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Authority, responsibility and process in Australian biodiversity policy
Citation
Clement, S and Moore, SA and Lockwood, M, Authority, responsibility and process in Australian biodiversity policy, Environmental and Planning Law Journal, 32, (2) pp. 93-114. ISSN 0813-300X (2015) [Refereed Article]
Copyright Statement
Copyright 2015 Thomson Reuters
Official URL: http://sites.thomsonreuters.com.au/journals/catego...
Abstract
Despite a raft of policies targeting biodiversity, Australia has yet to stem
biodiversity decline. This study analyses biodiversity conservation policies in
two contrasting Australian landscapes, with a specific emphasis on how
authority and responsibility are determined and allocated, using a novel
linguistic tool (the Institutional Grammar Tool) and interviews with policymakers.
Analysis revealed concerns around the narrowness of authority and
the dominance of normative statements rather than rules. Unclear roles and
responsibilities further diluted the clarity and allocation of authority. Political
and economic factors drive policy implementation and constrain authority in
both of the studied regions. A heavy focus on procedures rather than
outcomes was also evident. Implications for policy design and the associated
authority include broadening the definition of biodiversity, ensuring policy
language more clearly allocates responsibilities, paying increased attention to
the distributive as well as procedural elements of biodiversity policy, and
developing buffering mechanisms to better cope with political and economic
drivers.
Item Details
Item Type: | Refereed Article |
---|---|
Keywords: | biodiversity decline, conservation policy, Institutional Grammar Tool |
Research Division: | Environmental Sciences |
Research Group: | Environmental management |
Research Field: | Environmental management |
Objective Division: | Environmental Policy, Climate Change and Natural Hazards |
Objective Group: | Environmental policy, legislation and standards |
Objective Field: | Environmental policy, legislation and standards not elsewhere classified |
UTAS Author: | Lockwood, M (Associate Professor Michael Lockwood) |
ID Code: | 99142 |
Year Published: | 2015 |
Web of Science® Times Cited: | 8 |
Deposited By: | Geography and Environmental Studies |
Deposited On: | 2015-03-16 |
Last Modified: | 2017-10-31 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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