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United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Biosphere Reserves (BRs) provide an example of an integrated sustainability framework that allows for connection between international, national, state / provincial and local levels of conservation and capacitybuilding. The three major functions of a BR are conservation of biodiversity, sustainable development and support for logistics. As coupled social-ecological systems, BRs explicitly acknowledge that human systems and ecological systems are inextricably linked, and have the potential to bridge ecological and social-political spheres that have been viewed as predominantly disparate entities, rather than as interconnected or nested systems. The aim of this thesis is to identify the key features (assets, process and outcome) required to enhance the fit between governance systems and ecosystems using the UNESCO BR model, and develop a framework for establishing BRs as resilient working landscapes. By identifying features that seem critical for linking civil society, institutions and government dynamically across multiple levels, the research addresses the governance dimension of ecosystem management and the social factors that enable such management. The scope of the thesis is limited to developed country contexts. Data are derived from focus groups, site visits, 52 key informant interviews and literature reviews. The research process utilised an emergent, naturalistic inquiry, characterised by abductive, deductive and inductive methods. Four Australian and four Canadian qualitative case studies support and demonstrate the three phases of the BR resilience conceptual framework developed herein. UNESCO BRs originated in the early 1970s as international examples of biodiversity conservation and sites of scientific research and monitoring. Since this time, the international program has broadened to include more complex notions of social-ecological systems, reflecting shifts in environmental disc

Australian nature-based tourism and ecotourism have become popular forms of recreational activity. Tasmania attracts twice the Australian national average number of nature-based tourists and ecotourists (thirty per cent). The growth of this tourism sector has prompted measures to ensure that experiences are of high quality, and that environmental impacts are adequately managed. ISO 14000 is an environmental management and certification system often utilised as an environmental management system standard within various industries, but has not been widely applied to the Australian tourism industry. The Nature and Ecotourism Accreditation Program (NEAP) represents the most significant accreditation measure within Australia at present. This paper assesses the relevance of NEAP in the Tasmanian nature-based tourism and ecotourism industry through in-depth interviews with a key informant group and a comparative analysis of interview data. The paper introduces nature-based tourism and ecotourism definitions and discusses the growing relevance ofecotourism accreditation. The paper argues that NEAP is relevant to the Tasmanian nature-based tourism and ecotourism industry, where the quality of the natural environment forms the central focus for such experiences. Furthermore, the paper argues that NEAP can assist in supporting the State's nature-based tourism and ecotourism industry through means such as branding and promotion. However, problems exist in relation to financial issues between NEAP and operators, and the perceived overlap of NEAP with the widely implemented Tourism Council Tasmania Accreditation Program. Thus, financial issues need to be addressed by the Ecotourism Association of Australia in association with Australian Commonwealth Government subsidisation. The degree of overlap between the two programs can be effectively addressed through industry cooperation. The paper also suggests that stronger branding and promotion of NEAP can be achieved through increased

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Biosphere Reserves (BRs) provide an example of an integrated sustainability framework that allows for connection between international, national, state / provincial and local levels of conservation and capacitybuilding. The three major functions of a BR are conservation of biodiversity, sustainable development and support for logistics. As coupled social-ecological systems, BRs explicitly acknowledge that human systems and ecological systems are inextricably linked, and have the potential to bridge ecological and social-political spheres that have been viewed as predominantly disparate entities, rather than as interconnected or nested systems. The aim of this thesis is to identify the key features (assets, process and outcome) required to enhance the fit between governance systems and ecosystems using the UNESCO BR model, and develop a framework for establishing BRs as resilient working landscapes. By identifying features that seem critical for linking civil society, institutions and government dynamically across multiple levels, the research addresses the governance dimension of ecosystem management and the social factors that enable such management. The scope of the thesis is limited to developed country contexts. Data are derived from focus groups, site visits, 52 key informant interviews and literature reviews. The research process utilised an emergent, naturalistic inquiry, characterised by abductive, deductive and inductive methods. Four Australian and four Canadian qualitative case studies support and demonstrate the three phases of the BR resilience conceptual framework developed herein. UNESCO BRs originated in the early 1970s as international examples of biodiversity conservation and sites of scientific research and monitoring. Since this time, the international program has broadened to include more complex notions of social-ecological systems, reflecting shifts in environmental disc

