Analyzing and modeling the use of common property pastures in Grindelwald, Switzerland

Problem. More than ever, some of the biggest challenges to society
involve governance of natural resources. From large-scale resource
systems such as the rain forest and oceans to small-scale systems
such as lakes or alpine pastures, cooperative efforts are required
to ensure sustainable and yet productive use of natural resources.
In Switzerland, the management of alpine pastures has for centuries
been predominantly organized by local governance institutions,
avoiding an overuse of the scarce resources. During the past
decade, the use and maintenance of common property pastures (CPP)
is declining, leading to land abandonment and forest regrowth.
However, CPP provide significant services to the mountain regions,
such as additional grazing grounds, assets for the tourism
industry, protection from soil erosion, water run-off and
landslides, and high biodiversity. These services are currently
threatened by reduced use and maintenance of the CPP. Research
Aims. The research presented herein aims for a better understanding
of social-ecological interactions driving the use of CPP to provide
policy recommendations for the sustainable governance of CPP.
Methods. To generate a holistic understanding of the variables
driving CPP use, this research used multiple methods to investigate
CPP use in Grindelwald, Switzerland as a social-ecological system
(SES). The research was structured in 4 modules. First, qualitative
methods were applied to analyze institutional change in the
governance of CPP. Second, regression models were built from survey
data to better understand farmers’ land-use decision. Third, an
analysis of the ecological system was conducted bases on land-cover
statistics. Forth, a systems dynamics model of the local SES was
built and combined with formative scenario analysis to investigate
potential future developments of CPP use. Results. The outcomes of
the different modules suggest that: First, local governance systems
originally designed to prevent overuse of CPP are able to adapt to
problems of declining use and maintenance of CPP by altering a set
of rules. Second, farmers’ use of CPP depend on personal
attributes, including farm size, norms, and dependence on the
resource. Furthermore, the analysis suggests that high local demand
and prices for alpine cheese are a central factor in the
sustainable use of CPP. Third, the land-cover analysis showed that
afforestation occurs in Grindelwald at a relatively moderate pace
and defines the area most prone to afforestation and bush
encroachment. Fourth, the simulation model allows for the display
of complex social-ecological interactions, showing that
afforestation tendencies are likely to continue, although at
different pace depending on the scenario setting. Conclusion. This
research provides a better understanding of CPP use through the
analysis of the subsystem characterizing the SES. It showed how the
general framework for analyzing social-ecological systems can be
operationalized using a broad set of methods. It thereby
contributed and advanced central themes within the study of the
commons such as institutional analysis, users’ behavior in
cooperative dilemmas, and modeling of SES. The integration of the
findings from different modules into a simulation provided insights
about the effects of different policies on the sustainability of
the SES, and thereby demonstrated why particular policy blueprints
will rather accelerate than counteract the problem of CPP
abandonment.