Local | PANORAMA

Biodiversity stewardship contracts with private land-owners

Biodiversity Stewardship is the practice of safeguarding biodiversity outside of the existing state-owned PA network. It places the responsibility to conserve into the hands of private landowners through a variety of contractual agreements. CapeNature adopted Biodiversity Stewardship in 2003 as a core strategy as most of conservation-worthy biodiversity is located on private land. Stewardship is also widely regarded as one of the most cost-effective mechanisms for protecting biodiversity. The programme has resulted in the signing of over 90 contracts between private land owners or communities and CapeNature. 43 of these (amounting to 49 000 ha) have led to formal protection while the remainder represent less formal conservation agreements which nonetheless result in improved ecological management. The major limitation of the programme is that of capacity within CapeNature. Signing new contracts and servicing existing sites require human and financial resources. For this reason, only top priority sites can join the programme. This is an unfortunate situation as demand from land owners to protect is exceeding the capacity of CapeNature to assist.

• A culture of respect for the natural environment which has resulted in a high demand from private land owners for conserving land. • An organisation which is skilled in negotiating and facilitating the formal declaration of private land as Protected Areas as well as a well-experienced and dedicated programme manager. • A provincial-wide review committee comprised of all key partners involved in stewardship within the province to objectively review all new applications.

• The demand for Biodiversity Stewardship (i.e. land owners wanting to protect their land) can be higher than the capacity of the conservation agency to deliver. Be careful not to over-sell the programme unless there are resources available within the agency to supply to all. • Set up a rigorous review process whereby only land of real biodiversity value should be formally protected. Less important land should be freed up for sustainable development. • Unblock potential of land use decisions to contribute towards PA expansion – i.e. biodiversity offsets. • Caution not to over commit yourself as the agreements are mostly in perpetuity or else very long term. The same staff who are responsible for signing up in the first few years will need to pick up on auditing and servicing at a later stage. If we cannot deliver on our promises, the programme’s reputation is at stake.

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Review and improvement of governance structure

The purpose is to enable active participation of the stakeholders in the governance of the forest to ensure community ownership of decisions and sustainability of programs. Data Collection: This entails gathering of information on current governance structure and the roles of the various social groups - men, women, youth, age grade and cultural groups (obon, ikpe and Oforoma) in the governance of the community, forest and enforcement of local bye-laws. Review: Information gathered is reviewed at social group's levels and then discussed during general assembly meetings (okwa), to develop optimal governance structures, roles and responsibilities. Okwa is an urgent meeting at the Village Square usually convened by the Paramount Chief on matters of urgent importance. The turn up for the Okwa Call by the community stakeholders is swift and decisions are taken immediately, as the situation dictates rather than waiting for a formal meeting which may take time. During general meetings and okwa, the community makes inputs into draft policies of the Board which they integrate into approved policies, to enhance community ownership of policies.

Previously existent traditional governance system, which could easily be reviewed and strengthened. Secondly, the stakeholders were eager to reform the system that alienated them (particularly women and youths). Thirdly, they have the passion and zeal to transfer this knowledge to future generations and thus demonstrated extra-ordinary commitments and efforts. Local stakeholders are keen to achieve good governance in order to improve the atmosphere for individual and community development.

Data was easy to collect as there was open knowledge in the community on existing governance structure, roles and responsibilities. The review processes took much longer and consumed more resources, as the Chiefs and elders, who were beneficiaries of poor governance, opposed any reforms. The "Okwa" meeting held at 6 0'clock in the morning always had the largest turn up as the people have fresh ideas to contribute to the issues at stake. Allowing inputs by the community into draft policies of the Board of the Ekuri Initiative, and tailoring such inputs into policies, ensured community ownership of decisions and sustainability of the programs. What did not work well was the confrontational approach taken by the larger segment of the local stakeholders with the chiefs/elders, on reforms of the governance system, which lingered for a while. Mitigation measures were taken to sensitize the chiefs/elders.

