Planning phase | PANORAMA

Strengthening of community organization

Tanta community authorities inform about the project to the community assembly

Instituto de Montaña

Under the "Strengthening community organization" component, the project worked with the Tanta community to develop a livestock management strategy, with the support of a specialist, to improve livestock management in the community’s farm territory. The objective was to fortify the community’s collective decision-making process in regards to the management of its natural resources, thus contributing to the recovery of grazing areas, which in turn ensures having the necessary level of food for livestock and improving both productivity and ecosystem services for water regulation.

The livestock management strategy has been the product of a participatory process facilitated by Instituto de Montaña and led by the authorities and the community's livestock department (committee). As part of this process, visual materials (maps and infographics) have been developed to graphically represent the proposed management plan and rotation of livestock among the different sectors of the communal farm. These visual materials are exhibited in the community premises so that the community members can follow up on the plan and the agreements and commitments made by all.

Participatory approach to decision-making and planning.
Interest and commitment of the local population.
Relationship of trust between the community and the implementing institutions.
Availability and commitment of the authorities in charge, such as the boards of directors and specialized committees.
Traditional knowledge of the local population and technical knowledge of external experts.
Participation of the Nor Yauyos-Cochas Landscape Reserve (NYCLR) team.

Working on community strengthening and organization is a process that takes time but is essential to achieve long-term results.
The project needs to be flexible enough to modify plans in the face of unexpected situations. This also contributes to building trust.
In the face of the initial distrust towards external institutions, the permanent presence of Instituto de Montaña's field staff and their involvement in the community's day-to-day life was important.

Planning phase

Implementation

Documentation and dissemination of results

Local

Cattle rotation map - Tanta

Sheep rotation map - Tanta

Map of alpaca rotation - Tanta

Planning as a basic tool for organization and adaptation

Master craftswoman teaching the art of weaving

CooperAcción

Parallel to the implementation of the school, the organization's strategic planning process was carried out by incorporating the EbA approach, which included aspects related to climate change and the use of ecosystems. In both organisations, strategic and prospective visions were built, which took into account the scenarios that global warming will generate on the coast.

It was essential to connect three concepts: ecosystem, women's fabric and markets. This connection is a multidimensional interrelationship that articulates the care of nature (wetland), the safeguarding of culture (women's weaving) and the use of economic opportunities (markets). This interrelationship would not be possible without the protection of the environment through good wetland behavior. This means, good wetland management practices, based on the project's capacity building.

Improved adaptation through capacity building, can turn climate change into an opportunity and open up a wider range of new alternatives for women. In order to achieve this understanding, it was important to produce didactic support materials and use panels in the training centers of both groups. This also included trips to the wetland to identify the key services that make the reed crafts possible. Adaptation to climate change is a dynamic process that involves a lot of memory, understanding and action.

Site selection and socio-environmental analysis

El parque antes de las intervenciones

GIZ Mexico, Josafat de la Toba

El parque antes de las intervenciones

GIZ Mexico, Josafat de la Toba

El parque antes de las intervenciones

GIZ Mexico, Josafat de la Toba

The overall objective of the initiative was to increase the resilience of a local neighborhood. Therefore, an adequate implementation site had to be identified, with the potential to increase the quality of life of the local community and to showcase solutions to typical environmental problems that are present in the city of San José del Cabo.

The implementation site was selected by the Municipal Planning Institute of Los Cabos, by taking into consideration the following selection criteria:

accessibility to the site
available allies
presence of environmental problems to be addressed
crime rate
support by the local government
available services (electricity, water supply)
available funding

After the site was selected, a socio-environmental analysis and a topographical survey was conducted by the Urban Oasis Alliance (consisting of the organizations Niparajá, Urbanería, EPI). The objective of these analyses was to identify the current status of the park, including the the environmental services it provided, the environmental and social risks that were present in the space, the user types, the different ways in which the community was using the park, perceived and existing risks and other social and environmental factors.

Committed local government to support the process of the site selection and definition of the objectives of the initiative
Applying adequate criteria for selecting the site
Using this planning phase for forming alliances with governmental entities, local organizations, the local community and other relevant stakeholders

The preparation phase requieres almost as much time as the actual implementation
The criteria that are applied to select the site have to match the overall and specific objectives of the initiative
The implementation partners should be involved from the very beginning, hence, during the selection of the site

Planning phase

Local

DISCUSS OH INTEGRATION

The adoption of the One Health approach in biodiversity-related projects requires an open and participatory discussion among all actors and stakeholders involved and affected by the project itself. The discussion will build on the results of project analysis, collaboratively planning how (principles) and where (gate entries) the One Health approach can be applied and identifying what (measures) can be done to ensure integration is optimal and relevant. The review team will lead the preparation of an action plan to ensure that fundamental factors (enabling conditions) are met and guide the operationalisation of the OH component at the human-animal-environment interface.

