Role of Trust and Relationships in Collaborative Research on Natural Resource Management with Farmers on Private Lands in the Murray-Darling Basin, Australia
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12164830 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Wesley Ward (0000-0003-2652-8439, Charles Sturt University, corresponding author), Wesley S Ward (Gulbali Institute, Charles Sturt University), Colin Maxwell Finlayson (Charles Sturt University), Michael Vanderzee (0000-0002-3398-0936, Australian National University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 39 |
| Issue | 8 |
| Pages | 1-20 |
| Publication date | 2026-02-04 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Society & Natural Resources (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0894-1920 • E-ISSN: 1521-0723 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/08941920.2026.2620022 |
| OpenAlex | W7127963943 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 43 |
Complex socio-ecological issues involving climate change and fresh water management highlight the importance of trust in interactions amongst humans in highly variable landscapes subject to multiple pressures. This study investigated the role of trust in establishing and maintaining relationships between individuals in research teams that included private landholders in southeast Australia as well as researchers. Using social constructivist grounded theory methodology, interviews with members of a university research institute, a government agency and a farmer group in Australia?s Murray-Darling Basin were visualized using the Trust/Distrust Matrix. Findings emphasized the importance and differing impacts of trust amongst individuals, and within and between organizations. Interviewees highlighted the impacts of time and location on trust and relationships for effective natural resource management (NRM) research projects on private lands. The authors examined the implications for research managers and multidisciplinary groups seeking to influence NRM in highly contested socio-ecological spaces on agricultural lands
Agency (philosophy · Agriculture · Government (linguistics · Multidisciplinary approach · Natural resource · Natural resource management · Resource management (computing · Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management · Mining and Resource Management · Pasture and Agricultural Systems
Understanding and promoting adoption of conservation practices by rural landholders
World Scientists’ Warning of a Climate Emergency
A Typology of Collaboration Efforts in Environmental Management
A theory of participation
A Framework for Exploring Trust and Distrust in Natural Resource Management
An overview on trust and trustworthiness
Making life more interesting
The importance of understanding the multiple dimensions of power in stakeholder participation for effective biodiversity conservation
Farmers’ behavioural determinants of on-farm biodiversity management in Europe
From organisational learning to social learning
Co-productive agility and four collaborative pathways to sustainability transformations
Exploring Agroecological Sustainability
Applying Resilience Thinking to Natural Resource Management through a “Planning-By-Doing” Framework
Private land conservation policy in Australia
Moral trust & scientific collaboration
Consequences of changed water management for Aboriginal Australians in the Murrumbidgee catchment, NSW
Multi-level Environmental Governance
The Problem of Institutional Trust
Learning from collaborative research on sustainably managing fresh water
Walking together
| Highly cited | No |
|---|