The Approach: Social Enterprise and Biosphere Reserve Development Framework

The Social Enterprise and Biosphere Reserve (SEBR) Development Framework can be applied to any protected area and aims to provide a living document that will be flexible and adaptable in different countries and contexts, within their own norms, values and approaches. As such the Framework is designed as a route map towards the emergence of social enterprise as a means to promote sustainable economic development, in harmony with social and environmental sustainability. For this reason we have developed a Framework that looks at the importance of four key Factors - Public Participation, Social Enterprise, Social Investment and Sustainable Public Procurement.

The Framework can be used to plot the current context in a protected area, highlighting local strengths and weakness in relation to 4 key Factors. Once this mapping process has been carried out an Action Plan can be designed, relevant to the particular country and BR. It is likely to take around 3 years to establish the momentum necessary for this approach to become self-organising and so sustainable into the future. 

Social capital underpins the whole Social Enterprise and Biosphere Reserve Development Framework (SEBR-DF). Social capital shapes the quantity and quality of our social interactions and how well we can act collectively to tackle issues in our lives.

It is therefore a critical resource for any intervention aiming to deliver lasting benefits.

The four factors which are key to the success of the SEBR-DF are: Social enterprise; Social investment; Sustainable public procurement; and Public participation. 

Often protected area management staff hold core skills in conservation research and when it comes to an approach which includes sustainable economic development, there can be barriers to gaining support for its implementation within these areas.

Assist Social Capital have built strong partnerships within the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve community since initiating work in this sector in 2011. In order to accelerate this process ASC Co-leads and is Secretary of a MAB Thematic Network which is composed of experts in the field and meets quarterly to discuss progress and strategies to get social entrpreneurship on the MAB agenda.

 

ASC has also influenced the International Action Plan of the UNESCO Man and Biosphere Programme, the Lima Action Plan 2016-2025. The Lima Action Plan now includes supporting and including social entrepreneurs in the activities of UNESCO Biosphere Reserves. This has allowed ASC to have an officially recognised remit within the UNESCO MAB Programme, however progress to be accepted into such work streams has remained slow.

Assist Social Capital CIC
West and Central Africa
Central America
South America
Southeast Asia
West and South Europe
North Europe
East Europe
Tabitha
Ewing
The Approach: Social Enterprise and Biosphere Reserve Development Framework
The Tool: OASIIS - Opening Access to Sustainable Independent Income Streams
Assist Social Capital CIC
West and Central Africa
Central America
South America
Southeast Asia
West and South Europe
North Europe
East Europe
Tabitha
Ewing
The Approach: Social Enterprise and Biosphere Reserve Development Framework
The Tool: OASIIS - Opening Access to Sustainable Independent Income Streams
Assist Social Capital CIC
West and Central Africa
Central America
South America
Southeast Asia
West and South Europe
North Europe
East Europe
Tabitha
Ewing
The Approach: Social Enterprise and Biosphere Reserve Development Framework
The Tool: OASIIS - Opening Access to Sustainable Independent Income Streams
Importance of conservation

Scientists, who have been monitoring the area before it was closed, estimate a 500% increase in biomass within the area since the closure. The area, previously covered with sea urchins, is now a thriving biodiversity hotspot with the balance restored. The elders report new species in the MPA that have not been seen in living memory. The coral, previously destroyed by human feet, has recovered quickly and the lagoon area is now known as one of the best snorkelling destinations on the Kenyan coast. Local and international students come and learn in our living marine classroom. Turtles feed on the seagrass beds undisturbed, and the number of nests has increased significantly. The area has returned from being a marine desert to a marine paradise and a critical model globally that shows how a poor community can help conserve nature and benefit from it too. Bigger and better catches outside the MPA has ensured support for the permanent closure.

 

The MPA could not have gone a head without the belief and forsight of the fisherfolk in the area and the acceptance to beleive that positive change was possible even in difficult circumstances. Local knowledge from the elders ensured a suitable site for the closure was chosen. Scientific research also supported the choice as having the most potential for long term improvement. Regular updates on improvements within the MPA has helped sure up the belief that it is successful as a breeding area.

That nature is resilient and can recover amazingly quickly if left alone to do so. Identifying needs and fostering willingness to embrace change can improve livelihoods. The importance of undertaking an environmental impact assessment on the area, underpinned by research and local knowledge, before the project started has been a critical factor towards the success of the MPA. Constant awareness and updates of the improvement in the MPA need to be communicated back to the community. Analysing the information can be used to put into perspective in the socio-economic impact. The importance of communication of our progress back to the community has been something we have had to improve. When the community understands and sees the benefits from change they are, understandably, more willing to accept it.

Community welfare

Although the MPA quickly recovered and livelihoods began to improve part of the management plan was to introduce other non-fishing based enterprises in an attempt to achieve a self-sustainable solution. Initially, outside funding had to be sourced to enable this to happen, and various grants were forthcoming. Initially, a tourism business taking advantage of the improvement of coral and biodiversity within the MPA attracted visitors. This produced training opportunities, created steady employment to fishers improving their livelihood and taking pressure off the marine resource. The youth were trained in furniture making from old dhows, honey was produced, sustainably caught fish sold to restaurants, vegetables and crops grown and sold, various aquaculture projects are underway, and the women group have various enterprises including tailoring and a craft shop selling products made from driftwood and natural soaps. A loan scheme allows the members to finance other projects. A portion of the profit goes towards community welfare needs like water, health and sanitation. Beach waste is collected and sold to recycling companies. A school education programme educates the children on the importance of sustainable use of resources, and we provide trips within the MPA. 

