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Knowledge systems approaches for enhancing the impact of research are well established and tend to focus on the ways in which researchers can adapt their engagement with stakeholders to achieve a better “fit” between research and action agendas. Yet, these approaches are often based on explicit or implicit assumptions of a skilled and willing research team, and stable and well-defined stakeholders, who have consistent and reasonably well-defined needs. This paper discusses how knowledge systems approaches were developed and deployed in the first phase of the Gambut Kita (Our Peatland) project on community fire management and peatland restoration in Indonesia (2017–2021). This was a complex project with a large multi-disciplinary team situated across dynamic institutions in Indonesia and Australia, and addressing a politically controversial topic. To capture the diverse experience of the researchers, and to focus on the needs of stakeholders, we developed a sequence of whole-of-project approaches comprising the following: (i) stakeholder mapping exercises at three nested scales combining stakeholder analysis, knowledge systems mapping and impact pathways analysis; (ii) a project coordinating committee of high-level Indonesian policy-makers and policy-influencers; (iii) a stakeholder engagement forum and (iv) online policy dialogues. We demonstrate its effects through the case of developing an Indonesian Peat Fire Danger Rating System (Peat FDRS), as a core project deliverable. Over 4 years, these structured stakeholder engagement processes gave rise to a Peat FDRS Stakeholder Engagement Network (a multi-institutional working group), which is making significant progress in navigating the complexity inherent in realising an accurate Indonesian Peat FDRS.

This paper identifies and explores megatrends with major implications for smallholder-based commercial forestry in Indonesia to the year 2030. A megatrend is a cluster of trends that represent a significant shift in the condition of the environment, economy or society, with major implications over the longer term. Megatrend analysis is one example of foresighting, an approach which complements traditional forestry sector outlook studies. The eight megatrends explore the dynamics of Indonesia's urbanising population; their rising incomes and education rates, manifest in an expanding middle class and changing demands; the imperative to provide for the needs of the still-many poor; the tension between market-based opportunities and the Indonesian bureaucracy, inadequate physical infrastructure and vested interests; Indonesia's place as a global hotspot of forest and biodiversity loss; the consequences of climate change; the emerging digital and technology-driven economy and society; and the possible impacts of both natural and man-made crises. These megatrends and their component subtrends have various implications for smallholder forestry; we identify best, worst and more likely case scenarios as starting points for further research.

The frequency and severity of shocks to food systems is accelerating globally, exemplified by the current COVID-19 outbreak. In low- and middle-income countries, the impacts have exacerbated existing food system vulnerabilities and poverty. Governments and donors must respond quickly, but few tools are available that identify interventions to build food system resilience, or emerging opportunities for transformation. In this paper we reflect on the application of a systems-based rapid assessment which we applied across 11 Indo-Pacific countries in May-July 2020. Our approach was shaped by three design parameters: the integration of key informants' perspectives engaged remotely within the countries, applicability to diverse food systems and COVID-19 experiences across the region, and the consideration of food systems as complex systems. For the rapid assessment we adopted an analytical framework proposed by Allen and Prosperi (2016). To include a development lens, we added the analysis of vulnerable groups and their exposure, impacts, recovery potential and resilience, and pro-poor interventions. We concluded that the framework and approach facilitated integration and triangulation of disparate knowledge types and data to identify priority interventions and was sufficiently flexible to be applied across food systems, at both national, sub-national and commodity scales. The step-wise method was simple and enabled structured inquiry and reporting. Although the systems concepts appeared more easily transferrable to key informants in some countries than others, potentially transformational interventions were identified, and also some risks of maladaptation. We present a refined framework that emphasises analysis of political, economic and institutional drivers of exposure and vulnerability, the constraints that they pose for building recovery potential and resilience, and trade-offs amongst winners and losers inherent in proposed interventions.

