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Implications of Legal Pluralism for Natural Resource Management

2001; Wiley; Volume: 32; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1111/j.1759-5436.2001.mp32004002.x

1759-5436

Ruth Meinzen‐Dick, Rajendra Pradhan,

Agriculture, Land Use, Rural Development

IDS BulletinVolume 32, Issue 4 p. 10-17 Implications of Legal Pluralism for Natural Resource Management Ruth S. Meinzen-Dick, Ruth S. Meinzen-DickSearch for more papers by this authorRajendra Pradhan, Rajendra PradhanSearch for more papers by this author Ruth S. Meinzen-Dick, Ruth S. Meinzen-DickSearch for more papers by this authorRajendra Pradhan, Rajendra PradhanSearch for more papers by this author First published: 22 May 2009 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1759-5436.2001.mp32004002.xCitations: 5AboutPDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onEmailFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Abstract Summaries This article illustrates the implications of legal pluralism for our understanding of natural resource management and policies toward resource tenure, using the example of water rights. There is widespread recognition that property rights play a fundamental role in shaping how people manage natural resources. But many conceptions of property rights have focused only on static definitions, usually as defined in statutory law. The legal anthropological perspective highlights the coexistence and interaction between multiple legal orders such as state, customary, religious, project and local laws, all of which provide bases for claiming property rights. These multiple legal frameworks also facilitate considerable flexibility for people to manoeuvre in their use of natural resources, thus helping to cope with uncertainty. In many parts of the world, water rights are dynamic, flexible and subject to frequent negotiations because of uncertain water supply, damages to intake structures due to floods and landslides, and social, economic and political changes. The article demonstrates how multiple, flexible and dynamic legal orders are more responsive to these uncertainties and changes than a single, fixed legal system with a static property regime NOTES See Moore(1973). For legal pluralism, see Griffiths (1986), Merry (1988), F. and K. von Benda-Beckmann and Spiertz (1996) , (1997) . The term 'forum shopping' is not meant to imply that all participants have equal, voluntary access to all forums, but rather that there is a process of selecting different forums for claims. This paragraph is based largely on Pradhan and Brewer (1998). The links between symbolic and social security aspects of property rights are part of what Scott (1976) referred to as the moral economy. 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