National | PANORAMA

Habitat mapping layer

The current habitat mapping layer is a source of information regarding the up-to-date distribution and quality of habitats all over the Czech Republic.

More information is available in the English summary of the publication at the following link: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/47048702_Mapovani_biotopu_v_Ceske_republice_vychodiska_vysledky_perspektivy

Continuous financial support of the Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic.
Strong technical and well-managed capacity of the Czech Nature Conservation Agency at the country level.

Once you have finalized such a habitat data layer and make it publicly available, you should set the new and review quality standards to keep the information regularly updated (ideally before it is released).

Entirety

National

Standardized country methodology for regular habitat mapping

Czechia has developed tailor-made methodology on habitat mapping that is carried out as a field inventory in the whole country. Only trained experts are involved in the process, and all results are verified.

The result is a country-wide habitat layer giving fine information about each natural and seminatural habitat occuring in the country. That is now one of the most important datasets on which the national nature conservation builds its strategy and plans measures both inside and outside of protected areas.

The whole approach was developed as a part of the EU accession process. Therefore, the whole task was supported only from the national budget which allowed successful implementation. Such a large task would have not been possible to manage with a project restricted budget.

When the process started, one of the challenges was to change the mindset of national experts and agree on an innovative approach that was significantly different from the traditional one (unsystematic field research activities). In that case, a legal obligation to establish Natura 2000 following a text of the EU Nature Directives helped. Experts understood the Directives and proactively took advantage of this process (not to perceive it as a burden only).

Entirety

National

Mainstreaming integrative forest management

For the successful application of the approach, sustainable and integrative forest management needs not only to be piloted and practiced on the ground but also integrated into national strategies, development plans, and long-term forest management planning and monitoring. Consequently, it is equally important to work with forest tenants on the local level as to mainstream the approach on the national level.

The Join Forest Management approach has been anchored in the Forest Code of Tajikistan in 2011. This builds the legal basis of the implementation and accelerates the further dissemination to other parts of the country. Since 2016, a more integrative forest management is practiced for which an inter-sectoral dialogue has been established. This inter-sectoral dialogue facilitates to address environmental, economic and social challenges beyond the mandate of the forest agency. Forest monitoring and management planning are being strengthened through support to the forest inspection unit. Only if a forest management planning system and a forest monitoring structure are in place, an approach such as the integrative forest approach can be out scaled throughout the country and mismanagement, corruption, and wide-scale violations of regulations (e.g. grazing on forest plots) prevented.

The JFM approach follows a multilevel approach, targeting national, regional and local level which has proven to be necessary and consequently successful.

A theoretically sound solution can only be as good in practice as its underlying management planning and monitoring system as well as its political support.

Documentation and dissemination of results

Landscape perspective

Grazing on Forest Land

GIZ

Benefits of trees for disaster risk reduction

GIZ

By applying a landscape perspective to forest management, the ecosystem as a whole is considered. For this solution, a special focus has been given to biodiversity, climate change adaptation, and pasture management.

A diverse forest plot has multiple benefits for the forest tenant. Firstly, the tenant has a diverse harvest which contributes to food and nutation security. Secondly, species diversity reduces the risk of pests and increases the soil fertility. Thirdly, diverse forests provide a habitat for pollinators, which are crucial for fruit and nut trees.

Tajikistan is prone to disasters, further reinforced by overharvested natural resources and climate change having fierce impacts. Landslides and droughts are common phenomena but the frequency and intensity have increased significantly. Forest cover on slopes and along river banks are an important adaptation and disaster risk reduction strategy.

Further, livestock is frequently grazing on forest areas, as pastures are scarce and the limited land available overused and degraded. Forest grazing reduces ground cover, impedes the root system, and hinders natural forest regeneration. Therefore, grazing must be addressed together with the forest tenants and solutions identified that go beyond the prohibition of grazing in forests.

By applying a landscape perspective, a multitude of problems, difficulties, and risks to the community can be addressed. Consequently, the approach has gained in acceptance by the local communities as it takes environmental, economic and social challenges into account.

The experience has shown that political land delineations often do not correspond with ecosystem boundaries. Areas, assigned for re- and afforestation, do usually not cover a whole ecosystem but are part of a bigger ecosystem with which the forest area interacts and shares resources. Consequently, forest management needs to consider implications by and interactions with the wider ecosystem the forest plot is part of. As various land use types and land use rights interact in one ecosystem for which different ministerial bodies are responsible, the establishment of an inter-sectoral dialogue to foster coordination and cooperation of all involved actors at landscape level has proven to be successful. Within the JFM implementation in Tajikistan, a bi-annual exchange has been established, where practitioners, relevant ministries and local as well as international organizations exchange. This exchange platform is not only appreciated by partners but also helped to include the landscape perspective. Therefore, an exchange platform is highly recommendable.

