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PDF
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Type:
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Journal Article |
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Author:
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Roux, Dirk; Murray, Kevin; Nel, Jeanne L.; Hill, Liesl; Roux, Hermien; Driver, Amanda |
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Journal:
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Ecology and Society |
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Volume:
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16 |
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Page(s):
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Date:
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2011 |
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URI:
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https://hdl.handle.net/10535/7571
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Sector:
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Social Organization
Water Resource & Irrigation |
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Region:
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Subject(s):
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adaptive systems
cooperation
conservation
water management
social behavior
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Abstract:
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"The responsibility for managing and conserving freshwater ecosystems is typically shared by multiple organizations with sometimes conflicting policy mandates. However, scorecard-based approaches for measuring management effectiveness in natural resource management are usually confined to single organizations. This paper describes a social learning approach which acknowledges cooperation as an essential precondition for effective management and that encourages reflective coassessment of cooperative relationships. The approach was pilot tested with eight participating organizations in one water management area in South Africa. It specifically aimed to allow for a multiagency reflective assessment of issues determining cooperative behavior, allow context-specific adaptations, and be embedded in
adaptive management. It involved development of a spreadsheet-based scorecard-type tool that can be used
to facilitate a multiagency workshop. This workshop serves to bring parties face-to-face and helps them
codiscover their interdependence, shortcomings, and strengths. The spreadsheet structures reflection on
their respective roles and effectiveness while the reflective coassessment motivates participants to address
shortcomings. Overall, insights that emerged included: cooperation should be an explicit component of
each organizations operational strategy; facilitation of appropriate cooperative behavior could be very
effectively achieved by external 'bridging organizations'; the reflective assessment process must be
followed by purposefully adaptive interventions; the ability of the scorecard to be contextually adaptive
was important; and institutional readiness requires investigation as the approach does sit somewhat
uncomfortably with much current practice."
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