Aims and Scope

Aims

The journal of Natural Resources Governance (NRG) aims to advance interdisciplinary knowledge and practice at the intersection of natural systems, human societies, and governance structures. Recognizing that human well-being and economic development are fundamentally embedded within and constrained by the natural environment, the journal seeks to provide a robust scientific platform for understanding complex socio-ecological systems and promoting their sustainable management. Specifically, NRG aspires to:

  • Disseminate cutting-edge, high-quality scientific contributions by researchers, faculty, and students in the field of natural resource governance;

  • Fulfill an advisory and awareness-raising role within the national science-policy framework for natural resources and environmental governance;

  • Support the implementation of national programs and strategic plans related to sustainable natural resource and environmental management;

  • Foster scholarly communication, collaboration, and alignment among universities, research institutes, and relevant stakeholders;

  • Serve as a national forum for the exchange of academic, research, and student-generated ideas on sound governance practices;

  • Publish the latest empirical and theoretical findings produced by research groups across academic and research institutions; and

  • Highlight interdisciplinary studies that elucidate the dynamic and multifaceted relationships between human societies and natural systems.

Given the critical importance of this field and the absence of a dedicated national publication, the  journal of Natural Resources Governance (NRG) is committed to filling this gap by providing a rigorous, peer-reviewed outlet for innovative research that bridges the natural and social sciences.

 

Scope

The journal of Natural Resources Governance (NRG) encompasses a broad, interdisciplinary range of topics that address the governance, management, and sustainable use of natural resources and the environment. The journal welcomes original research articles, review papers, policy analyses, and case studies that integrate perspectives from both natural and social sciences.

The scope of the journal includes, but is not limited to, the following thematic areas:

  • Governance and policy frameworks for natural resources, including forests, water, rangelands, fisheries, and minerals;

  • Institutional and legal analyses of environmental governance structures, property rights, and regulatory mechanisms;

  • Socio-ecological systems and resilience, including adaptive co-management and participatory approaches;

  • Environmental economics and valuation of ecosystem services and natural capital;

  • Sustainable development and the integration of environmental, economic, and social objectives in resource planning;

  • Human–nature interactions, including community-based resource management, indigenous knowledge systems, and environmental behavior;

  • Climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies within natural resource sectors;

  • Land-use planning, conservation, and biodiversity governance;

  • Interdisciplinary methodologies that combine ecological, hydrological, or geospatial data with sociological, political, and economic analyses;

  • Science-policy interfaces and the translation of research into actionable governance recommendations;

  • Conflict resolution and stakeholder engagement in natural resource decision-making.

The  journal of Natural Resources Governance (NRG) prioritizes studies that adopt a systemic, interdisciplinary, and policy-relevant approach, with the goal of informing both academic discourse and practical governance solutions at local, national, and global scales. Contributions that explicitly address the complexities and interdependencies between human and natural systems are especially encouraged.