Amending the Law

Workshop on Illegal Wildlife Trade organized by FPWC in Armenia

FPWC

In 2016, at the IUCN World Congress, FPWC co-authored Motion 37 on Supporting Privately Protected Areas, which was one of the top discussed documents at the congress and passed with a majority of votes. This became a crucial step in the FPWC’s efforts to lobby the Armenian government to adopt policies that recognize, encourage and monitor privately protected areas as a key contribution to national and international conservation targets and to implement mechanisms for integrating privately protected areas into national system. FPWC continues to promote legal and financial incentives for the maintenance and strengthening of privately protected areas, to have the respective category highlighted in the Law of the Republic of Armenia on Specially Protected Natural Areas.
Since 2015, FPWC has had a tangible contribution in elaborating amendments package for the Law of the Republic of Armenia on Fauna, in collaboration with the Ministry of Nature Protection.
FPWC has been a member of GSP+ monitoring system for international environmental conventions and protocols such as CBD or CITES.

Collaboration, consistency and constructive approach with the state institutions such as the MInistry of Nature Protection and international organizations such as European Union has been a key factor for the success in this segment.

Working with the government is not the easiest but a necessary component to secure the work implemented and having it recognized officially.

Implementation

National

FPWC Launches Workshop on Wildlife Trafficking in Armenia

Regenerating Sustainable Communities

Women working in a social enterprise created by the FPWC in frames of an EU funded poverty reduction project in Urtsadzor community

FPWC

Through the Soviet period and after independence, Armenian society in general and rural communities in particular have continuously been discouraged from taking active role in the protection and management of nature reserves.
Recognizing the urgent need for communities living around protected areas to actively participate in and benefit from the conservation of the resources upon which they depend, the FPWC, since 2006, has consistently contributed to the communities’ environmental, social, economic, and cultural development, thus referring to all four dimensions of sustainability.
The community development project promotes a new sustainable development strategy for the villages all around Armenia, with a focus on the areas adjacent to the CWR.

It aims to improve the livelihoods of rural people and to foster sustainable rural development as a holistic approach. This strategy links economic and infrastructure improvements with nature conservation and the protection of the environment by offering inhabitants of remote villages incentives and opportunities to gain income by using/managing natural resources sustainably.

Winning trust of the communities by proven positive impact happening within them is a key enabling factor. Parallel to conservation work, FPWC has been introducing renewable energy solutions to dozens of communities; constructing / renovating infrastructures for drinking / irrigation water, building capacity and creating employment and income opportunities for the communities. These and more hugely contributed to building trust toward FPWC's work in conservation; willingness to learn, understand and contribute; compassion and solidarity.

Mistrust and resistance developed on the background of factors such as role of the government as only owner of the nature reserves, centralized administration, lack of consideration for local and societal input for conservation planning and management, as well as corruption, lack of attention to the environmental sector by legislators were major challenges FPWC faced while approaching the communities with an offer of partnership and participation.
As the CWR grows, engaging communities still takes time and consistency, but it is only complicated to the point until the "first ice melts". Then it becomes contagious, turning into a growing wave making its own way.
Starting working in only a few communities more than 10 years ago, communicating patiently the benefits of conservation to them, using different localized methodologies, tackling with distrust and resistence, FPWC is now at a place where more and more communities turn for collaboration on their own initiative, bringing forward their commitment to common ideas and willingness to invest for their implementation.

Implementation

National

Assess the total net income from FAP and Control Fields

Income is the best incentive for farmers.

The methodology is in detail described in Christmann et al. 2017. On farm trials using the same inputs in all fields (inputs according to usual practice of farmers, so other farmers can gain the same net income).

Select marketable plants together with farmers. Which ones are useful for them? Do they flower during the flowering time of the main crop or before/after - to sustain pollinators in the field over a longer period. Check before seeding: not all useful crops recommended by farmers attract pollinators.

It is important that at least some plants in the habitat zone provide really good income. Farmers select those habitat enhancement plants, which they regard as most useful. Their criteria might differ from the researcher's criteria, so better seed a wide range of habitat enhancement plants. Include oil seeds and spices, they are very attractive. Check, if they don’t attract pests at this specific seeding time. Check, if they can grow (water demand) under the same conditions as the main crop.