Engage a wide spectrum of actors and stakeholders in the discussion, ensuring the representation of different sectors and groups that are affected by the project
Promote an open dialogue among all actors, to promote exchange and integration between scientific and traditional knowledge

The integration of One Health in biodiversity-related projects can be a complex process. Three strategies can ease the task and support the review team in achieving the goal. The clarification of the One Health definition in the context of the specific project to ensure all actors share the same understanding of the approach and the value of its integration in the project. The identification of a narrow scope for the adoption of the OH approach within the project to test the capacity of the team in establishing new partnerships, working across disciplines, and creating initiatives that differ from their usual business. The engagement of external assessors, experts in the operationalisation of One Health, to support the team through the collaborative process to identify the opportunities of collaboration at the biodiversity-health nexus.

EXPLORE ENABLING CONDITIONS

Enabling conditions determine the success of the OH integration in the project. Their accomplishment is necessary to create a suitable environment for sustainable and optimal collaborations and activities. The enabling conditions identified in the framework include a conducive political environment that encourages government and non-state actors across all relevant organisational levels to willingly collaborate; infrastructure, tools and processes that ease the sharing of data and enable the co-design of multisectoral interventions at the human-animal-environment interface; a detailed stakeholder mapping that allows the identification of strengths and potentials across different actors and promotes the establishment of valuable collaboration; and a meaningful investment that sustains the application of the One Health approach in new or existing project.

Conduct a thorough analysis of the policy context in the country of intervention, to identify government and non-state initiatives that support OH operationalisation
Analyse the infrastructures and assets already available in the project that can ease the collaboration and communication with other sectors and initiatives

The failure to meet the enabling conditions does not automatically disqualify a project to include a One Health approach. However, it may hinder the actual operationalisation of the integration within the project. Small scale initiatives that require a limited investment may represent a viable option to pilot the integration of One Health at the biodiversity-health nexus even when not all enabling conditions are met. The initiatives will help the generation of evidence and support the case of One Health among policymakers and investors, eventually boosting the enabling conditions for future interventions.

LEVERAGE MEASURES

Measures are interventions or activities that are already implemented in the project and can allow building a One Health component within its scope. They enable the operationalisation of the One Health integration in an optimal and relevant way. The framework identifies eight measures, including Education and Awareness, Policy Development, Capacity Development, Collaborative Platforms, Community Engagement, Information Sharing, Surveillance and Early Warning, and Research.

Refer to the provided definitions of each measure to ensure a correct understanding of its meaning in reference to the analysis framework
Review the project simply by looking for the gate entries and avoid jumping to quick conclusions regarding the adoption of the One Health approach

The measures proposed in the analysis framework are commonly found in biodiversity and conservation projects. The challenge here is to leverage them to allow the integration of the One Health approach in the project. The activity or component can be re-designed and re-planned working across sectors and adding the perspectives of different disciplines and actors. The transformed and integrated measure will increase its value and lead to bigger impacts at the biodiversity-health nexus.

IDENTIFY GATE ENTRIES

Gate entries are thematic areas in which the project conducts activities or actions that have the potential to link into a OH approach. They represent real opportunities to integrate and transform project goals and One Health goals into a common goal. At the biodiversity-health nexus, the framework identifies five main key gate entries: Emerging Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Agriculture Production and Food Safety, Climate Change and Risk Reduction, Wildlife Trade and Consumption, and Biodiversity Conservation (including Nature-Based Solutions, Protected Areas, and Wildlife Management).

Refer to the provided definitions of gate entries to ensure a correct understanding of their meaning in reference to the analysis framework

There may be more than one gate entry to the biodiversity-health nexus in the same project. However, it is recommended to focus only on one gate entry to initiate the integration of the OH approach. The process requires efforts and resources to establish new partnerships, co-design new project components, and put in place measures and infrastructures to allow the communication, collaboration, coordination and capacity building across sectors and disciplines. A narrow focus can ease the process and increase the rate of success. Evidence generated in small-scale initiatives can eventually support their replication at a wider scale and inform the development of policies on the operationalisation of One Health in biodiversity-related projects.

