Monitoring | PANORAMA

Participatory research in cooperation with scientific institutions

Participatory research is essential when historical records lack and new concepts are introduced. The research in Yakou included three phases. The first phase aimed to understand the site and its significance. As a typical village with a well-preserved landscape of “forest-village-terrace-water system”, Yakou was selected to represent the landscape pattern of Laohuzui Area. Fieldwork was conducted both by the nomination team (Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage) and the scientific research team (Yunnan University). The second phase focused on the restoration of Yakou’s irrigation system. Semi-structured interviews to locals, fieldwork and restoration were conducted. According to research results, the traditional water management system and related knowledge emerged as key elements in Yakou. Ditches, canals and water-woods were repaired to ensure its long-term use, and traditional ceremonies and inspection system were established by the elders. The third phase focused on the enhancement of the water management, where researchers conducted spatial research of the settlement patch distribution pattern and hydrological analysis using Geographic Information System followed by the replication of the experience in other villages.

Local research institutions are familiar with local conditions. Research requires the active involvement of local people and community to share knowledge and experience, especially oral history and unrecognized knowledge that is significant and need to connect to international and national societies.
Combination of international perspective and local experience.
Cooperation between public service institutions and domestic research institutes.
Collaboration between “research institutes + public service organizations + villager organization.”

The relationship between land-use, society and culture are crucial in landscape studies. Environmental challenges might be the manifestation of social changes and new regulations (e.g. Land and water disputes could be the underlying issue).
In the WH framework, the Outstanding Universal Value can be broad and general, but detailed features can not be neglected because these are the clue to understand the site characteristics. In Yakou, different layers of values research contribute to heritage management before and after inscription as WH. It has improved the knowledge of site managers, locals and researchers, and it is a continuing process.
Lack of historical records and documentation is a big problem for the preservation of the traditional water culture. Too much attention has been give to the landscape views yet not sufficient attention to the nature-human interactions which produced these.
Separate plans can not solve long-term management: Water management, conservation management and master plans should be drawn up in coordination and integrated for implementation.

Documentation and dissemination of results

Local

Subnational

Using Indigenous language in the signage of the heritage place

Røros municipality is a Sámi management area for language and culture which is a legal status where Sámi culture and language should be used for public communication, schools and land use plans at municipal level. The process to be a Sámi management area started in 2015, and the objective for the process was to lift forward the Sámi language and culture in the municipality. The municipality board delegated the mission to a political committee, who presented the results in November 2016. The government approved the application in 2018. Today there are 12 Norwegian municipalities that are Sámi management areas for language and culture.

In Røros, the signage of places and streets shall be translated to Sámi language at county and municipality levels. A Sámi name for Røros will also be decided. There is also education in Sámi language in primary school in Røros and Engerdal municipalities. Sámi language is also used in the signing of e-mails of officers. For the translation and naming process, the municipality appoints a committee which suggests words and names. The suggestions are taken into the municipality board, which sends the proposal to the Sámi Parliament. The Parliament discusses it on a hearing, and when the hearing is over, the municipality board finally decides the names.

Røros municipality was declared a Sámi management area for language and culture in 2018.

1) Non-Sámi people react mostly positively to the Sámi language used in the signage, but until now it has been little used.

2) Some words are difficult to translate, not all concepts have equivalents in Sámi language, so there is still improvement to be done. However, it allows a learning process on Sámi culture and the differences with Norwegian language.

Building a participatory monitoring and reporting system on the state of conservation in the World Heritage Site

Little Grand Rapids First Nation Guardians at pictograph site

Pimachiowin Aki Corporation

Pimachiowin Aki First Nations and the Pimachiowin Aki Corporation developed a Guardians Program in 2016 to implement the strategic direction set out in approved management plans of ensuring community well-being, raising funds, supporting local economic development, creating opportunities for Elders and youth to work together, maintaining/enhancing our cultural tradition, and ensuring compliance with customary laws and policies. Capacity and skills have been built among community members in communication, record-keeping, survival, good health, use of GPS to collect and record geographic information. Guardians are community members that observe, record and report on the health of ecosystems and cultural sites, educate the public about how to be good stewards of the cultural landscape, work with provincial government land and resource managers, and conserve pictographs, petroforms, archaeological sites, cultural sites, and intangible values shaping Anishinaabe connections with the Site including oral traditions central to the expression and intergenerational transmission of Akiiwi-gikendamowining (land-based knowledge), customary laws, and geographical names.

Funding (Guardians’ wages and operating costs, Elders’ honoraria, workshops and training).
Strong leadership at community-level.
Knowledge of the indicators of social, economic, cultural and environmental values of the site.
Good relationships with leaders, community members, Western modern scientists and government land managers (mutual respect, trust, honesty, parity in decision-making).
Opportunities to share experiences with other Guardian and stewardship programs.

