Evaluating progress towards land use conflict program outcome targets

Abstract

This paper reports the results of a survey of land use management practitioners on how they evaluate the success of land management programs in the context of land use conflicts and disputes. The aim is to understand how a natural resource planning authority may evaluate progress towards a high-order planning target, such as reduction of land use conflict. The survey records a wide range of practitioner approaches to assessing programs against targets, summarised in four categories: assessment, monitoring and evaluation; effective management activity; planning and planning instruments; and community responses and engagement. While practitioners comment on difficulties and challenges, it is clear that they can, in various ways, identify progress towards targets, although few claim to be able to measure that progress. We conclude that evaluation of progress towards the land use conflict reduction target is possible in qualitative (rather than quantitative) terms, and is recorded in the context-specific experiential record of the practitioners engaged in specific programs.

Keywords:

• program outcome evaluation
• land use conflict
• environmental planning
• practitioner experience
• catchment management

Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the New South Wales Northern Rivers Catchment Management Authority. We wish to acknowledge the vital input of the region's environmental and land managers and planners, both in advising us on design and implementation of the research, in supporting this work through their professional and workplace networks, and in engaging so enthusiastically in the survey. Greg Luker (Southern Cross University) created Figure 1.