Prerequisits:

Second-cycle Bologna degree or a university (level VII) degree.

Content (Syllabus outline):

This course examines traditional and contemporary collective practices in the governance of natural resources in Slovenia. It is based on the concept of cultural landscapes as Socio-Ecological systems, in which social and ecological dimensions are dynamically intertwined. Community-based natural resource governance, which contributes to the vitality of Slovenian rural areas as well as both traditional and urban cultural landscapes, is gaining importance, yet it remains insufficiently recognized and established in contemporary society.

The course content is linked to two Sustainable Development Goals: Goal 3 – Good Health and Well-Being, and Goal 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities.

The course will be structured into three thematic sections:

1. Understanding the interlinkages between natural resources, ecosystem services, and well-being,
2. Traditional and contemporary community practices, and
3. Methods for studying community practices.

Natural resources, ecosystem services, and well-being

• Concept of socio-ecological systems
• Ecosystem services
• Health and well-being

Community practices

• Traditional community practices
• Contemporary community practices

Methods for studying community practices

• Review of relevant literature
• Semi-structured interview
• Fieldwork

Readings:

• Adger, W. N. 2000: Social and ecological resilience: are they related? Progress in human geography 24(3), 347–364.
• Adger, W. N. 2003: Social capital, collective action, and adaptation to climate change. Economic Geography 79(4).
• Armitage, D. 2005: Adaptive capacity and community-based natural resource management. Environtal Management 35(6), 703–715. DOI: 10.1007/s00267-004-0076-z
• Bodin, Ö. 2017: Collaborative environmental governance: Achieving collective action in social-ecological systems. Science 357(6352).
• Fisher, B., Turner, R. K., Morling, P. 2009: Defining and classifying ecosystem services for decision making. Ecological Economics 68. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2008.09.014
• Hardin, G. 1968: The tragedy of the commons. Science 162.
• McKean, M. 2000: Common Property: What is it? What is it good for? and What makes it work? V: Gibson, C. C., McKean M. A., in Ostrom, E. (ur): People and forest: Communities, Institutions, and Governance, str. 27–55. Cambridge (MA), The MIT Press.
• Ostrom, E. 1990: The governing of commons.The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action. Cambridge, Cambridge University press.
• Ostrom, E. 2009: A General Framework for Analyzing Sustainability of Social–Ecological Systems. Science, 325(5939), 419–422. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1172133

Objectives and competences:

The course primarily contributes to the development of the following general and specific competences:

• familiarity with key concepts such as collective practices, natural resources, cultural landscapes, socio-ecological systems, ecosystem services, and resilience;
• developing the ability for critical reflection on community-based natural resource governance and on the potential of contemporary collective practices for improving quality of life;
• familiarity with methods for studying collective practices (e.g., conducting and coding semi-structured interviews);
• acquiring knowledge and skills for the analysis of collective practices and for understanding human-nature interactions;
• developing the ability to conduct both desk-based and field research;
• understanding and knowledge of examples of traditional and contemporary good practices at the national and international levels

Intended learning outcomes:

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to conduct independent analyses of the potentials, challenges, and dilemmas of community-based governance of natural resources and cultural landscapes. Students will:

• understand the concepts of collective practice, natural resource, cultural landscape, and ecosystem services;
• be able to distinguish between the concepts of public good, common-pool resources, and commons;
• understand human–nature interactions and be able to recognize the role of community-based natural resource governance;
• grasp the role and importance of preserving diverse natural resources in the landscape and their potential in providing ecosystem services;
• be able to present examples of national and international collective practices that contribute to the sustainable management of natural resources and to well-being at the local level;
• be qualified for independent research in the field of community-based natural resource governance

Learning and teaching methods:

Types of learning/teaching:

• Frontal teaching
• Independent students work
• e-learning

Teaching methods:

• Explanation
• Conversation/discussion/debate
• Case studies
• Field work (e.g. company visits)

Assessment:

Long written assignments (100 %)

Lecturer’s references:

• Pagot, G., Šmid Hribar, M., Rail, L. F., Walters, G., Hymas, O., Liechti, K., Haller, T., Urbanc, M., Dalla Torre, C., Joye, J.-F., Lorenzini, S., Bogataj, N., Penker, M., Bender, O., Manzoni, A. 2025: Territories of Commons: A Review of Common Land Organizations and Institutions in the European Alps. Environ. Res. Lett. 20 063001. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/add1f4
• Šmid Hribar, M., Urbanc, M., Zorn, M. 2023: Commons and their contribution to sustaining Slovenian cultural landscapes. Acta geographica Slovenica 63–3.
• Tucker, C., Šmid Hribar, M., Urbanc, M., Bogataj, N., Gunya, A., Rodela, R., Sigura, M., Piani, L. 2023: Governance of interdependent ecosystem services and common-pool resources. Land Use Policy. 106575, vol. 127.
• Šmid Hribar, M., Hori, K., Urbanc, M., Saito, O., Zorn, M. 2023: Evolution and new potentials of landscape commons: insights from Japan and Slovenia. Ecosystem services 59, 101499. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoser.2022.101499.
• Ribeiro, D., Šmid Hribar, M. 2019: Assessment of land-use changes and their impacts on ecosystem services in two Slovenian rural landscapes. Acta Geographica Slovenica 59-2.
• Rodela R., Tucker C.M., Šmid Hribar M., Sigura M., Bogataj N., Urbanc M., Gunya A. 2019: Intersections of ecosystem services and common-pool resources literature: An interdisciplinary encounter. Environmental Science and Policy 94, 72–81.