THE UNIVERSITY OF LEIPZIG

Rittberger called it “institutionalized cooperation” of states in the management of resource
conflicts and interdependence problems. 304
Still in relation to the above, Young makes further elucidation regarding the concept of
regime governance. He labours to do so through postulation of his notion of “governance
without government", in the managing of international environmental regimes. He postulates
that such governance involves the establishment and operation of social institutions capable of
resolving conflicts, facilitating cooperation or more generally alleviating collective action in a
world of interdependent actors. 305
In taking the above observation further, we can simulate it to another one made by Keohane
and Ostrum. The two scholars analyze international resource regimes and local common
property regimes while investigating concepts of heterogeneity and cooperation in resource
regimes at different levels. In their observation they conclude that this work illuminates the
value of comparing collective action problems at varyingly different scales and such
comparisons across different scales can be so daunting. 306 However, in this regard, there is a
danger of making conclusions which may somewhat be misleading. For instance, when one
takes to comparing regimes at different levels of development, there is a danger of under
measuring which may definitely lead us into making invalid conclusions.
3.3 Biodiversity governance : Between restoration and Preservation
In order to locate biodiversity‘s place in the national resource management regime, it is
imperative that we further explore the institutional policies and practices regarding use and
regulation of biodiversity resources in Kenya’s broader resources management framework. It
is important to redefine a resource management regime as a structure of legal and social
relations with respect to particular natural resources. However, it is also noteworthy to point
out that this kind of understanding has to take place within the desired frameworks of the
national regulating regime. Ostrum defines governance as the conscious management of
regime structures with a view of enhancing legitimacy of public realm by focusing on the
rules as reflected in the public structures and how they are managed. 307 This definition paints a
picture of an institutional framework within which public decisions and choices are made and
at the same time presupposing a framework in which values and interests of the citizens are
met. Thus we are talking about a product of human agency that helps to define the relations
and interactions between state and society. The author adds that this process involves the
conscious management of regime structures with a view of enhancing legitimacy of public
realm, by focusing on the rules as reflected in the regime structures and how they are
304
Rittberger,V. 1993. Regime Theory and International Relations. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
305
Young, O. 1994. International Governance: Protecting the Enviroment in a Stateless Society. New York:
Cornell University Press.
306
Keohane, R and E.Ostrum. 1995. Local Commons and Global Interdependence: Heteroginity and
Cooperation in Two Domains. London: Sage.
307
Ostrum, E. 1990. Governing the commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action. New York:
Cambridge University Press.
61