are meaningful. We have been examining how boundaries for resource management regions might be identified. Three considerations are believed to be important if regional resource management is to be meaningful to the citizens involved. Firstly, that the regional boundaries maximise the areal proportion of the region that residents consider to be part of their 'community', which should lead to greater commitment to civic engagement in resource management. Secondly, that the character of the landscape units within the region possess a high degree of homogeneity, reflecting greater coincidence of interest among the inhabitants of the region. The third consideration is a hierarchical multi-scaling capacity to deal with externalities of resource use. The approach was tested through identification of a series of nested 'eco-civic' resource management regions for north-eastern New South Wales in Australia. The results delineate resource governance regions that nest at local to regional scales for integrated natural resource management. Such 'eco-civic' regions demonstrate a better spatial representation of social and ecological characteristics than existing regional frameworks. Crown

Research paper thumbnail of Designing Robust Common Property Regimes for Collaboration Towards Rural Sustainability

Sustainable resource …, 2007

Research paper thumbnail of Hunter and Central Coasts, New South Wales, Vulnerability to Climate Change Impacts

Research paper thumbnail of Strategic Spatial Governance: Deriving Social–Ecological Frameworks for Managing Landscapes and Regions

Since the 1980s, watersheds or catchments have been the primary regions used for natural resource... more Since the 1980s, watersheds or catchments have been the primary
regions used for natural resource management in many countries.
Catchments however, often do not represent the range of biophysical and
social characteristics of importance for effective resource governance. The
requirements for spatial definition of resource governance regions have
received little analysis in science or policy. Research on ‘place’ attachment
and community participation in resource management provides a
grounding to re-examine such regional arrangements. This chapter describes
three characteristics considered to be of priority importance in
identifying regional boundaries for resource governance. Firstly, the
boundaries of resource governance regions should enclose areas of high
interest and importance to local residents. Secondly, the biophysical characteristics
of a resource governance region should be as homogenous as
possible. Thirdly, the nature and reach of environmental externalities of
resource use should determine the size and nesting of resource management
regions. An example of the application of these concepts to derive a
hierarchy of nested regions for the State of New South Wales, Australia is
provided. The results have been used by the New South Wales Government
and the Electoral Commission to reconsider local government, natural resource
management regions, and representative democracy within the
State. Wider applications might include review of municipal boundaries
and regional governance frameworks in other nations and across the
European Union.

Research paper thumbnail of An Eco-civic Regionalisation for Rural New South Wales: Final Report to the NSW Government

Research paper thumbnail of Strategic spatial governance: deriving social–ecological frameworks for managing landscapes and regions

Landscape Analysis and …, Jan 1, 2008

Research paper thumbnail of Identifying land use/land cover trends for Future Scenarios in the Northern Rivers Region of New South Wales

Research paper thumbnail of Interdisciplinary Conversations on Complexities of Food/In Security

Food Security in Australia, 2013

Research paper thumbnail of Strategic Spatial Governance: Deriving Social–Ecological Frameworks for Managing Landscapes and Regions

Lecture Notes in Geoinformation and Cartography, 2008

Since the 1980s, watersheds or catchments have been the primary regions used for natural resource... more Since the 1980s, watersheds or catchments have been the primary regions used for natural resource management in many countries. Catchments however, often do not represent the range of biophysical and social characteristics of importance for effective resource governance. The requirements for spatial definition of resource governance regions have received little analysis in science or policy. Research on 'place' attachment and community participation in resource management provides a grounding to re-examine such regional arrangements. This chapter describes three characteristics considered to be of priority importance in identifying regional boundaries for resource governance. Firstly, the boundaries of resource governance regions should enclose areas of high interest and importance to local residents. Secondly, the biophysical characteristics of a resource governance region should be as homogenous as possible. Thirdly, the nature and reach of environmental externalities of resource use should determine the size and nesting of resource management regions. An example of the application of these concepts to derive a hierarchy of nested regions for the State of New South Wales, Australia is provided. The results have been used by the New South Wales Government and the Electoral Commission to reconsider local government, natural resource management regions, and representative democracy within the State. Wider applications might include review of municipal boundaries and regional governance frameworks in other nations and across the European Union.

Research paper thumbnail of Synergies for Social, Ecological and Economic Recovery on Newly Created Commons

This discussion draws on a variety of parts of a puzzle and assembles a different perspective for... more This discussion draws on a variety of parts of a puzzle and assembles a different perspective for development of future Common Property Resource regimes. From this landscape ecologist's point of view, we must urgently move on from theory and historical lessons to boldly design and adaptively or experimentally develop New Commons (common property resource management institutions) as potential long-term solutions to restoration and future sustainability of rapidly degrading environments. Without repeating theory or concepts that are well known to institutional analysts and political scientists studying Common Pool Resources, I attempt to draw together the identified characteristics of successful enduring Common Property regimes with the needs for maintaining and restoring social and ecological capital especially in rural areas. I then highlight the concepts and logistical objectives behind the 30 year old UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Program, which appears to have great potential as ...

Research paper thumbnail of Tilbuster Commons: Synergies of theory and action in new agricultural commons on private land

Ecological Management & Restoration, 2003

Research paper thumbnail of Institutions to sustain ecological and social systems

Ecological Management and Restoration, 2002

This paper reviews some theoretical concepts necessary for better matching human systems and land... more This paper reviews some theoretical concepts necessary for better matching human systems and land management systems to the scales and needs of ecosystems. Two applied research projects demonstrating 'on-ground' application stem from these theoretical underpinnings and will be reported in the near future.

