Managing natural resources across jurisdictions: Lessons from the Australian alps

This article reviews cooperative management arrangements for the Australian Alps, a relatively unknown yet positive case of cross-border resource management. Although modestly resourced and administratively simple, it has produced positive results. These results are discussed, remaining challenges identified, and lessons distilled that might inform interjurisdictional natural resource management elsewhere. Key features of the Alps case discussed include: the logic of a cohesive bioregion and set of land uses as focus for cooperative management; flexible organisational arrangements; links between research and management; the role of committed individuals with operational responsibilities; appropriate (reasonable) expectations; and, conversely, the fragility of such ‘soft’ and flexible arrangements.