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From hope to crisis and back again? A critical history of the global CBNRM narrative

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 June 2010

WOLFRAM DRESSLER ,
BRAM BÜSCHER ,
MICHAEL SCHOON ,
DAN BROCKINGTON ,
TANYA HAYES ,
CHRISTIAN A. KULL ,
JAMES MCCARTHY  and
KRISHNA SHRESTHA
WOLFRAM DRESSLER*
Affiliation:
School of Social Sciences, University of Queensland, Australia
BRAM BÜSCHER
Affiliation:
Institute of Social Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands Department of Geography, Environmental Management & Energy Studies, University of Johannesburg, South Africa
MICHAEL SCHOON
Affiliation:
Center for the Study of Institutional Diversity, Arizona State University, USA
DAN BROCKINGTON
Affiliation:
Institute for Development Management and Policy, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
TANYA HAYES
Affiliation:
Institute for Public Service, Seattle University, Seattle, WA, USA
CHRISTIAN A. KULL
Affiliation:
School of Geography and Environmental Science, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
JAMES MCCARTHY
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, Pennsylvania State University, USA
KRISHNA SHRESTHA
Affiliation:
Faculty of Architecture, Design and Planning, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
*
*Correspondence: Dr Wolfram Dressler e-mail: w.dressler@uq.edu.au
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Summary

Community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) has been on the ascendancy for several decades and plays a leading role in conservation strategies worldwide. Arriving out of a desire to rectify the human costs associated with coercive conservation, CBNRM sought to return the stewardship of biodiversity and natural resources to local communities through participation, empowerment and decentralization. Today, however, scholars and practitioners suggest that CBNRM is experiencing a crisis of identity and purpose, with even the most positive examples experiencing only fleeting success due to major deficiencies. Six case studies from around the world offer a history of how and why the global CBNRM narrative has unfolded over time and space. While CBNRM emerged with promise and hope, it often ended in less than ideal outcomes when institutionalized and reconfigured in design and practice. Nevertheless, despite the current crisis, there is scope for refocusing on the original ideals of CBNRM: ensuring social justice, material well-being and environmental integrity.

Keywords

biodiversity conservationCBNRMneoliberalismsocial justice
Type
THEMATIC SECTION: Community-based natural resource management (CBNRM): designing the next generation (Part 1)
Information
Environmental Conservation , Volume 37 , Issue 1: Thematic section. Community-based natural resource management (CBNRM): designing the next generation (Part 1) , March 2010 , pp. 5 - 15
Copyright
Copyright © Foundation for Environmental Conservation 2010

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