Success of the Guardians Program depends on keeping Guardians employed on a full-time basis, and on maintaining connections between Guardians and Elders and youth.
Guardians initiatives risk failing completely or produce disappointing outcomes if careful planning is not completed before monitoring activities start. For monitoring to be successful, data and information needs to be stored, organized and distributed in ways that ensure it is useful, maintains its quality and credibility, and protects confidential information.
Compiled GIS (Geographical Information System) based inventories and databases are the best way to identify data gaps, which can then be used to update monitoring priorities and plans. A monitoring framework and information management system provide critical information for governance and decision making.
Elders and other knowledge-keepers are engaged in developing a broader set of indicators and metrics to provide a reliable statement on the condition of - and trends in - ecosystem health and the cultural landscape.

Monitoring

Local

Subnational

Participatory conservation of pilgrimage paths

Depending on their location, pilgrimage routes are owned by individuals, local or national governments who take care of their maintenance. Local inhabitants and Non-Profit Organizations (NPO) participate as well of the restoration, conservation and maintenance of some of the pilgrimage routes. For example, many preservation societies are active on the Iseji pilgrimage route where they conduct daily cleaning activities on the mountain passes where old roads remain. They also collaborate with patrolling after typhoons and heavy rains. These activities are recorded in the report and submitted to the respective Prefectural Board of Education via the respective Municipal Board of Education.

Japanese culture emphasizes on the caring for the public space and the benefit of the community as a whole, as well as supports a strong identification with and caring for the environment.
Support from the government and other agencies to facilitate citizen participation in volunteering activities, such as collection and distribution of donations.

The government will cooperate with citizens who initiate volunteer activities.
In the World Heritage property, some of the activities need a permission. This is something that needs to be confirmed in advance by the volunteers and the government.

Training high-school teachers on traditional knowledge and local culture

Ifugao school teachers harvest traditional rice from the terraces

SITMo

In order to integrate Ifugao culture in the formal school curriculum, teachers need to receive capacity building on the Ifugao culture. Teachers, most of Ifugao origin, have forgotten the value-system of their ancestors due to the modern education system. Some have been trained outside of the Ifugao region. The objective is to train teachers in integrating culture in mathematics, social sciences, and all courses, and design learning materials, modules which include the Ifugao culture as a cross-cutting theme. Teachers’ trainings on local curriculum development and coming up with learning modules are on-going.

The national government had undertaken a change in the education system to allow locally-based curriculums (IPED).

Ifugao culture does not need to be taught as a separate theme, but can be a cross-cutting theme for the whole curriculum.

Monitoring

Documentation and dissemination of results

Review phase

Local

Subnational

Creation of collaborative research projects on Indigenous and Local Knowledge

SITMo has developed partnership with local scientific institutions like the Ifugao State University, which is working with the FAO Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) designation and has established the Ifugao Rice Terraces GIAHS Research and Development Center. Furthermore, connected to this initiative, SITMo is working in cooperation with the Ifugao State University and the Taiwan Ministry of Science and Technology and the National Chengchi University of Taiwan in the project “Center for Taiwan-Philippines Indigenous Knowledge, Local Knowledge and Sustainable Development”, where partner institutions are exploring together the sustainable safeguarding and transmission of their Indigenous knowledge through exchange and collaborative research, which would enable local communities to develop sustainably. A long-term partnership with the Department of Anthropology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has been established in 2012 to undertake archaeological investigations in the terraces, leading to the establishment of community heritage galleries and publication of scientific articles.

GIAHS designation of the Rice Terraces (2004)
The local Ifugao State University is engaged in research and cooperation focused on the rice terraces, agroforestry and biodiversity conservation
The Department of Education embarked on a major overhaul of the curriculum where Indigenous knowledge and local Ifugao culture is to be integrated in all levels of K to 12. Research on traditional knowledge was required.
Common challenges with neighboring countries and other Indigenous communities

Involving research in the conservation of the Rice Terraces and the engagement of the youth and the community at large in the endeavor are mutually beneficial (for the research institutes and the local communities)
The interface of traditional knowledge learning through community elders and the formal schools through formally trained teachers can be conflicting at times so long-term strategies are to be put in place.
Administrative bureaucracy can be difficult for non-government organizations to work with government agencies and universities but patience is the key to success.

Planning phase

Monitoring

Documentation and dissemination of results

Development of a participatory management plan

The parties of the Laponia Process envisioned to create a new management plan for the property using the values within three areas: the natural environment and its high values; the living Sámi culture and reindeer industry; and the historical heritage arising from previous usage of the land. This participatory management plan is based on a shared understanding of the World Heritage property by all stakeholders involved in the process and the implementation of the plan. Besides the governing institutions (municipalities, county, governmental agencies in charge of heritage conservation), important stakeholders to be considered and integrated in this participatory process are the Sámi villages which are organizations responsible for the reindeer husbandry within a specific area. It is a legal entity and they are organized through village meetings.

The platform for dialogue created with the Laponia Process.
Reindeer Husbandry Act (member of a Sámi village organization).
The constitution provides special protection to Sámi people and their rights.
The Sámi are the Indigenous people of Sweden (determined by the Parliament) which gives them a special legal status in Swedish law.
The Right of Public Access.
Willingness from the authority to try something new, new working methods for management.

