In order to address the challenges faced by society in social, economic, environmental and cultural terms, commitments have been adopted at the global level and subscribed to by States in different agendas, each with particular intervention approaches (rights, ecosystemic, urban-regional, disaster prevention and risk management and/or climate change). which of these approaches is appropriate for effective territorial management of biodiversity and social inclusion? All. The reality of the territories is diverse, complex and has very specific problems and potentials, which require cooperative, concurrent, complementary and multi-scale work of social and institutional actors to harmonize and implement the actions proposed in the planning instruments, in such a way that they respond to the identified needs, in order to prevent and manage socio-environmental conflicts, advance in the conservation of nature and human wellbeing.Combining rights, ecosystemic, urban-rural, risk management and climate change approaches is necessary to manage territories in an integral and pertinent manner.

Thousands of volunteer coral reef observers in Colombia report daily with photos and videos. We need to verify reports when they are early warnings to avoid negative impacts. We require specialized equipment for the realization of Virtual Reality and Recorded Reality (underwater videographers, 360 degree cameras and accessories, viewers, editing and projection equipment with internet connection in remote and urban locations where the demonstration project is implemented with healthy reef memories. We plan to share images in the local community, to the whole country and to foreigners in the world so they can compare what is happening in these coral reefs and the rest of the Caribbean region. The Virtual Reality / Recorded Reality experience to people who do not know the reefs / or cannot visit them engages them in environmentally friendly behavioral changes in the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals 13 and 14 and the Aichi Targets 13 (Maintain Genetic Biodiversity) and 16 (Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Diversity).(Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to be in force and operational, in accordance with national legislation).

Point Esperanza was declared with the community of artisanal fishermen and inhabitants of villages near the reefs who are the guardians. Dive operators are reporting their daily observations to the Observatory. We need to demonstrate at a global, national and local level how to monitor with 360 degree videos so that they can interact in Virtual Reality.

Our methodology is based on a combination of Waterfall and Agile is to clearly identify the concrete objectives as well as general ideas given by the stakeholders that guide the implementation of the project to obtain the expected results to improve the effectiveness of the conservation of the Colombian Caribbean Coastal Reefs. The second thing is to evaluate with measurement indicators what is already working. And what we achieve is to involve the community and increase governance by improving the behavior of ecological, social and economic indicators. We will also apply the Agile methodology because it is considered one of the most interactive, since we already have experience in the evaluation of results, we can intervene to improve any phase of the project that requires flexibility in the adjustment, which reduces the complexity, and therefore, the risk.

The company has created partnership with players in the gum and resins sector and in the aloe and cosmetics industry for a collaborative market engagement. Partnership with the Laikipia permaculture has resulted to creation of the aloe nursery and improving the products that the groups in Laikipia were formulating, certifying the organic and registering the products with the Ethical Bio Trade. This means that the products will gain the global demand as they are traceable and quality assured.

Currently, we collaborate closely with the County Government of Isiolo, the County Government of Turkana, the County Government of Marsabit and the County Government of Wajir in Kenya. We also collaborate often with institutions such as Kenya Forestry Association (KFS), Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI), the Gum And Resins Association (GARA) where we are executive committee member ensuring quality standards, National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) and Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). Over the years we partnered up with NGOs among which CEFA, COOPI, CESVI, World Vision, VSF-G in Kenya, C&D – Africa Mission in Uganda, and from 2019 FAO and WFP among UN agencies. 

Agroforestry and forest restoration are key building blocks of our replicable solution as they help us achieve landscape-level restoration goals while providing local benefits such as better soil quality and crop production.

Empowering the community to take the lead on their forest monitoring and conservation goals is a key building block of this replicable solution. After community volunteer leaders are identified, they are equipped with the training, tools, and materials needed for their management plan. They may also work with local law enforcement on monitoring illegal logging and other extraction of biodiversity from the forest. Some communities in the Chinantla had a need for scientific forest monitoring data to be able to apply for a national program that provided payment in exchange for environmental stewardship work. The training and skill-building elements of the project were adapted to fit this need, so community members were trained in forest data collection so that they were empowered to collect this information on their own, thereby becoming eligible to qualify for the ecosystem services payment program.

This solution has been replicated in several different communities successfully by first listening closely to what the current beneficiary community needs support with, and then developing a plan along with the community that addresses those desired goals and outcomes. Through training, workshops, and technical assistance from local field staff, specific skills and capacities are built in the community to empower residents to take charge of restoring their ecosystems. After initial financial and technical support, eventually many of these actions will become sustained over time, requiring less support from partners.

This project is based on a philosophy of working with communities who have asked for support, so that the solution is driven by the priorities of the community rather than imposing outside goals or values. The first building block of identifying beneficiary communities through participatory processes is critical to the success of the project, as trust and collaboration will ensure better outcomes. Community investment and eagerness to engage in sustainable actions are also critical traits to identify in the beneficiary communities as they will be taking the lead on their ecosystem conservation and restoration efforts.

New forms of civil society are emerging in Cambodia including more informal social movements that are at the forefront of delivering change. New ways of communicating are explored by these groups who use a variety of new technologies, most notably mobile phones, Facebook, and Youtube. This is the case with PLCN as well.

Until recently, patrolling and documenting illegal logging was difficult and expensive due to the vast area with little infrastructure and lack of communication. To address this problem, an innovative partnership “Prey Lang: It’s Our Forest Too” was formed between PLCN, a social movement Community Peacebuilding Network (CPN), a peacebuilding organization Peace Bridges Organisation (PBO), the University of Copenhagen (KU), a Danish development organization (Danmission), and a local IT company (Web Essentials) in 2014. At a later stage, more organizations joined the initiative: The Cambodian Youth Network (CYN) as a youth activities support group and the Forest & Peoples Organization, an organization to support the data collection and dissemination as well as the communication of the results of the forest monitoring.  

PLCN and partners developed an application for smartphones (the Prey Lang app), making it easy for local patrols to geo-reference, document, and upload information about forest resources, threatened biodiversity, and illegal activities. The data is used to document the importance of the forest to local livelihoods, international biodiversity conservation, and to report illegal activities to the authorities.

The Prey Lang app enables systematic data collection during patrols on valuable resources and the effects of illegal activities on biodiversity and the local livelihoods. Documentation is substantiated with GPS coordinates, photos and audio information.

The collected data is uploaded to a database, which can be accessed in Cambodia and by the University of Copenhagen. A database manager in coordination with students and researchers compile reports on the status of Prey Lang which are released at press conferences and published on the internet and via social media. Recently, a climate component has been added, enabling the patrollers to record signs of climate change and climate mitigation actions. In the latest version of the app a component to enhance the security of the patrollers was added. The new functionality allows PLCN members to report threats and instances of violence.