Knowledge for Regional Natural Resource Management

2005 - 2008

Aiming to facilitate better links between the 56 regional Natural Resource Management (NRM) bodies and knowledge providers, and to assist regional bodies to better manage their information and knowledge, Knowledge for Regional NRM has completed 3 years of network building and capacity development in the regional NRM sector.

What is Knowledge for Regional NRM

Phase 1: Investigation

Regional bodies face many challenges when attempting to access, use and share the best available information and research for natural resource management. Between February 2005 and August 2006 the Knowledge for Regional NRM Program investigated improving ways of:

adopting and sharing knowledge by regional NRM bodies
improving knowledge connections between regional NRM bodies and research and information providers.

During phase 1, the Program worked with regional bodies, national information providers, NRM facilitators and knowledge brokers to identify barriers to information exchange and possible solutions. A report titled: Improving the NRM knowledge system for regions (pdf 2043 KB) presents the findings of phase 1. The paper outlines a comprehensive approach to improving the NRM knowledge system and was designed using contributions from regional NRM bodies and knowledge providers, as well successful initiatives from outside both the NRM sector and Australia. The approach consists of three overarching packages which are comprised of a number of services grounded in the real needs of regional bodies.

During phase 1 - Investigation the Knowledge for Regional NRM Program was involved in a number of Workshops and Forums.

Phase 2: Implementation

Additional funding from Natural Heritage Trust enabled the implementation of some of the services in the packages described in Improving the NRM knowledge system for regions (pdf 2043KB).

Further information

The research and solutions found have been drawn from surveys, workshops and forums, relevant literature and discussions with groups and individuals.

Information exchange barriers faced by regional NRM bodies include:

Fragmentation of information
Large volume of information
Acessibility to information
Relevance to regional context
Not enough information sharing

Solutions for improving information exchange include:

National forums
Sharing of regional documents and knowledge
Region to region mentoring
Feasibility study for a regional knowledge system
Catalogue of relevant research programs
Collating regional needs
Synthesis products
Understanding knowledge brokering
Incorporating the NRM Facilitator Network
Supporting communities of practice
Building capacity to access and apply knowledge

Resources

Regional Knowledge Resource Kit (RKRK)

www.rkrk.net.au

This website provides an interactive online resource for learning and developing skills in information and knowledge management for regional NRM.

Some highlights of the RKRK include:

Learning how to run the Regional Knowledge Strategy process in your region
Accessing the Resource Library covering many information and knowledge management topics.
Joining the Friends of the RKRK online community.

NRM Navigator

nrmnavigator.net.au

The NRM Navigator is an Australian first, featuring an NRM-specific search engine. You can also access NRM-specific databases of professional bodies, events, e-networks and more.

The NRM Navigator also includes…