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
Local
Subnational
Multi-national
Publications
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. 

Planning phase
Inception phase
Implementation
Monitoring
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
oceane beaufort
one of the largest shark nursery in the FWI
oceane beaufort
oceane beaufort
3 juveniles lemon shark on a drone footage
oceane beaufort
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.
  • Stakeholders and managers involvement.
  • Communication.

The difficulty of using participatory sciences.

Planning phase
Implementation
Monitoring
Subnational
Creación oficial del Parque

Una vez que las familias fueron trasladadas se comenzó una intensa tarea de limpieza, remoción de residuos (alrededor de 200 camiones completos de basura) y un saneamieno general de ese espacio.

Finalmente, en el año 2005 se pudo formalmente declarar la creación del Parque Natural Emperatriz a través de  tres fases: la primera con la implementación de áreas de recreación, equipamiento acorde y un área de 170 ha para la conservación de la biodiversidad; la segunda etapa en 2012 y una tercera fue la creación del Jardín Botánico. Actualmente, tanto el Parque como el Jardín Botánico conforman un mosaico de áreas protegidas.

Un factor clave en la creación del Parque ha sido la iniciativa y lucha constante del " Grupo Do Parque" que desde muchos años atrás viene apoyando este proyecto, también ha sido determinante la Ley Municipal creadora del mismo, dando un marco regulatorio formal a la conformación de este área.

 

De este proyecto se han aprendido varias lecciones, entre ellas: Ha sido fructífera la insistencia por parte de la sociedad civil (Grupo do Parque) en la imperiosa necesidad de rescatar y revalorizar el lugar.

El Parque ha supuesto una gran fuente de educación ambiental para toda la sociedad, demostrando la posibilidad de conciliar la perfecta armonía entre recreación, preservación, disfrute y goce de sus recursos naturales.

Implementation
Monitoring
Local
Reubicación de familias a través de una acertada política habitacional

Un plan estratégico habitacional efectivo y adaptado a esa situación estructural fue clave en la recuperación de este área tan devastada.

Se ha llevado a cabo el traslado de alrededor de 200 familias y, posteriormente,  una extensa limpieza del sector a través de un proceso de recuperación y conservación permanente. Dichas familias se dedicaban a la separación de basura y de residuos sólidos domiciliarios e industriales, material que luego comercializaban. Este proceso era realizado de forma irregular y sin conocimiento de la temática, es así que esta actividad se tornaba un elemento perjudicial adicional en este ya devastado escenario para el medio ambiente .

Este proyecto habitacional, a diferencia de lo que sucede en muchas partes de Sudamérica, ha sido planificado e implementado en forma humanizada, atendiendo a las necesidades de las personas que habitaban el lugar. Ha sido un proceso habitacional de calidad, que no sólo ha reubicado a las familias sino que también ha ayudado a capacitarlas en actividades de reciclaje para llevar el proceso de manera más profesional, consciente y alineada a la normativa de esta actividad.

Esto ha sido posible gracias la buena predisposición y al diálogo mutuo de las autoridades municipales con las familias que habitaban el área, sin dejar de mencionar el hecho de haber declarado de utilidad pública ya en el año 1994 al área donde actualmente se emplaza el Parque, esto ha dado un marco legal previo y de sostén, reforzando y dando mayor solidez a todas las decisiones tomadas a partir de esa declaración.

Una de las lecciones aprendidas es la manera en cómo fue estructurado el diálogo con las familias ocupantes del área recuperada, el primer paso para comenzar a dialogar con la población fue demostrar fácticamente, es decir, a través de hechos, la conveniencia de proteger el medioambiente.

El relevamiento de la situación actual ha aportado mucho también, revelando las causas que tornaban tan difícil regularizar la situación de esas familias, asimismo, ha demostrado que debido a las condiciones sanitarias, inundaciones etc, era urgente reubicar a esas personas en otras áreas como por ejemplo en el loteamiento Tancredo- Neves , el cuál sí contaba con condiciones dignas de habitación, agua, luz, servicios sanitarios, etc.

