In Defense of Community

In conservation, natural resource management, disaster risk reduction and various other fields, community-based approaches have been very popular, bathed in a glowing light of all that is participatory, bottom-up and democratic.  But they have also attracted a widely...

Four virtues for landscape approaches

In the fields of natural resource management and environmental governance, programs, projects, and advocacy often address structural factors at the community level, the landscape level or the national level, but tend to focus much less on individual behavior, except...

Objectives for the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists

Objectives of the IYRP During its meeting in late September and early October of this year, the United Nations Committee on Agriculture (COAG) endorsed the proposal to declare 2026 as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP).  There are further...

When NOT to use a landscape approach

I am generally optimistic about approaches for environmental management and governance that are based on dialogue and deliberation, bringing together diverse stakeholders, and searching for common ground.  And I am, obviously enough, a believer in the potential of...

Disconnect, Reconnect Differently: Pandemic as Opportunity

Connectivity and resilience Are you also having a feeling of déjà vu?  The events of the past few months surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic are retelling a story that was told during the 2007-2008 financial crisis.  The characters in the story have different names, but...