A Typology of Benefit Sharing Arrangements for the Governance of Social-Ecological Systems in Developing Countries

Bimo Abraham Nkhata, Water Research Node, Monash South Africa
Alfons Mosimane, Centre for Environment, Agriculture and Development, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Linda Downsborough, Water Research Node, Monash South Africa
Charles Breen, Centre for Environment, Agriculture and Development, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Dirk J Roux, Water Research Node, Monash South Africa

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5751/ES-04662-170117

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Abstract

This study explores and interprets relevant literature to construct a typology of benefit sharing arrangements for the governance of social-ecological systems in developing countries. The typology comprises three generic categories of benefit sharing arrangements: collaborative, market-oriented, and egalitarian. We contend that the three categories provide a useful basis for exploring and classifying the different societal arrangements required for governance of social-ecological systems. The typology we present is founded on a related set of explicit assumptions that can be used to explore and better understand the linkages among ecosystem services, benefit sharing, and governance. Issues that are strongly related to sustainability in developing countries form the core basis of our assumptions. Our aim is not to write a definitive exposition, but to spark debate and engage ongoing dialogue on governance and benefit sharing in the field of social-ecological systems.

Key words

benefit sharing; developing countries; ecosystem services; governance; social-ecological systems; typology

Copyright © 2012 by the author(s). Published here under license by The Resilience Alliance. This article is under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. You may share and adapt the work for noncommercial purposes provided the original author and source are credited, you indicate whether any changes were made, and you include a link to the license.