The question of scale in integrated natural resource management

Integrated Natural Resource Management is a term used to describe practices that seek to conserve the natural resource base while simultaneously improving agricultural productivity. The temporal, biophysical, or institutional scale from which an Integrated Natural Resource Management program is approached or analyzed can affect the usefulness and perceived success or failure of that program. This article examines different scaling problems and offers recommendations for research to reconcile the differences between top-down approaches and bottom-up approaches to Integrated Natural Resource Management programs.