Making Successful Investments in NRM Practice Change - Stage 2

This project aims to help regional NRM bodies to continually improve the ways they manage their investment in NRM practice change. The participating regional NRM bodies are prompted to think about and adapt how they operate. Tools and processes are being developed to help regional NRM bodies to work through these questions for their situation.

The NRM regional bodies participating in the project in 2008 were Fitzroy Basin Association (Qld), Hawkesbury-Nepean Catchment Management Authority (NSW), Lachlan Catchment Management Authority (NSW), West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority (Vic), North East Catchment Management Authority (Vic), South Australian Arid Lands NRM Board (SA), South Coast NRM Inc. (WA), and NRM North Tasmania. The Desert Channels Queensland and South East NRM Board participated in the project in 2007 but were unable to participate in 2008 due to lack of resources.

For further information, please contact:

Sue Salvin

GHD Hassall project team
Email: sue.salvin@ghd.com.au
Phone: 0409 114 418
For more information and tools: http://www.hassall.com.au/australian_division/index_000.html

Social and Institutional Research Program

Land & Water Australia
GPO Box 2182, Canberra ACT 2601
Phone: 02 6263 6000
Email: enquiries@lwa.gov.au

Recent Activities

Monitoring and Evaluation Theme

Regions involved in the theme: Lachlan CMA (Kate Lorimer-Ward) and NRM North (Andrew Baldwin).

The overall objective for this theme is to build practice change M&E capacity by scoping and testing the most appropriate M&E approach to use in different circumstances. The first task for the regions is to draft a region-specific program logic.

Both NRM North and Lachlan CMA have decided to use their PMP programs for this purpose, which will facilitate cross-learning. Both are in the process of having those drafted - Lachlan CMA internally and NRM North externally.

The next task is to identify the most important practice change assumptions to test, and both regions have begun this as they know enough about their PMP programs to do so without having a program logic finalised. This task includes documenting the rationale, and is expected to be completed by the week beginning 7th July.

The following task is the scoping of M&E tools. The two regions will identify their existing M&E tools with respect to practice change so that gaps can be identified. Again, the regions do not need to have finalised their program logics for this task, so this is also underway.

The participating regions are involved in several other projects which have some cross-over with the practice change project, including Landscape Logic (NRM North) and Infer (Lachlan CMA), and are sharing information regarding these.

Community Engagement Theme

Regions involved in the theme: Lachlan CMA (Gus Arnott) and HNCMA (Steve Nichols and Geoff O’Connor)

This theme has been focussing on carrying out a stocktake of current community engagement activities.
A matrix tool was developed to assist the regions reflect on their current activities. Key questions included: What do we currently do? Who was involved in planning the activity? What was the objective or purpose of the engagement? Who did we engage with in this activity? What element of the Planning Framework does it relate to? Did the results or lessons learned of the activity feed into other processes, activities or decisions? How effective was the activity in meeting its purpose or objective? How effective was the activity in interacting with the target audience?

The next step for this theme is to work through defining what a successful community engagement plan will look like for the programs that the regions have chosen to focus on. Lachlan CMA is keen to focus on the Lachlan Salinity Action Plan project, and HNCMA on their LandCare program.

Program Logic Theme

Regions involved in the theme: NECMA (Jeff Taylor) and SCNRM (Deb Slater)

Both regions are about to embark on the design of programs (using program logic) under Caring for Our Country. The regions are using the planning framework to help test their assumptions and to encourage staff and other stakeholders to consider the social aspects of changes in practice. The regions are currently working through designing the draft process and tools for this planning that will work for them. A starting point for each of the regions is the "Planning for NRM Practice Change Programs" process (http://www.hassall.com.au/_lib/doc/Practicechangeplanningprocess_000.pdf).

The regions are then aiming to trial the process and tools with their programs in late July and August.

Implementation Theme

Regions involved in the theme: Lachlan CMA (Kieran Hawker), FBA (Mike Bent), West Gippsland CMA (Martin Fuller), SAAL (Sandy Gunter)

To date the group has completed an initial scoping survey to form a picture of what implementation looks like in each region. Teleconferences have been held to reflect on findings and the group has formulated some further questions (which they are currently completing) to complete this analysis.

