Jane Elix and Judy Lambert

Preferred presentation format: Refereed paper

Affiliation(s): Community Solutions, 179 Sydney Rd, Fairlight NSW 2094

Title: Dr Judy Lambert Position: Co-Director Organisation: Community Solutions Contact email: judy@communitysolutions.com.au Contact phone: 02 9948 7862

Keywords: Partnerships in NRM, Consensus building, Landholder extension roles

It has been suggested that all conflict relates to attempts to achieve or resist change. Industries based on Australia’s natural resources are experiencing major ongoing change, which may well escalate conflict as we struggle to reverse environmental degradation.

Governments have responded to these conflicts by urging landholders, government agency staff, scientists, and community and business interests to become “partners”, increasingly expecting them to work together to achieve change.

But the key components of partnership – cooperation, voluntary participation, exchange of benefits and responsibilities, and trust – do not automatically emerge when groups of people come together. In reality, suspicion, resistance and misunderstandings are frequently encountered. Without attention being paid to the “nuts and bolts” of successful “partnerships” the concept is in danger of becoming devalued.

Effective partnerships between groups with different interests and values need on-ground support in building agreement. Other disciplines, especially alternative dispute resolution strategies, and particularly multi-stakeholder consensus building have much to offer.

This paper canvasses the changes needed in Research and Development projects to ensure genuine involvement of end-users – another change requiring skilful facilitation of interpersonal and inter-organisational relationships. Agencies responsible for implementing change will need to become more adaptive and people focused, supporting multi-stakeholder research, promoting sustainable practices and building agreement on the way forward.

The paper also explores opportunities for landholders with the right skills and interests, to become “partners” as knowledge brokers or extension providers in the changing processes of natural resource management.

Key learning points:

• Responses to change bring with them conflict
• Partnership development in a climate of change needs active facilitation
• There is a new role for landholders as knowledge brokers or extension providers in the changing role of NRM