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Revitalizing community engagement in park management

Kids in village nearby Mohéli Marine Park

- Local community engagement in the park’s decision-making and management has been revitalized, based on experiences from Madagascar, which permit ongoing and active participation of community members in implementation, with involvement and buy-in to projects developed to support management activities. The regular dialogue between protected area and village representatives provides information on the activities of the protected area; allows for presentations of results from research; and raises issues and challenges that need a management response. In parallel, the park acts as an intermediary with donors to facilitate the financing of activities and amenities in the villages.

1. Trust and reciprocity: between protected area staff and community members 2. Top-down and bottom-up political will to engage and improve performance to meet challenges 3. Understanding that protection activities are in the interest of national and global donors, but should ultimately satisfy local development and regional and national priorities 4. ‘Early wins’ – target areas of governance and decision-making that will show the highest chances of early and immediate success, such as octopus fisheries and prevention of water source contamination.

The protected area began in 2001 with an open process for community participation. This was eroded and systems became marginal. By 2014, only a shadow of the former arrangements remained, while the challenges facing local communities and PA staff were greater. However, the chief lesson learned is that even where there is an echo of past success, it can be recovered by focusing on what worked. Secondly, momentum is important, but taking time is more so. Trust cannot be rebuilt in one day, by one project or group. Collaboration needs to be inclusive and work at the pace of the ‘slowest’ party. One lesson is to focus on some short-term ‘wins’ as well as a longer term goal, in tandem. In this case, convincing all parties that reef closures can work was best exemplified by the octopus fishery, which can recover rapidly. By demonstrating a benefit after a short period of engagement, more trust is invested into longer-term gains as well.

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Participatory mapping and inventorying

Participatory mapping and inventorying of the indigenous communities’ traditional territories. Full documentation and mapping of the ICCA and the ancestral domain, identifying environmentally critical areas using slope, elevation, land cover and land use GIS data was carried out. Capacity building is made part of the process, as the indigenous youth and community leaders are active part of the process - they were trained on use of GPS, inventory and 3D mapping. Community conservation plans are developed with the participation of the entire community, based on the results of mapping, documentation of traditional knowledge and practices on conservation; as well as analyses of threats to both culture that sustains the resource and outside influences Once completed, the IP community engages with other stakeholders such as the local governments, other tribes in the locality, PA Managers, government agencies to present their community conservation plans, seek recognition and support.

The Philippines has a strong law which recognises the rights and domains of indigenous peoples (Indigenous Peoples Rights Act) which provide the enabling framework for engagement with indigenous peoples groups. The protected area law - the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS), likewise respect the rights of indigenous peoples within protected areas.

1. It is important that the greater indigenous community groups in the Philippines understand the concept of ICCA before pilot implementation in selected sites. In this way, there is broad support from the sector on the approach, improve confidence building and trust in an environment where the establishment of nationally gazetted PAs have alienated some sections of the indigenous peoples. 2. The local community should have strong ownership of the processes, with guidance from a support organization that is fully trusted by the community. 3. Engagement with neighbouring IP groups and local governments is important, to ensure coherence in planning, and avoid misunderstanding. This way, a coalition of support is developed in the process. 4. Support to implementation and strengthening of Ip communities is important to sustain implementation of community conservation plans.

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Design of participatory steps for village engagement

Through community-based activities the importance of traditional knowledge for increasing people resilience to climate change is demonstrated. 6 villages were involved from the start of the project, and the villagers given the opportunity to share their views throughout the project’s implementation. This includes: (1) Organizing a Climate Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment workshop for defining the main climate-related threats that the communities are facing (drought, floods, salt intrusion) as well as local techniques (anti-salt bund and Assisted Natural Regeneration - ANR) that can be implemented for responding to these challenges. (2) This forms the basis for defining the field activities in each village. (3) Village committees are created to coordinate the implementation and act as advisory boards. (4) Regular monitoring missions are undertaken to follow up on field work. (5) Annual meetings are organized in each village for assessing the results from activities and planning the next steps.

-Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment (VCA) workshop, for getting inputs from communities and defining adaptation strategies based on their knowledge -Attribution of concrete roles for getting the community involved in the implementation of field activities. -Creation of villages committees, to get ownership on the project while ensuring that field activities are implemented according to workplan -Regular meetings for sharing their feedback and advice about the project -Gender equity, with both men and women involved in the village committees and sharing tasks

Active involvement of communities from the early stage of the project was well appreciated and led to a high level of ownership and an effective implementation of activities - Using traditional knowledge and practices from the country helped to reach higher (regional or national) level for making the case for ecosystem-based solutions for climate change - Local knowledge is accessible/available if appropriate tools are used to gather, unlock and distil them, such as VCA workshop - Involving external local stakeholders (local NGOs etc.) is key for supporting communities and maintaining group cohesion - Participatory approaches for restoring the protected area enhance the knowledge and adaptive capacities of rural communities, while ensuring the sustained provision of ecosystem goods and services

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Subnational

Land use plan in Ekuri for conservation.and livelihoods

The purpose of the building block is to facilitate participatory creation of land use zones to boost conservation and sustainable use of the Ekuri community forest. Several consultations with the community members were held on the importance of a land use plan, and answers to questions were provided, which allayed fears of possible exclusion from the forest. With the situation clarified, the communities 'comments and consent were obtained. Some community members were selected and others members who were involved in timber inventory and perimeter surveys of the Ekuri community forest. The group was trained in land use planning prior to the implementation of the activity. Progress activities of the land-use plan were presented twice at the plenary and further inputs gathered to finalize the plan. Topography, vegetation and forest reserve maps were obtained from the Forestry Commission, a governmental agency, which is one of the local partners. Nine (9) land use zones were created based on the topography and needs of the community. Rules and regulations for the land use plan were established and enforced.

Existing social cohesion in the community, strong respect for the traditional authority, improved knowledge on the values of the forest coupled with improved governance and the need to plan for the future contributed to the success of this building block. The availability of an indigenous lawyer from the community made it possible to draw up rules and regulations to enforce the land use plan for a very low fee.

The consultation period evoked deep concerns from the villagers over the problems at hand, thus everyone was keen to get involved to remedy the situation. The activity was participatory, the inputs of the community were sought at various stages and the output guaranteed community ownership. The improved capacity of the selected villagers has earned them membership of the Reconnaissance Team, thus enabling them to earn stipends. The farmers who were relocated forcefully from their satellite farmlands into the farming zone protested for non-negotiation and compensation, this lingered and generated conflict in the community. The mitigation measure taken was consultation and negotiation with affected farmers for peaceful settlement of the issue. Consequently, the matter was resolved in favour of payment of compensation to affected farmers by the community as soon as the community raises such funds.

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Educating and outreach

Educating everyone from the local people neighbouring the reserve to the politicians was the most valuable component of the project. The concept of conservation and the protection of wildlife and our natural environment were completely foreign to them until they had the opportunity to experience it for themselves.

Engaging will ALL stakeholders, inviting them to visit the area and communicating with them in person.

Once people became aware of the value of this project and were cooperating at various levels we had overcome 90% of the challenges.

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Subnational

Pride training program

Rare’s Pride Program training is a two-year process through which local conservation leaders receive formal university training, followed by periods of field-based formative research and results analyses. Participants learn how to change attitudes and behaviors, mobilize support for environmental protection, and reduce threats to natural resources. Rare’s local partners not only receive classroom training, but also implement an entire social marketing campaign in their communities, designed around a specific conservation goal. Participants in the program receive a toolkit for community outreach: Training 1 provides trainees with basic community engagement tools, so that they can start embedding themselves in the target audience and earn their trust. Training 2 takes place after a period of 1-2 months of field embedding, and teaches research techniques for qualitative and quantitative formative research. Training 3 takes place after 2-3 months of data collection and information gathering, to analyze data collected and design the Pride Campaign. Training 4 takes place upon campaign conclusion, to evaluate results and produce final report.

