Policy Review Evaluating Integrated Resource Management

Abstract

Approaches to natural resource management based on the integration of community involvement , technical knowledge , and organizational structure and policy objectives are endorsed throughout Australia . The emerging paradigm of resource manage ment supports a more flexible and adaptive approach to address the uncertainty , complexity , and interconnectedness associated with natural resource and human management systems . The translation of this concept into practice , however , is proving difficult , and proactive evaluation should help . But the evaluation of the effectiveness of integrated resource management ( IRM ) approaches both in Aus tralia and internationally is relatively more neglected . This article discusses issues of IRM evaluation and proposes a conceptual evaluation framework that identifies a range of technical , institutional , economic , and social criteria that may influence the success of IRM in practice . This framework should facilitate the proper formu lation of the natural resource management problem and its underlying characteristics .