Natural Resource Management and Society

Course goals

Content

Content
The course consists of reflections on and exercises in natural resources management in relation to its societal context. The focus is on the social science dimension of NRM (relevant stakeholders, access to natural resources, contributions to livelihoods, resilience, distribution of benefits, governance), biophysical aspects (characteristics and dynamics of natural resources, biodiversity, ecosystem services) and some economic aspects (economic values, costs and benefits). Students with different disciplinary backgrounds will work together on practical case studies and the approach to teaching is based on learning by doing.

The main activities of the course consist of working on two major assignments.
Assignment 1. In the first assignment students evaluate practical cases of community-based natural resource management (CBNRM), a form of managing common-pool resources e.g. forests which are not privately owned but managed by local communities. In this assignment students reflect on sustainability aspects of CBNRM and the roles of different stakeholders.
Assignment 2. In the second assignment students develop a design for a sustainable multifunctional plantation. In a small project team, students design an innovative plan for sustainable biomass production. For an area in Peru, Tanzania or Indonesia, students develop a plantation, while considering social and environmental conditions, suitable plant species, proper management practices, desired socio-economic and ecological benefits, relevant policies and incentives. The outcome is a plan for a multifunctional plantation (e.g. producing multiple products and/or services, while considering social objectives, protecting or enhancing local biodiversity, protecting water resources, landscape-level planning).