• Partner commitment to secure full-time dedication of participating fellows to the Pride program. • Continued full engagement and adequate progress of fellows during the entire duration of the program. • A minimum of high school degree for program participants/fellows. • A basic Pride curriculum, tailored to programmatic theme. • Basic infrastructure as well as training team.

A key element in the success of the Pride training program is to have specific deliverables and frequent evaluations of capacity. These deliverables and grades are recorded in an online tool that allows for multiple party follow-up. The same basic training assessment is delivered at the beginning of the cohort, and upon completion of every training phase. Having participants with different backgrounds and levels of academic training (high school or university degrees), presents both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge is having to adapt lesson content and activities to accommodate for these differences. The opportunity is precisely to take advantage of these differences in skills and backgrounds to recruit participants to share past experiences and help fellow trainees in the learning process as mentors.

Capacity building of local stakeholders

EPIC activities are conducted in collaboration with stakeholders -from local to national level- to provide opportunities for capacity building in parallel to project implementation. Capacity building activities serve 2 purposes: 1) they allow the communities to be trained to use the local techniques again and 2) they help raise awareness and strengthen knowledge of partners and local governments on ecosystem-based adaptation to climate change more broadly. The creation of a capacity building plan for communities/stakeholders is key. It provides them with an effective, realistic and operational planning tool for trainings. The content of the training plan are evaluated and adjusted annually. The trainings undertaken so far include: 1) Training modules for villagers on (i) ANR, (ii) management of tree nurseries and (iii) salted land recovery techniques (in partnerships with scientists). After the trainings, practical sessions are organized to ensure that communities took ownership of these techniques. 2) Trainings for local governments (municipality and department levels) and stakeholders on ecosystem-based adaptation to climate change and disaster risk reduction

Early assessment of capacities and needs through regular discussions with communities and stakeholders, to ensure that the resources provided answer to their needs - Adapting the content of the training to the audience, inviting relevant speakers and using relevant examples for raising the attention of people - Planning for field visits to see the direct application of the techniques and to allow for a better understanding of the activities - Planning for follow up actions to ensure that the activities are implemented based on the agreement made during training

Capacity building of local communities and partners is key for allowing them to implement, advocate and preserve good practices on a longer term. - The use of traditional practices coupled with capacity building on agricultural techniques and knowledge sharing has proven effective for enabling communities to develop and implement adaptation strategies effectively. - The trainings on ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation gave to all the stakeholders a better understanding of the approach used throughout the project

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Subnational

Community based benefits sharing

The purpose of this building block is to enhance equitable benefit sharing among the local stakeholders and increase forest protection. Consultation with the people on the prevailing benefit sharing in the community identified its successes and drawbacks. Data was collected from various resources, incomes and facilities in the community which include forest and farm resources, types of incomes earned by the community members and rural facilities which were non-existent. This formed the baseline for planning how benefits can be fairly shared among the people through training, capacity development, scholarship, health and housing subsidy, empowerment of farmers, hunters and forest gatherers, and provision of rural facilities for the overall benefit to all. Implementation of benefits sharing was then implemented in the form of skills development, supply of improved drought resistance crops, scholarships, training in agro-forestry, sustainable agriculture, health/housing subsidy, micro-credit, alternative livelihoods in goat and snake farming and building of rural facilities.

The conditions necessary for the success of this building block are: Identified needs of the community motivated them to solve it. Many stakeholders volunteered and were engaged in the consultation and planning processes. The provision of rural facilities e.g. roads, schools, health centre and town hall with accompanying benefits to all was also an enabling factor.

Benefits sharing was discussed extensively and made clear to the local stakeholders at the beginning of interventions, and this principle must be honoured all-through to gain continuous support by all. Disparity in benefits sharing ruins or waters down the interest of the people. The mobilization of funds from the forest used in providing social facilities stimulates and engenders fair benefit sharing among the people. The initial benefits sharing for individuals prior to the commencement of the solution generated conflicts as the powerful community members hijacked the process to their advantage.

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