Research paper thumbnail of Triumph of the Commons: Age-Old Participatory Practices Provide Lessons for Institutional Reform in the Rural Sector

Australasian Journal of Environmental Management, 1999

ABSTRACT There is ample evidence of poor management of ecosystems with conventional prescriptions... more ABSTRACT There is ample evidence of poor management of ecosystems with conventional prescriptions of resource management in many cases not resulting in sustainability. In fact, some of the resource crashes of recent years are of greater magnitude than those observed historically. These may reflect Hardin's ‘tragedy’ associated with open-access to common resources, but also the lack of success of privatisation as a solution. An examination of enduring, self-governing collectives managing common property regimes reveals that, despite relatively intensive use and unpredictability of some environmental and social elements, they sustained the natural resources under management over several centuries, clearly satisfying the criterion of sustainability. We examine the features of the community managed agricultural commons that have led to successful resilience and endurance across millennia. The lessons synthesised from these resilient social- ecological institutions may be valuable in the development of sustainable solutions for the ailing rural sector of our own time.

Research paper thumbnail of Identifying land use/land cover trends for Future Scenarios in the Northern Rivers Region of New South Wales

Research paper thumbnail of Creating Contemporary Commons to Enhance Economic Productivity: A Grazing Commons in Rural Australia

ABSTRACT "The loss of ecological function across landscapes and whole regions is clearly... more ABSTRACT "The loss of ecological function across landscapes and whole regions is clearly a global priority, not only because of the direct impacts on biodiversity and the processes it sustains but also the social consequences arising in communities whose very existence is dependent on this natural capital. Conventional attempts to address these issues invariably fail to capture appropriators wholes and are hampered through; narrowly focused programmes, entrenched property rights, institutional impediments, economic incentives and inappropriate spatial and temporal scales. "The enduring resource systems of Common Property Resources (CPR), collectively managed appear to contribute ecological and social resilience within an external context of high risk and uncertainty. The sustaining vigour of successful common property regimes (CPR) has provided the interface through which the demands placed on the natural environment by these communities were more closely matched to the broader scale natural processes that supplied these environmental goods and services, both spatially and temporally. We need to revisit these institutional forms and determine, through application, if these social organisational arrangements are socially and ecologically robust, to deliver sustainable rural futures. "A critical step in this endeavor and one of the greatest challenges facing researchers undertaking this type of study is to strategically commence adoption of CPR concepts utilising the experience gained by institutional and political theorists and applying them to on-ground scenarios, in a variety of contexts including those in western federated nations. Once demonstrated through application, the CPR approach, with its unique qualities of flexibility, collaboration and scale, may evolve into a powerful tool capable of addressing critical issues that have to date evaded the institutional constraints of conventional paradigms. "This paper outlines the early development of one such model and details the efforts of a group of graziers in Australia who are developing a contemporary CPR from private parcels of land in an attempt to address the degradational spiral that continues to challenge them, and their rural counterparts worldwide."

Research paper thumbnail of SOCIOECONOMIC CHANGE ANALYSIS

Research paper thumbnail of Identifying land use/land cover trends for Future Scenarios in the Northern Rivers Region of New South Wales

Research paper thumbnail of An Eco-civic Regionalisation for Rural New South Wales: Final Report to the NSW Government

Research paper thumbnail of A Geography of Place: principles and application for defining ‘eco-civic’ resource governance regions

Australian Geographer, 2006

... Working in this three-dimensional space, the simulated community areas were summed to produce... more ... Working in this three-dimensional space, the simulated community areas were summed to produce a 'social surface'. ... The level of agreement (Kappa statistic, see Carletta 1996) between the modelled boundaries and the measured boundaries in north ... A Geography of Place 157 ...

Research paper thumbnail of Lines on Maps: Defining Resource Governance Regions from the 'Bottom Up

River catchments have been the dominant form of regionalisation for natural resource management i... more River catchments have been the dominant form of regionalisation for natural resource management in many countries since the 1980s. Local governments play a considerable role in planning with ever increasing responsibilities for sustainable environmental management, planning and development controls. There has also been an increasing emphasis on community participation in resource management, which emphasises the need to re-examine the requirements for spatial definition of resource governance regions. This paper proposes three principles. Firstly, the nature and reach of environmental externalities of resource use should determine the size and nesting of resource management regions. Secondly, the boundaries of resource governance regions should enclose areas of greatest interest and importance to local residents. Thirdly, the biophysical characteristics of a resource governance region should be as homogenous as possible, which provides resource planning and management efficiencies. The paper describes a range of concepts and empirical techniques used to apply these principles to the derivation of a resource governance regionalisation of the State of New South Wales, Australia.

Research paper thumbnail of Eco-civic’ optimisation: A nested framework for planning and managing landscapes

Landscape and Urban Planning, 2006

An important institution for regional resource governance is civic engagement in local affairs, i... more An important institution for regional resource governance is civic engagement in local affairs, including resource use issues. Local civic engagement has traditionally been structured around local government and, more recently, to catchment-based decision-making bodies. If citizens are to participate in regional resource management in ways that are meaningful to them, it is important that both the landscape units being discussed and the jurisdictional boundaries are meaningful. We have been examining how boundaries for resource management regions might be identified. Three considerations are believed to be important if regional resource management is to be meaningful to the citizens involved. Firstly, that the regional boundaries maximise the areal proportion of the region that residents consider to be part of their 'community', which should lead to greater commitment to civic engagement in resource management. Secondly, that the character of the landscape units within the region possess a high degree of homogeneity, reflecting greater coincidence of interest among the inhabitants of the region. The third consideration is a hierarchical multi-scaling capacity to deal with externalities of resource use. The approach was tested through identification of a series of nested 'eco-civic' resource management regions for north-eastern New South Wales in Australia. The results delineate resource governance regions that nest at local to regional scales for integrated natural resource management. Such 'eco-civic' regions demonstrate a better spatial representation of social and ecological characteristics than existing regional frameworks. Crown