NRM regions in Australia: The 'haves' and the 'have nots'

This paper identifies external factors affecting the capacity of Australia's now-formalised 56 regional natural resource management (NRM) bodies and their community-based Boards to meet planning and management responsibilities. It demonstrates that little is known about the basic capacity-related characteristics of NRM regions, despite the lengthy and elaborate process of regionalism that Australia has embarked upon, with its associated and substantial devolution of responsibilities and resources. A suite of indicators is used to develop an 'exploratory' capacity typology of NRM regions. The ten regional 'types' identified are found to attract varying budget allocations under the Natural Heritage Trust Extension and National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality. There are indications that State and regional interests within and outside NRM can significantly influence the distribution of resources. An examination of resources allocated to capacity-building activities shows significant differences between regions in the scale of resources allocated (0-96% of total budget). The paper argues the case for intervention to reduce the gap between 'have' and 'have not' regions, and for further exploration of disparities in the allocation of resources to capacity-building activities. Clarification is needed of the extent to which capacity-building activities adequately target regional NRM bodies and their Boards.