The MPA is the heart of our project. The protected breeding ground means improves fishing in the area with a knock-on effect of improved livelihoods. The MPA has become an attraction and visitors bring in much needed funds which go towards employment, training, the running of the organisation and setting up other businesses. While we faced challenges and objection to setting aside the area of the MPA, the results have shown it was worth it.

For conservation to work it needs to be accompanied by tangible alternative opportunities and real improvements in livelihoods. The resource that is being conserved needs to be valuable and important to the local community. All the components have to work in unison and benefit the community. Whilst an LMMA takes time, understanding and patience to set up and establish, it becomes an efficient and productive hub from which other projects can grow. It has multifaceted benefits that can cover both conservation and community welfare. We learned along the way that there is no short cut to community buy-in. In our case, we were working with a subsistence community and even short-term threats to their livelihood meant direct hardship that led to resistance. We learnt that most of the resistance we met was underpinned by a real fear of economic insecurity. Once we understood that the needs of the community were paramount, we could devise relevant and impactful strategies to achieve our conservation goals.

Recruit conservation volunteers using internet campaign

Using modern communication network, Sapu Jerat campaign at Kitabisa.com opens new opportunity for local, national and international communities to get involved volunteering to protect endangered species like sumatran tiger by donating through the Sapu Jerat campaign and getting involved in clearing sumatran tiger traps in the buffer zones and national park areas.

 

Potential communities to be involved in Sapu Jerat campaign are Tiger Heart Community by Forum Harimau Kita, Sumatran Tiger Project advocacy communities (journalists, communication officers), artists, students, tourists, forest rangers, etc. 

 

Local, national and international communities involvement in Sapu Jerat Campaign should be closely coordinated with national park officials.  

The success of involving local, national and international communities to volunteer in Sapu Jerat campaign is owed to the overall good coordination and communication strategy between Sumatran Tiger Project, Forum HarimauKita, and UNDP Indonesia by involving forest rangers of the National Park Authority, the community-based forest rangers, the NGO Partner leading the activity in the respective landscape, and the project coordinating office at the respective landscape. 

1. Communication and coordination are keys for a succesfull Sapu Jerat campaign 

2. Sapu Jerat campaign increases awareness of the importance of protecting sumatran tiger as the last remaining tiger sub-species in Indonesia.

3. Sapu Jerat campaign provides ideal platform for communities to participate protecting national parks and their wildlife ecosystem. 

Global theme for a common purpose

The GAW campaigns are organized in such a manner that each year there is a common theme for all the participating countries globally. This enhances learning from each other as there are common resources that are shared by the coordinating agencies such as brochures and provision of a common platform for cross learning and shring amongst participating partners. There are opportunities that are provided for joint meetings to review the progress of the campaign and share experiences from various parts of the globe. This provides an opportunity to jointly evaluate what has been working and what has not been working for improvement and learning. Having a common theme around the globe enhances the level of achievement of the anticipated results from various continents. The campaign also takes place simultaneously around the world.

  • Having a joint theme for all participating countries
  • Having common campaign sites i.e. website and Facebook page for sharing and learning from each other
  • Having common coordinators of the initiative i.e SSNC and consumer international
  • Organized activities around the World Food Day makes the agenda of sustaianble consuption be implemented in a timely manner
  • There is need for cross learning and sharing amongst partners on best practices and successes for upscaling in different contexts
  • The concept of Green Action Week Campaigns is easily replicable in different localities and contexts with the selected themes being suitable everywhere
Striving to be locally rooted, participative and adaptive, while globally connected

The "helicopter approach" has become part of our philosophy and is an important key to success in Protected Areas. As an NGO, we constantly hover between local and international, and we aim to be rooted locally, while universally connected.

We thrive to balance between local assets, skills, and needs, with international concepts and expertise, without the need to stop at any "intermediary".

We seek to be adaptive and collaborative in our management of the Reserve: we seek the guidance of locals to adapt techniques and recommendations to our local context.

Our staff and board members are predominantly local residents; we have direct links with local stakeholders, and we advance personal relationships over numbers in large scale surveys. On the other hand, we aim at adapting the international concepts of the Man and Biosphere Programme, and we seek to have an active role in regional and international networks, and to build partnerships with multilateral donors and international foundations.

We believe that by having been locally rooted, and internationally connected, we became trustworthy partners on both levels.

Having a local team, knowledgeable of the area, is a prerequisite. Engaging in a transparent communication and a direct relationship with stakeholders of diverse backgrounds, was essential and took the team farther than relying on "intermediaries".

The willingness to learn from and contribute to regional and international networks, and having a team specialized in different aspects (development, conservation, communication...), as well as having encouraging counterparts (UNESCO and IUCN secretariats), allowed us to be connected internationally.

The process of building and maintaining relationships on all levels can be wearisome and time consuming. It is however important to invest in it, for, on the long run, it is rewarding to all parties involved.

Being present on field is as important as being present at conferences: learning from the people on the field, and learning from other experiences is crucial, and can be achieved through thorough communication between team members.

The more targeted we are with our process, the more successful we get. For instance, we attempted to work once with the local farmers (non-targerted), inviting through bulk messaging to several important, yet non-targeted training sessions. The participation was modest, and the relationship with the farmers was not maintained.

In contrast, when we worked with beekeepers, we first started with individual visits to each of the 51 beekeepers, noting their needs, their scale of work, their techniques. A relationship was built. This led to the implementation of several successfull interventions, and the personal contact is regularly maintained.

Eder Zanetti
Prime Property Fraction of CSR program
Transparency, Accountability, Accuracy, Completeness and Third Party Independent Registry