Social movements as key actors in governing the commons: Evidence from community-based resource management cases across the world

Abstract

The international research on the benefits of community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) regimes for sustainable development has raised concerns about the vulnerability of said regimes to globalization, shortsighted government regulations, marginalization, and other global political economy threats. This paper addresses the question of whether and how social movements contribute to the organization and robustness of CBNRM in the advent of those threats. To accomplish this, we carry out a qualitative meta-analysis of 81 cases worldwide. Our evidence shows that one of the most important effects of movements on CBNRM is the promotion and defense of community use and management rights against certain government decisions or actions by global corporations. We also find that movements can generate positive effects beyond the reaction to specific threats. Those effects include the democratization of communities' collective choice processes, the reinvigoration of identity ties and local ecological knowledge, the promotion of economic development and autonomy, and the creation of nested user organizations. Exploring such potentially longer-term effects is a promising next step towards further connecting the social movement and CBNRM scholarships and better understanding the robustness of local management regimes in the context of global change.

Souveraineté alimentaire et semences. Questions autochtones et paysannes dans la gouvernance de la biodiversité agricole internationale (1970‐2013)Brenni, ClaudioEditions Alphil‐Presses Universitaires Suisses (2019), 456 p., ISBN 978‐2‐88930‐239‐0

“…Néanmoins, un courant de littérature qui reste absent est celui portant sur les biens communs. Une analyse par la notion de bien commun aurait permis de considérer les deux catégories d'acteurs de manière croisée afin de montrer les oppositions entre biens communs et bien marchands (Villamayor‐Tomas et García‐López ).…”

Community, Natural Resources, and Sustainability: Overview of an Interdisciplinary and International Literature

“…Milupi et al [19] analyzed the success or failure of 21 CBNRM cases from around the world, finding 15 successful cases and six failures according to their diagnostic framework. Villamayor-Tomas and García-López [20] looked more specifically at the impact of social movements on CBNRM in their qualitative meta-analysis of 81 cases worldwide. These studies all provide important context for understanding the extant literature on community and natural resource management, though they explicitly focus on drawing conclusions regarding the comprehensive findings and methods of previous studies, rather than investigating knowledge formation in this realm.…”

Effects of Community Perceptions and Institutional Capacity on Smallholder Farmers’ Responses to Water Scarcity: Evidence from Arid Northwestern China

“…The efforts of community-based natural resource management to achieve sustainability are encouraged with increasing competition from commercial extractions of natural resources [1,2]. The participation of local communities is given special attention in order to mobilize available resources and maximize benefits [3]. With bounded rationality, rural communities' capacities to effectively manage natural resources are motivated and regulated by physical, social, economic, and institutional incentives and constraints [4,5].…”

“…The analysis also shows that community interactional capacities and socio-economic factors may influence community actions to mitigate and adapt to adverse effects of local water scarcity. Our findings provide insights for understanding social and institutional aspects of rural farming communities toward sustainable response decisions to overcome water scarcity challenges.Sustainability 2019, 11, 483 2 of 21 variations of community-based approaches emerged and were largely considered for adoption in many developing nations [3,6,7].To effectively and efficiently manage water resources, rural communities are the focal point and the community approach demonstrated a successful strategy with a wide range of development pathways [7]. The pathways can create opportunities for rural communities to tailor and implement their own plans for water management and development processes.…”

“…Sustainability 2019, 11, 483 2 of 21 variations of community-based approaches emerged and were largely considered for adoption in many developing nations [3,6,7].…”