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Biosphere Reserves (BRs) provide an example of an integrated sustainability framework that allows for connection between international, national, state / provincial and local levels of conservation and capacitybuilding. The three major functions of a BR are conservation of biodiversity, sustainable development and support for logistics. As coupled social-ecological systems, BRs explicitly acknowledge that human systems and ecological systems are inextricably linked, and have the potential to bridge ecological and social-political spheres that have been viewed as predominantly disparate entities, rather than as interconnected or nested systems. The aim of this thesis is to identify the key features (assets, process and outcome) required to enhance the fit between governance systems and ecosystems using the UNESCO BR model, and develop a framework for establishing BRs as resilient working landscapes. By identifying features that seem critical for linking civil society, institutions and government dynamically across multiple levels, the research addresses the governance dimension of ecosystem management and the social factors that enable such management. The scope of the thesis is limited to developed country contexts. Data are derived from focus groups, site visits, 52 key informant interviews and literature reviews. The research process utilised an emergent, naturalistic inquiry, characterised by abductive, deductive and inductive methods. Four Australian and four Canadian qualitative case studies support and demonstrate the three phases of the BR resilience conceptual framework developed herein. UNESCO BRs originated in the early 1970s as international examples of biodiversity conservation and sites of scientific research and monitoring. Since this time, the international program has broadened to include more complex notions of social-ecological systems, reflecting shifts in environmental disc

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Biosphere Reserves (BRs) provide an example of an integrated sustainability framework that allows for connection between international, national, state / provincial and local levels of conservation and capacitybuilding. The three major functions of a BR are conservation of biodiversity, sustainable development and support for logistics. As coupled social-ecological systems, BRs explicitly acknowledge that human systems and ecological systems are inextricably linked, and have the potential to bridge ecological and social-political spheres that have been viewed as predominantly disparate entities, rather than as interconnected or nested systems. The aim of this thesis is to identify the key features (assets, process and outcome) required to enhance the fit between governance systems and ecosystems using the UNESCO BR model, and develop a framework for establishing BRs as resilient working landscapes. By identifying features that seem critical for linking civil society, institutions and government dynamically across multiple levels, the research addresses the governance dimension of ecosystem management and the social factors that enable such management. The scope of the thesis is limited to developed country contexts. Data are derived from focus groups, site visits, 52 key informant interviews and literature reviews. The research process utilised an emergent, naturalistic inquiry, characterised by abductive, deductive and inductive methods. Four Australian and four Canadian qualitative case studies support and demonstrate the three phases of the BR resilience conceptual framework developed herein. UNESCO BRs originated in the early 1970s as international examples of biodiversity conservation and sites of scientific research and monitoring. Since this time, the international program has broadened to include more complex notions of social-ecological systems, reflecting shifts in environmental disc

Australian nature-based tourism and ecotourism have become popular forms of recreational activity. Tasmania attracts twice the Australian national average number of nature-based tourists and ecotourists (thirty per cent). The growth of this tourism sector has prompted measures to ensure that experiences are of high quality, and that environmental impacts are adequately managed. ISO 14000 is an environmental management and certification system often utilised as an environmental management system standard within various industries, but has not been widely applied to the Australian tourism industry. The Nature and Ecotourism Accreditation Program (NEAP) represents the most significant accreditation measure within Australia at present. This paper assesses the relevance of NEAP in the Tasmanian nature-based tourism and ecotourism industry through in-depth interviews with a key informant group and a comparative analysis of interview data. The paper introduces nature-based tourism and ecotourism definitions and discusses the growing relevance ofecotourism accreditation. The paper argues that NEAP is relevant to the Tasmanian nature-based tourism and ecotourism industry, where the quality of the natural environment forms the central focus for such experiences. Furthermore, the paper argues that NEAP can assist in supporting the State's nature-based tourism and ecotourism industry through means such as branding and promotion. However, problems exist in relation to financial issues between NEAP and operators, and the perceived overlap of NEAP with the widely implemented Tourism Council Tasmania Accreditation Program. Thus, financial issues need to be addressed by the Ecotourism Association of Australia in association with Australian Commonwealth Government subsidisation. The degree of overlap between the two programs can be effectively addressed through industry cooperation. The paper also suggests that stronger branding and promotion of NEAP can be achieved through increased