Context The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted global food systems. This has led to different strategies by communities, governments, and businesses involved in food systems to mitigate and adapt to the unfolding pandemic. Small Island Developing States are particularly exposed to the conflation of risks from COVID-19 disease, economic downturns, underlying climate vulnerabilities and biosecurity risks. Objective Our study aimed to identify the food systems vulnerabilities, impacts, and opportunities for supporting resilience and sustainable development in selected Pacific Island countries, Papua New Guinea, and Timor-Leste. The study focused on the impacts from the first six months of the pandemic (February–July 2020), with remote data collection and analysis done between May and July 2020. Methods We conducted 67 interviews, and triangulated information with desktop and news sources emerging at the time. We present results on the effect on smallholder livelihoods, supply chains, governance, communities and employment. Overall, the major impacts of COVID-19 have been on economies, posing risks to future food security and further hampering progress towards key Sustainable Development Goals. Results and conclusions We found that unemployment and economic contraction have been the most severe effects to date, with long-term consequences for food value chains and smallholder farmers. Disruptions to tourism, labour migration, and remittances have led to varying socio-economic impacts throughout the region. Vulnerable groups, notably women, urban poor, and youth, have been disproportionately affected by unemployment. Timor-Leste has had some social protection measures, whereas in Pacific Countries these have been varied. The lockdowns and State of Emergency initially influenced the distribution and marketing of food, but local food economies are starting to stabilise. The continued functioning of international food supply chains reduced the risk of food insecurity in high import dependent nations, notably import dependent countries like Tuvalu and Kiribati. Significance The results have significance for three recovery pathways. The first recovery pathway relates to revisiting value chains in light of restricted travel. The second recovery pathway exists through leveraging the adaptive capacities of communities to stimulate innovative agriculture that also integrates climate adaptation and nutrition. The third recovery pathway relates to addressing the structural challenges that perpetuate inequalities and poverty while finding new ways of implementing inclusive policies and research. Our study presents a set of comparative examples of managing a food system shock that can inform future systems-oriented research and policy for sustainable development.

This article describes the five major development phases of Landcare in Australia – from its ‘childhood phase’ beginnings in the mid-1980s to its current day ‘mid-life phase’. The ‘Landcare approach’ in its contemporary form is articulated in the Australian Framework for Landcare 2010–2020 as comprising the Landcare ethic, the Landcare movement founded on stewardship and volunteers, and the Landcare model. There is much evidence to substantiate the pivotal role Landcare has played in stimulating and enabling knowledge sharing, learning and on-ground action across Australia in the arena of natural resource management (NRM); and also to conclude that its potential for contributing to broader impacts, especially landscape-scale change, has been seriously hindered by various ill-conceived and/or executed policy settings and related institutional arrangements. Nevertheless, the Landcare approach (with its consistently sound ethic and movement, but with its model imperfections at different times) has pr...

We propose a suite of actions for strengthening water governance in contexts with complex, multi-tiered arrangements. In doing so, we focus on the collective water policies and approaches of the United Kingdom (UK), including those of devolved governments, which confront a host of serious water-related challenges—from massive flooding of urban areas and agricultural lands, to pressure on aquifers from rising water demand and drought. Further complexity in addressing these challenges has emerged in the wake of the June 2016 vote to leave the European Union (EU), so-called ‘Brexit’, and the ensuing ‘separation process’ with uncertainties for institutional and governance arrangements to follow. We make ten proposals for improving and reinvigorating water policy in complex, multi-layered situations, and comment specifically on their application in the UK setting. These are: put in place a system-wide water policy; fully embrace community-led nested river basin planning and management; fully fund river basin planning and management; re-focus the policy framing; use best-available data and information; create conversational spaces and become a more water-literate society; mobilise people; support and sustain core community networks; underpin river basin plans with regulatory provisions and effective monitoring and enforcement; and address systemic institutional amnesia. Individually and collectively, we contend that these actions will have a marked effect on transforming the planning and management of water resources. A system-wide water policy that maintains and builds on the substantive biophysical and socio-economic benefits delivered through implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive, together with the more recent Floods Directive, will galvanise stewardship of water in the UK. We urge more active engagement with and empowerment of the multiplicity of system ‘actors’, and highlight the role of non-government actors in a post-Brexit world as conduits for reaching out to and connecting directly with a wide range of water-related actors, especially across the EU. While attention to-date has focused on a plethora of specifically water-related projects, initiatives, plans and regulations, what is really needed is a systemic, long-term view of water resource management.