Management plans where different stakeholders have to compromise all the time might be too unspecific. There can be themes in the management plan that the organization have no prerequisites to implement and then people will be disappointed if the organization is not working with them. For instance, in our management plan, there are sentences that state how we should be working with the Sámi language, and therefore, we are doing it to some extent. But language is not our main focus and then sometimes people may be disappointed with the results.

Implementation

Monitoring

Documentation and dissemination of results

Local

Subnational

Establishment of an inclusive dialogue process: the Laponia Process

The Laponia Process was an approach to dialogue created and developed by a diversity of stakeholders in the Laponian Area World Heritage property. Since Laponia is a large area which consists of several protected areas, to establish a coordinated management system as a whole has been very challenging since its inscription in the World Heritage List. The County Administrative Board of Norbotten and the Sámi communities and municipalities of Jokkmokk and Gällivare started originally to prepare their conservation programs independently. The Laponia Process started by the initiative of the Governor of Norrbotten in 2005 including all stakeholders in a process of dialogue based on a set of common values, which would lead the parties to agree in crucial issues and the terms in which the Laponian Area should be managed. All decisions were determined to be taken by consensus, and new regulations for the national parks and nature reserves were requested. In 2006, the parties signed a common agreement which they sent to the Government, which contained:

A set of common basic values
Common intentions for a number of efforts
The establishment of a temporary Laponia delegation
Preparations for the start of a World Heritage management group with a Sámi majority on the committee.

The political will of the Governor of Norbotten, the Sámi village organizations through the association Midjá Ednam, the interest of the municipalities of Jokkmokk and Gällivare, and the endorsement of the SEPA were essential conditions for starting the process. The initiative originates in the acceptance of the different realities of the parties involved and the strong will to co-create a new management for the Laponian Area. Moreover, there was enough financing for the project and each group participated with the same economical prerequisites.

To be able to establish an organization based on consensus and develop a new way of management, one needs to listen to people and try to learn why they are thinking and doing like they are (it is norms and values that forms their ideas and practise) but also openly explain why one is thinking and doing in the way one is, because that also depends on the norms and values one has in life. This process takes time, and it is about learning new knowledge from each other and accept it. This is also a process one cannot do in the office, one needs to go out and meet people in their ordinary life regularly. It cannot be rushed or think it can be a quick fix. The Laponia Process took six years until all stakeholders involved could agree upon a common organization and management plan.

To do a process like the Laponia Process – you need to have time, financing, and the “right” people involved. Listen to each other. Time to take home tricky questions and discuss them with other representatives for the stakeholders, before decisions are made.

Documentation and dissemination of results

Local

Subnational

Gestión financiera sostenible, responsable y debidamente fiscalizada

La gestión financiera del área fue llevada a cabo en forma descentralizada, lo que otorgó mayor transparencia al uso de los recursos.

Se ha controlado financieramente todo el proceso de acuerdo a la legislación que apoya el proyecto y el presupuesto destinado al mismo.

Las decisiones tomadas para el destino de los recursos han pasado la aprobación de la Junta Financiera de la Secretaría Municipal de Medio Ambiente, el CONDEMA y de la junta financiera del Municipio, dependiendo de la procedencia de los recursos.

Esto ha sido factible gracias a recursos provenientes de: presupuesto municipal, términos de ajustamiento de conductas ( TAC´s), Ministerio Público, FUNDEMA, Secretaria de Justicia, infracciones ambientales, términos de compromiso ambiental (TCA), recursos de otros proyectos y programas empresarios, la Cámara Estatal de Compensación Ambiental, de términos de compensación vegetal (TCV) entre otros medios de financiamiento.

Todos ellos gestionados y debidamente fiscalizados por los órganos de contralor creados al efecto.

Si bien es cierto que en este tipo de proyectos los recursos financieros y económicos son claves para la implementación y concreción de los mismos, lo más importante que se ha aprendido aquí es que esos ingresos económicos han cumplido con el objetivo gracias a haber aprendido la gran importancia y rol fundamental que tiene una buena fiscalización, control y administración del dinero que forma parte del presupuesto, se ha aprendido básicamente que es imperativo contar con procesos de control transparentes y a la altura de las circunstancias.

Implementation

Monitoring

Local

Apprendre / To learn

one of the largest shark nursery in the FWI

oceane beaufort

3 juveniles lemon shark on a drone footage

oceane beaufort

a juvenile lemon shark

oceane beaufort

To protect, we need knowledge.

What shark and ray species are present in the shallow waters of the French West Indies?
When are these species present?
Are they present on all the islands?
What are the potential local threats to their populations?
Are they in contact with human activities?

With so many questions in need of an answers, we came up with two main methods to collect the necesarry knowledge:

Scientific monitoring based on aerial surveys. The shallow waters of the French West Indies were explored with a drone. This method makes it possible to identify the species present and count the number of individuals which frequent the shallow waters.
Aquisition and valorisation of sea user's knowledge. Who is best placed to know the sea? The local users! Fishermen, divers, swimmers use the sea every day. Participatory science was used to record sightings of sharks and rays. The collected data made it possible to produce distribution maps for each species and to collect information about shark and ray interactions with human activities.