LB 12-116 - CANCELLED - Elinor Ostrom + Land Management: Applying economic theory to adaptive management of public land

Elinor Ostrom won the Nobel Prize for Economics by advancing research on management of public resources. The tragedy of the commons, she found, can be tackled with the triumph of the commons, using eight global principles of societies who have successfully managed community resources, such as agricultural land, limited water, and overlapping needs and uses.Given that most Western societies are significantly ecologically “overshooting” their ability to live sustainably within existing their resources (Fanning, Hickel et al, 2021) this poster explores how Ostrom’s principles can apply to land management of public land where ecologists are juggling the duality of conservation and public engagement initiatives.The project consolidates Ostrom’s eight-step framework into five core principles that land managers must meet as they set goals and plans for a pilot project:1. Boundaries are defined (B): Spaces, agreed resources, rules2. Players are clear (P): Members, roles, accepted activities3. Captains coordinate (C): Managers are recognized and authorized to coordinate pilots, monitor goals and activity, and make decisions4. Organizational acceptance (O): Grant authorization to captains and pilot programs, support jurisdiction coordination, available for input and adaptation5. Tending to the process (T): Captains and participants listening and monitor, provide undelayed mediation of conflict, and align pilot activities to goalsTo test the viability of the principles, this poster then imagines three pilot programs within Baldwin Hills State Overlook park in Los Angeles, California, a large park with high attendance from the public, and strong oversight from community and ecological leadership. By identifying operating goals and rules for the principles – 30% increase in native vegetation, 12 events per year, six interactive park “hub” spaces, 50 acres of external residential and commercial restoration to native vegetation, and 10-point increase in knowledge of regional ecological issues -- this poster imagines how piltos might employ Ostrom’s principles to evolve over time and manage change, challenges and conflict, such as:Creative makers | Etsy: craft materials from prolific invasive and native vegetation. Boundaries (B) = private land, with a master gardener, no herbicides; Captain (C) = Greenhouse manager, advises makers, guides harvest, protects habitatsBiodiversity | iNaturalist: friendly neighborhood competitions to increase corridor connectivity. Captain (C) = biologist, who coaches on gardens, hosts gatherings, and judges and awards prizes sponsored by local businessesMove | Strava: Park oversight (O) integrates interpretive and fitness features, with ongoing maintenance and crossover events