Aim: While the impact of major depression on diabetes has gained increasing attention, the role of minor depression is less well investigated. This observational study compared three groups of adults with Type 1 (T1DM) or Type 2 (T2DM) diabetes mellitus: with me) no depressive symptoms (NODEP), ii) mild depressive symptoms (MILD) and iii) moderate-to-severe symptoms (MOD/SEVERE)-on diabetes distress, psychological distress, anxiety and somatic symptoms, quality of life and HbA1c levels. Methods: 245 outpatients attending two hospital diabetes services (27% with T1DM; 73% with T2DM) completed self-report measures including patient health questionnaire (PHQ), problem areas in diabetes (PAID) scale and short form health survey (SF12). Participants were interviewed by a psychiatrist and HbA1c levels recorded. Results: Half the sample reported depressive symptoms on the PHQ-9 (29% in the MILD group, 21% in MOD/ SEVERE and the remaining 50% in the NODEP group). Compared to the NODEP group, MILD group participants had significantly higher levels of diabetes distress, psychological distress, anxiety and somatic symptoms and significantly lower mental-health related quality of life. Participants in the MOD/SEVERE group had significantly higher levels of diabetes distress, psychological distress, anxiety, and somatic symptoms than either of the other two groups, and significantly lower quality of life. The groups did not differ significantly on HbA1c. Conclusions: Mild symptoms of depression in patients with diabetes are common and are associated with higher levels of diabetes distress, psychological distress, anxiety and somatic symptoms and lower quality of life. Addressing mild depression provides a potential avenue for preventing clinical depression in patients with diabetes.

The Australian Government's ‘Caring for our Country’ program has undermined Australia's ‘regional model’ for natural resource management, and eroded gains made under the precursor Natural Heritage Trust and related programs, in eight significant ways. Contrary to expectations that Caring for our Country, established in 2008, would build on the foundations established by the Natural Heritage Trust, it has adopted a narrower agenda, increased central government control, and compromised buy-in by state and territory governments. In reaction to the difficulty of assessing the cost-effectiveness of natural resource management program investments, priority has been given to discrete projects capable of demonstrating short-term, measurable outputs. Implementation of Caring for our Country has failed to realise the aspirations of regional organisations for core funding, substantially increased transaction costs and diminished success rates under competitive funding arrangements, and prejudiced the goodwi...

Introduction and Aims. There are many factors that impact substance use in young people in the Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs). However, the extent and nature of substance use by young people in the PICTs is not clear because of a lack of data on this group. Design and Methods. A desk-based review (including both white and grey literature) was conducted to explore substance use among young people in the Western Pacific region. This paper presents findings from the PICTs. Results. Prevalence of alcohol, cannabis and amphetamine-type stimulants use by young people is reported from various sources-primarily based on data derived from the Youth Risk Behaviour and the Second Generation Behaviour Surveillance Surveys. Discussion and Conclusion. There appear to be evidence of risky alcohol consumption and higher levels of cannabis and amphetamine-type stimulants use in some PICTs compared with Australia and New Zealand. However, data are generally unavailable to establish any trends. Regular, reliable and routine monitoring of patterns and trends in substance use among young people in the PICTs can assist in identifying concerns and developing evidence-informed interventions to prevent, contain and treat current and any emerging issues. Language: en

This paper informs policy and programme development for capacity building within the context of decentralised governance arrangements by examining stakeholder perspectives about capacity issues. The capacity issues of Australia's network of 56 community-based Boards, governing each of its designated natural resource management regions, are explored as an arena of learning. The approach described facilitates stakeholders in considering capacity issues across human, social, institutional and economic dimensions and elicits a range of views about the nature of the issues. The paper provides a conceptual model for capacity building that proved a useful tool for supporting this process. The outcomes of workshop events with three key stakeholder groups in the Australian context are presented. The work indicates convergent and divergent perspectives about capacity issues between these groups, especially “insiders” (Board members) compared with “outsiders” (policy/research and Indigenous stakeholders). It suggest...