QUICK SCAN OF THE PROJECT

The first step of the analysis is to assess if the project is applying one or more OH principles within its scope of work. Seven OH principles, adapted from the literature, are used in the framework (i.e., multisectoral, transdisciplinary, participation, prevention, decentralisation, evidence-based, multi-scalar). Not all principles in the framework have equal value, with the multisectoral principle considered an essential component in the proposed tool. The reason for this is that the basis of One Health is the collaboration among different sectors. The framework allows multisectoral collaborations at any level, for example where an MoU has been signed between ministries, or at community level through the joint effort of village health workers, animal health volunteers and rangers.

Refer to the provided definitions of each principle to ensure a correct understanding of its meaning in reference to the analysis framework
Review the project simply by looking for the mere application of principles and avoid jumping to quick conclusions regarding the adoption of the One Health approach

A quick scan of the project gives insight into the project’s current state. If the project already applies one or more OH principles, there are immediate opportunities to design and plan a One Health component within its scope of work. However, failure to apply even a single principle does not prevent the One Health approach to be implemented, nor does it imply that the framework analysis has to stop. The quick scan of the project will help to clarify what principles need to be explored and included to successfully implement a One Health approach.

FORM A REVIEW TEAM

Once formed, a review team will lead the analysis of the project and the potential integration of the One Health approach. It is key to initiate a discussion across sectors, identify opportunities of collaboration among stakeholders, and enable the co-design of One Health components that align with and push the project goals towards a holistic approach to the biodiversity-health nexus. The review team is multidisciplinary and should be made up of all the project owners, including institutional and development partners.

Multidisciplinary composition of the review team, including experts from different sectors (e.g., conservation, animal health, human health, education, social science)
Transdisciplinary composition of the review team, including experts from different levels of intervention and with different roles (e.g., researchers, policymakers, service providers, community members)

External assessors can greatly contribute and amplify the outcomes of the project analysis at the biodiversity-health nexus. They can guide the project team through the analysis process providing a fresh and independent perspective to the project analysis. External assessors should have some sort of experience in multisectoral collaborations and One Health to guide the review team in the project analysis and identification of opportunities to integrate a more holistic approach.

ALIGNMENT OF FUND-FOR-EMPLOYMENT MECHANISM

San Juan del Abiseo Community

Richard Bazán

After the socialization and validation of the plan, the following steps are taken:

Execution of the Plan:
- Meetings to prepare the budget for each work (with quotations). These included the formation of work teams, preparation and signing of lists of workers, letters of commitment (with agreement on a fixed payment) and schedules within the project's timeframe.
FundManagement Process: The fund was distributed to the participating communities in the 2 PAs, covering the following expenditure categories:
- Purchase of community materials. Using the "Affidavit" tool for the economic payment received by the community members providing these materials.
- Purchase of construction materials (not available in the community). For this purpose, the payment vouchers were considered as means of verification, together with a Materials Delivery Record.
- Payment of local labor: a distinctive element of this mechanism that made it possible to recognize the time and effort of each inhabitant in the construction that their own community identified in their plan. To achieve this, the following tools were designed:
  - Letters of commitment, with the workday of each settler.
  - Work follow-up card, with the control of the time worked by each inhabitant.

Affidavit of receipt of payment.

The limited access to other sources of local income (labor vulnerability) allowed the involvement of people around the identified works. In addition, the openness of the beneficiary communities was key to the sustained development of each project.

In some communities, the participation of their local and community authorities was key, giving legitimacy to the works. It should be noted that during this process, neither children nor adolescents (members of the participating families) were involved in the work.

The works developed thanks to the Fund-for-Employment mechanism had to be in line with a tourism product vision; that is, in addition to benefiting the community (in terms of usability), they had to fit in with the tourism experience proposals developed for each community. The articulating and permanent monitoring role of the Field Officers ensured that the works were carried out within the estimated deadlines, under the principles of transparency, flexibility and assertive communication.

Within each community, a "Master Builder" was chosen to guide the quality of the work performed; in addition, the project provided information and reference models for the implementation of the works.

The transfer of materials was a major challenge, due to the abrupt weather changes suffered by both PAs, as a result of global warming and the instability of rainfall. Prevention and permanent communication were the keys to overcoming this obstacle.