Since their creation under the auspices of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Program between 1968 and 1971, Biosphere Reserves have provided an international framework for linking protected areas with their associated working landscapes. In Australia, twelve biosphere reserves were added to the World Network between 1977 and 1982. That initial flurry of activity has been followed by twenty-five years of limited interest and development in the reservation process in this country, although evidence suggests new energies are being directed to it. After sketching the origins of the Biosphere Reserve concept and its central tenets, we explore those environmental, cultural and institutional factors that may be promoting renewed interest in the Program. We then review the initial implementation and current status of the Australian Biosphere Reserve Program. Factors perpetuating the limited success of the program in Australia are highlighted and the new form of biosphere reserve is illustrated with reference to Australia's most recent, and only urban biosphere reserve, at the Mornington Peninsula, in the state of Victoria. We speculate that prospects for biosphere reserves in Australia are brighter because of the covenant for biosphere reserves under the Commonwealth of Australia's Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (1999); the conceptual relevance of the biosphere reserve to bioregional and catchment management more generally; and the continued success of existing model biosphere reserves.

Since their creation under the auspices of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Program between 1968 and 1971, Biosphere Reserves have provided an international framework for linking protected areas with their associated working landscapes. In Australia, twelve biosphere reserves were added to the World Network between 1977 and 1982. That initial flurry of activity has been followed by twenty-five years of limited interest and development in the reservation process in this country, although evidence suggests new energies are being directed to it. After sketching the origins of the Biosphere Reserve concept and its central tenets, we explore those environmental, cultural and institutional factors that may be promoting renewed interest in the Program. We then review the initial implementation and current status of the Australian Biosphere Reserve Program. Factors perpetuating the limited success of the program in Australia are highlighted and the new form of biosphere reserve is illustrated with reference to Australia's most recent, and only urban biosphere reserve, at the Mornington Peninsula, in the state of Victoria. We speculate that prospects for biosphere reserves in Australia are brighter because of the covenant for biosphere reserves under the Commonwealth of Australia's Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (1999); the conceptual relevance of the biosphere reserve to bioregional and catchment management more generally; and the continued success of existing model biosphere reserves.

Since their creation under the auspices of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Program between 1968 and 1971, Biosphere Reserves have provided an international framework for linking protected areas with their associated working landscapes. In Australia, twelve biosphere reserves were added to the World Network between 1977 and 1982. That initial flurry of activity has been followed by twenty-five years of limited interest and development in the reservation process in this country, although evidence suggests new energies are being directed to it. After sketching the origins of the Biosphere Reserve concept and its central tenets, we explore those environmental, cultural and institutional factors that may be promoting renewed interest in the Program. We then review the initial implementation and current status of the Australian Biosphere Reserve Program. Factors perpetuating the limited success of the program in Australia are highlighted and the new form of biosphere reserve is illustrated with reference to Australia's most recent, and only urban biosphere reserve, at the Mornington Peninsula, in the state of Victoria. We speculate that prospects for biosphere reserves in Australia are brighter because of the covenant for biosphere reserves under the Commonwealth of Australia's Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (1999); the conceptual relevance of the biosphere reserve to bioregional and catchment management more generally; and the continued success of existing model biosphere reserves.