This paper examines the perspectives of major interest groups on capacity development within the context of the significant contemporary global phenomenon of community-based decentralised governance at catchment scale. It focuses on providing empirical evidence to guide the development and implementation of policies and programs, especially those of governments. The research draws especially from regional governance experiences in Australia, as a country with advanced arrangements, and capacity building experiences in the sectors of health and risk and emergency management as informative arenas of learning. Twenty-two specific capacity building measures were presented in a discussion paper across human, social, institutional and economic dimensions. Perspectives were sought from regional, policy/research and Indigenous interest groups about applying these measures to enhance the effectiveness of the community-based Boards governing Australia's nation-wide network of 56 natural resource management (NRM) organisations. The research identifies a suite of specific measures and, in doing so, demonstrates the benefits of examining other sectors to inform capacity building in the NRM domain. The work highlights the need to better understand and account for differing interest group perspectives about capacity building issues, the application of specific measures, and the outcomes anticipated before developing and implementing policies and programs. While explored in the Australian context, these findings have application to decentralised governance arrangements in other countries.

This paper aims to give practical meaning to 'capacity building' through (a) identifying a suite of practical measures, such as mentoring or best practice guidelines, that have been shown to or are considered to build human, social, institutional, and economic capital; (b) placing these measures within a broader systems framework; and (c) exploring stakeholder feedback on specific measures to inform framework implementation. The 29 measures described provide actors, whether government or nongovernment, with a suite of practical investment choices for building capacity. These measures are then clustered into eight groups according to their primary purpose and placed within a systems framework. The framework provides a tool for actors with responsibilities for or an interest in capacity building to inform more holistic and strategic targeting of effort and investment. Stakeholder feedback gathered through surveys and workshops is subsequently reported to further inform implementation of specific measures within the framework's eight groupings. The framework presented may be built upon through the identification and inclusion of further capacity building measures. The research is conducted within the context of decentralized governance arrangements for natural resource management (NRM), with specific focus on Australia's recently formalized 56 NRM regions and their community-based governing boards as an informative arena of learning. Application of the framework is explored in the Australian setting through the identification and comparison of measures supported and most preferred by four major stakeholder groups, namely board members, regional NRM organization staff, policy/research interests, and Indigenous interests. The research also examines stakeholder perceptions of capacity issues, and whether these issues are likely to be addressed through implementing their preferred measures.

This article examines capacity building measures used by the risk and emergency management (REM) sector in Australia relevant to natural resource management (NRM), and in particular to the regional delivery of two national NRM programs - the Natural Heritage Trust Extension (NHT2) and the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality (NAP). Australia has recently formalised a network of 56 regional NRM bodies and boards. Together, they form an important part of governance in rural and regional Australia, and are widely perceived as needing capacity development to fulfil their responsibilities. Examining measures adopted in REM has particular relevance as the sector already has a significant presence in rural Australia, and mirrors NRM in many respects - notably responsibility largely rests at state or territory level, each with multiple agencies, and program delivery is highly reliant on volunteer networks. This article discusses 12 major measures, primarily as they may be applied to regional NRM boards, and identifies many valuable ideas that warrant trial within the NRM domain.

This paper identifies external factors affecting the capacity of Australia's now-formalised 56 regional natural resource management (NRM) bodies and their community-based Boards to meet planning and management responsibilities. It demonstrates that little is known about the basic capacity-related characteristics of NRM regions, despite the lengthy and elaborate process of regionalism that Australia has embarked upon, with its associated and substantial devolution of responsibilities and resources. A suite of indicators is used to develop an ‘exploratory’ capacity typology of NRM regions. The ten regional ‘types’ identified are found to attract varying budget allocations under the Natural Heritage Trust Extension and National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality. There are indications that State and regional interests within and outside NRM can significantly influence the distribution of resources. An examination of resources allocated to capacity-building activities shows significant differences between regions in the scale of resources allocated (0–96% of total budget). The paper argues the case for intervention to reduce the gap between ‘have’ and ‘have not’ regions, and for further exploration of disparities in the allocation of resources to capacity-building activities. Clarification is needed of the extent to which capacity-building activities adequately target regional NRM bodies and their Boards.

