Strengthening coordination and support at the local level
Strengthening coordination and support at the local level. The initiative instituted 20 environment units within the local government office to support the community groups. These units brought together local government staff such as land officers, agriculture officers, rangers, police, and others to jointly work on environmental issues on a regular basis, often sharing one office. Instituting these units to cooperate with local communities has helped to shift mindsets. Local authorities now see their role as supporting local communities in conservation efforts rather than protecting state resources from local people.
Institutionalization of a support unit within the local government, ensuring the cross-sectoral integration for supporting community groups. This also resulted in mainstreaming of biodiversity conservation in various sectoral work - e.g. agricultural extension and land use planning.
Importance of institutionalization of any support for assuring sustainability.