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.

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.

Communication and raising awareness are the pillars of environmental protection.

Laws are an important factor for environmental protection, but it is the will of the public that will make the difference. It is important to raise awareness of the richness of our territories, but also of their fragility. We need to realize that it is through our daily actions that we can make a difference. For example, if a consumer creates a demand, the fisherman responds to this demand.

To share and raise awareness, an exhibition will soon be set up on each island of the French West Indies. The objective will be to present the diversity and the fragility of the shark and ray populations that frequent the shallow waters and to present good practices.

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.

With the presence of critically endangered species (i.e. Caribbean numbfish, Narcine bancroftii), of endemic Caribbean species (i.e. the Caribbean reef shark, Carcharhinus perezi), and of many nurseries and breeding areas, the French West Indies have an important role in the conservation of shark and ray populations.

However, the protection of species that have a negative image remains a challenge, even more so due to the accidents that take place each year on the French island of La Reunion.

This project aims to propose the first measures for the conservation of sharks and rays: adaptation of fishing regulations, development of sustainable tourism practices, ect.

Volunteers are strongly involved in communication processes to seek changes in society, thereby fulfilling four functions: informing, persuading, entertaining and educating.

Communication work is crucial for society to find out about and value natural resources, in order to increase environmental education and awareness and to contribute to a better conservation of natural areas.

Projects in this area offer young people the opportunity to contribute to nature conservation by getting involved in the following tasks:

1. Reforestation
2. Conservation of flora and fauna
3. Data collection
4. Tasks involving nature reserve maintenance
5. Bio-construction projects
6. Environmental Education and Communication

Participating in the IUCN Shared Resources, Joint Programme's capacity-building for civil society on business engagement helped the NGOs increase their chances of success, but also to connect with other NGOs at the event. The training included advocacy, building trust with the company, designing a good business engagement approach and engaging with a company in a convivial way while staying true to principles. Through this training, IUCN provided their existing contact with a key person in the company to the implementing NGOs, which further reinforced their engagement. 

Heidelberg already had a biodiversity policy and were organising a reward initiative related to biodiversity. This meant that there was already a good foundation to build on, and someone to advocate strongly for it within the company.

Decisions on land management are made respecting and taking into consideration the expectations and needs of all project stakeholders, who are key players in the preservation actions as well as in the implementation of other proposals such as sustainable fishing, community-based tourism, etc. and who in turn help the municipal bodies in their supervisory role.

It is important to mention that the licensing of activities in this area must follow a process verified by two councils: the Municipal Council for Environmental Defense (CONDEMA) and the APA Management Council.