Extension for Natural Resource Management: Changing roles, approaches, methods and theories.

This paper expands on the role of extension in achieving sustainable management of Australia’s natural resources (known as NRM). In the first section, the content is framed around the changing roles of public and private NRM extension since the 1930s in Australia. Extension in natural resource management has moved from a single focus on soil and water conservation to address a wide range of environmental problems associated with agriculture, urban development, forestry and fisheries. This move has been driven by changing government and community priorities concerned with the erosion of public good assets.Some may say that extension has been reactive to the unfolding crises rather than proactive. This may have been the case early on with the transition from production based extension to NRM extension. However, in the second section of this paper we demonstrate how NRM extension approaches and methods have become more integrated, participatory and knowledge intensive in a bid to get ahead of the land degradation problems.Hidden behind different programs, titles, funding arrangements, jobs and approaches, extension for NRM is varied but also has commonalities. These differences and similarities are highlighted in the section on NRM extension approaches and methods.The importance of capacity building for NRM extension is covered in the third section on capacity building of NRM extension agents. Finally, we examine the evolving literature on NRM extension including useful theories and concepts.