This paper examines capacity-building measures used by the health sector relevant to natural resource management (NRM) using the delivery of two programs in Australia through its recently formalized 56 community-based regional NRM Boards as a reference point. The delivery of NRM outcomes through devolved governance arrangements has been hampered by inadequate capacity in other countries (e.g., New Zealand, Canada). The inherent complexities of NRM, coupled with professional “comfort zones,” often limit actors from looking to other sectors confronting similar issues. This paper summarizes findings from ∼70 sources in health reviewing nine major capacity-building measures. The outcomes of research evaluating the relative benefits and disbenefits of applying these measures are discussed. The paper identifies several opportunities to trial some of these measures in NRM.

This article describes a new model for science communication relevant to natural resource management as well as any other sector with the need to integrate and find pathways through an extensive body of information. The model comprises a hardcopy resource directory and a companion interactive CD-ROM. Together, the approach represents the first integrated and readily accessible repository of information on dryland salinity in Australia, and probably in the natural resource management sector more generally, and targets the many thousands of catchment managers. The advice of more than 150 people involved in salinity research and management informed the structure and content of the resource materials. This article discusses the strengths and limitations of the approach and its potential for broader application, the need for adaptive management and on-going learning, and some prospects for further investment.

This article considers the scope for riparian-based agroforestry in the broadacre agricultural landscape of Australia, which has been highly modified in the 200 years since European settlement. Approximately 33 per cent of native vegetation in the intensively used areas has been cleared or substantially modified, and the sheep-wheat belt suffers from land and water salinisation, soil acidification and erosion, and the decline of instream and terrestrial biodiversity. There is a lack of clarity about the role of riparian-based agroforestry in achieving broader catchment management objectives, and a paucity of research on the sustainable harvesting of wood and non-wood products from riparian lands. This article advocates the need to rethink policy and research directions for the rehabilitation of riparian lands within a catchment-scale context to better inform on- ground actions at the property level.

Introduction Depression substantially contributes to the personal burden and healthcare costs of living with diabetes mellitus (DM). Comorbid depression and DM are associated with poorer quality of life, poorer self-management and glycemic control, increased risk for DM complications and higher mortality rates, and higher health service utilization. Depression remains under-recognized and undertreated in people with DM, which may, in part, result from barriers associated with accessing face-to-face treatment. This study will examine the efficacy of an internet-based cognitive behaviour therapy programme for major depressive disorder (iCBT-MDD) in people with DM. Methods and analysis A CONSORT 2010 compliant, registered randomised controlled trial of the intervention (iCBT-MDD) versus a treatment as usual control group will be conducted. The study will include 100 adults aged 18 years and over with a diagnosis of type 1 or type 2 DM and self-reported symptoms that satisfy MDD which will enable us to detect a statistically significant difference with a group effect size of 0.6 at a power of 80% and significance level of p=0.05. Participants will be randomised to receive the iCBT-MDD programme immediately, or to wait 10 weeks before accessing the programme. Primary outcomes will be self-reported depression severity, DM-related distress, and glycemic control (glycosylated hemoglobin). Secondary outcomes will be general distress and disability, generalized anxiety, lifestyle behaviours, somatization, eating habits, alcohol use, and acceptability of the iCBT programme to participants, and practicality for clinicians. Data will be analyzed with linear mixed models for each outcome measure. Ethics and dissemination The Human Research Ethics Committee of St Vincent9s Hospital Australia have given ethics approval (HREC/13/SVH/291). Results will be disseminated via peer-reviewed publication and social media channels of Australian Diabetes Consumer Representative Bodies. Trial registration number The trial is registered with the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12613001198718).

This paper examines the influence of global discourses on policies and programmes for Natural Resource Management (NRM) in Australia, and the emergence of 56 formalised regional NRM bodies and their community-based Boards of management with responsibilities for NRM planning and implementation. It traces the emergence of the 'landcare movement' and the trend toward 'Integrated Catchment Management (ICM)', including governments around Australia embracing greater community input. It examines 'sustainable development' and 'neoliberalism', which have been advocated in concert, but with signs of the latter dominating. The formalisation of 'regionalism' for NRM in Australia has marked a shift in power and resources from the state level to both the federal and regional levels. What remains to be seen is whether the responsibilities devolved to regional NRM bodies and their Boards are realistically within their capacities to deliver.