El gran aprendizaje aquí,  también ha sido que las familias al ver las ventajas que esta iniciativa supondría, han hecho que la situación fluya en direcciones beneficiosas para todas las partes, pero muy especialmente para el cuidado y preservación de la biodiversidad, un recurso de todos y para beneficio de todos.

Implementation
Monitoring
Local
Sustainable financing from terms of TAC behavioral adjustments and environmental offsets

In order to financially sustain the project, a plan has been implemented to obtain resources from the terms of conduct adjustment (TAC) as well as environmental compensation; however, the TACs do not have a specific allocation for APAs and the Municipal Environmental Fund as the destination of payments, As they are recent, they do not yet have fixed disbursement criteria, so financial resources derived from the Iporanga and Tijucopava plots are used for the suppression of irregular vegetation and occupation without environmental licenses, thus allowing for the purchase of a 611-hectare reserve.

This has been possible, in part, thanks to:

  • The co-responsibility in the performance of the Council.
  • The fluent communication within and outside of this organization
  • The Council's commitment to society
  • The Council's operational efficiency
  • The effectiveness in the management of the APA
  • The effectiveness of the APA for conservation and sustainability.

From this we have learned that the fluid, constant and consolidated communication in the Council has allowed better communication campaigns for a better understanding of the needs of the different communities, and a greater understanding and reduction of tensions in a previous scenario, thus achieving the promotion and awareness of the need to protect the natural and cultural heritage, etc. of the region.

Implementation
Monitoring
Local
High degree of involvement of the Council with society

The level of involvement obtained was very significant, strengthening the interaction, the relationship with the process of implementation and management of the APA as well as in the performance of the councilors, their organizations of origin, the sector represented in the Council, and other social actors and society in general.

This was possible thanks to the direct insertion of the actors within the APA and its deliberative nature, it was also possible thanks to having introduced a process of building and reinforcing trust between the parties to counteract the effects of previous conflictive situations on land use and it is for this reason that the involvement of the councilors was an element present from the beginning.

Another favorable factor was the monthly frequency of the Council meetings.

The monthly meetings have proven to be an important tool to favor and encourage the participation of the management body, and it has also been learned that the quick response to the problems raised by the board members promotes a great feeling of inclusion in the participatory process.

Implementation
Monitoring
Local
Environmental zoning for a better delimitation of areas
Source:Socio-environmental Atlas
Social mapping of the communities of Icapuí - APA zoning detail
Fuente:Atlas socioambiental
Socio-environmental atlas
Detailed reference to the APA zoning
Atlas socioambiental

As a tool to assist in environmental management, the zoning was carried out by the Brasil Cidadano Foundation, through the "Olho na Agua" Project, in conjunction with municipal support.

The environmental zoning has been divided into the following zones:

  • Environmental preservation zone - ZPA
  • Environmental conservation zone - ZCA
  • Environmental Recovery Zone - ZRA
  • Biodiversity Recruitment Zone - ZRB
  • Village Expansion Control Zone - ZCEV
  • Traditional use and fishing zone - ZUT
  • Birds, Marine Boi fish and Macroalgae monitoring zone - ZMAP
  • Seaweed cultivation zone - ZALGAS

This generated a correct attribution of uses and activities, allowing the realization of those activities proper to each zoning, restricting activities incompatible with each zoning category.

The effectiveness of the measures taken, due to the flagrant situation caused by the companies installed there, when no more licenses were given to them to continue operating, they had no choice but to adapt to the new situation and cease their activities.

  • This preservation strategy implies an instrument of environmental and urban legislation, allowing at the same time a sustainable and sustainable development and displacing those activities that are harmful to the environment:
  • To be an effective means to achieve a balance between environmental protection and the development of productive activities without implying a contradiction between these and conservation.
  • To be a generator of work through the "Women of Body and Seaweed" Foundation. to promote the role of women and gender equality in the workplace.
  • To be a tool to raise awareness that the management and preservation of natural resources is not only an exclusive task of the Conservation Units, but that it is everyone's duty to watch over the process of management and care of these areas.
  • That the zoning referred to algae is an attraction for fish, lobsters, shrimps and for the so precious boi-fish, thus achieving the strengthening of these species and enriching the biodiversity of the area.

Implementation
Monitoring
Local
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