The stocktake is looking at individual implementation mechanisms and also how mechanisms are used in a mix. This is helping to develop a comparative picture of what is used around Australia, as well as a decision support tool for choosing implementation mechanisms. The group has discussed literature/other relevant work in this area, and GHD Hassalls has reviewed some of these and started incorporating key points into results of the work so far.

Findings are being communicated to HNCMA and NRM North who have ‘watching briefs’ on the theme.

Outcomes

• A Practice Change Planning Framework which has been refined several times and is proving a useful tool for prompting consideration of the people aspects of change.
• A Practice Change Planning Process that presents a step-wise approach for program planning by a regional NRM body, using program logic and the practice change planning framework.
• A modified NRM Program Logic.
  
• An explanation of how Program Logic and the Practice Change Planning Framework fit together as program planning tools. In short, program logic helps to identify what you aim to achieve while the practice change planning framework then helps to identify how this will be achieved.
• A Strategic Review Process for taking a rear-vision look at past investments and how these have considered and fostered practice change.
• A guide to strategies for Supporting Regional NRM Implementation Groups.
• Case studies of how four different regions support regional NRM implementation groups and foster change.
• An outline of Key Considerations for Community Engagement Planning.
• A policy briefing paper outlining some early implications from the project.
• A project website that includes: as ‘works in progress’ the tools and processes being developed by the project; a page with links to a range of suitable tools and information to help in understanding and fostering practice change; and details of the participating regions.
• Linkages between participating regions - two forums involving all participating NRM regional bodies; workshops held in each region; teleconferences with regions; communication by the GHD Hassall team; and the shared focus of the project have all helped to enable sharing of ideas across the regions.

Background

Much of the investment by the 56 NRM regional bodies around Australia is targeted towards fostering change in practice by landholders. There is therefore value in the regions having good tools and processes to help them understand the dynamics of this change within their regions and how they can best foster the desired change. This understanding, coupled with a culture of continuous learning, will help them to
effectively plan, implement, review and adapt their investment in practice change.

There is also opportunity to influence future policy for regional NRM so as to enable and support successful investment in NRM practice change at a regional level.

Thirty-five NRM regional bodies expressed interest in participating in the project. From this, the participating regions were selected based on their areas of interest, their willingness to contribute staff time and funds, and the distribution of geography and land use types. A workshop held in each region identified the NRM regional body’s current approach to practice change and their key challenges and needs.

A practice change planning framework was developed in close collaboration with the participating regions (see attached) and this continues to be tested and refined. It helps NRM regional bodies to identify how they will achieve their local vision for NRM, with a particular focus on the people aspects of change.

The first annual forum was held in Melbourne in April 2007. Each of the participating regions gave a presentation about an approach that they had adopted and that they felt may be useful for other regions to consider. In addition to providing an opportunity for exchange of information, the forum also enabled networks to be built and a community of practice to be developed amongst all project participants. The forum also enabled the regions to more clearly identify specific areas where they were interested in working with the project team to develop new tools or approaches.

Work with the Regions in 2007

Work with the regions for 2007 concentrated on five themes:

Implementation models - comparing approaches for supporting regional NRM implementation groups and identifying suitable mechanisms for fostering change.

Planning - developing and testing a process for planning a program, including better understanding of the ‘customers’ in order to engage with people who haven’t engaged in the past.

Community engagement planning - identifying key considerations in developing a community engagement plan to ensure that: all obligations are met; the plan is used within the organisation; and it is effective in engaging with the community.

Strategic review - providing regions with a process to review their current investments in practice change and the success of these approaches in achieving targets identified in regional catchment strategies.

Business planning - considering ways to incorporate practice change into standard business practice/planning. The practice change planning framework provided the basis for several of these themes.

Tools and information resources that help NRM regional bodies to understand and plan for practice change have been sourced or developed as required for each of the themes and made available via the project website. At the end of 2007, learnings from the five themes were reviewed and synthesised and plans initiated for the next annual learning cycle.

Publications and Resources

None listed

Citation

Land & Water Australia. 2009. Making Successful Investments in NRM Practice Change - Stage 2. [Online] (Updated April 21st, 2009)
Available at: http://lwa.gov.au/node/3104 [Accessed Sunday 21st of March 2010 11:49:00 AM ].