Implementation

National

Christmann 2017

Value PAs and natural resources

To effectively conserve natural resources and facilitate sustainable development, a shift in perception must occur so communities and governments view PAs and natural resources as productive units of the economy, rather than resources under siege from development sectors and local communities. In the lower Mekong countries, attitudes are changing and governments are beginning to perceive PAs as economic assets carefully conserved for the development benefits they provide. While this shift is still occurring, governments are moving towards a situation where the natural capital held in PAs is subject to regular stock taking with the results reflected in GDP and budgets. Member states understand that investing in PAs and natural capital ensures resources are sustained, restored and expanded so they continue to produce ecosystem services vital to development and economic expansion.

For this building block to be successful, citizens and industries must directly benefit from the conservation of natural resources and expansion of PA networks. Direct benefits may take the form of water filtration, flood control, fisheries production, etc. If citizens and industries do not directly benefit, they will fail to see the value in expanding PAs. Success also depends on the commitment of governments to financially invest in the upkeep and expansion of PAs and their resources.

All PAs need to have their values expressed in economic terms which can be communicated in annual and long term budget submissions. Valuations should be part of PA management plans and environmental assessments associated with development proposals affecting PAs.

Each sector needs to be made aware of the development benefits they do or might receive from PAs.
Those benefits and their maintenance should be recognised in sector plans and budgets.

A more systematic application of the beneficiary or user pays approach in all sectors is needed requiring supporting economic policies and instruments. Pilots already carried out, for example, the Lao hydropower levies, should be applied consistently and replicated in neighbouring countries.

Users of PAs need to become involved in their management and protection. New collaborative management approaches will be required relating to specific areas, resources and rights of access and to the services and products PAs provide.

Underlying all these new directions, is the need to build the capacity, skills and budgets of PA managers.

Collaboratively plan and manage PAs and natural resources

Natural systems are not restricted to national boundaries and should be the foundation for regional development across borders, providing opportunities for political, technical and cultural collaboration leading to mutual economic gains. The partnership in the lower Mekong region united four member states, and expanded to embrace upper Mekong countries, and it provided the framework for focused conservation agreements between the countries.

Member states began by conducting national reviews of resources and policies, involving cross-sectoral working groups of PA agencies, economic planning and finance bodies, development sectors, and conservation organizations. National reviews directed a regional action plan to determine how much and which parts of the region should be kept in its natural state for the best development outcomes. Member states collaborated in reviewing issues requiring shared management, and adopted the same goals and objectives to facilitate comparative analysis and regional collaboration. The national reviews laid the foundation of information and directions the governments of the region wish to take, and the results will be integrated into the policies, programs and practice of each country and of their international partners.

Collaborators should have common goals and objectives, and all members should benefit equally from agreements reached. Additionally, agreements should be formed in a way that allows them to be updated to account for the rapidly changing state of the environment and human development.

Lessons learned to overcome different development priorities:

The four countries do not have similar development progress, objectives and priorities. Thailand, for example, is more developed and conservation focused in comparison to Cambodia, where economic development is a priority. These differences have to be recognised to ensure that national development goals and priorities align with shared goals and objectives to collaboratively plan and manage PAs. This required intensive consultation, discussion and negotiation.

Lessons learned to overcome differences in PA management authority and capacity in developing collaborative plans:

Lessons in resolving potential contradictions between developing (or difficulties in implementing) a national government level collaborative PA management plan and national processes of decentralization in PA management? Or perhaps differences in who decides and who is involved in PA management.

Innovative adaptation measures to climate change

Latrine Akasuga

Vincent Hornsperger

Restitution de la cartographie des risques aux membres de la plateforme communale d‘Isare

Nelson

Foyers améliorés à bois

Cyriaque Nzojibwami

Atelier de prévision saisonnière

Abedi Minani

Climate change adaptation measures are initiatives and actions taken to prevent or reduce damage, or exploit beneficial opportunities from the effects of climate change. The ACCES project promoted innovative adaptation measures in consultation with the population:

- Adapted crops to climate change: the use of crop seeds adapted to drought or heavy rainfall, helps to strengthen the resilience of populations.
- Risk Management and Disaster Prevention: In order to reduce the vulnerability of the Burundian population to extreme weather events, the establishment of an information system that allows the population to access weather forecasts and early warning system in the event of extreme weather events.
- Akasuga toilets: The ecological latrine called AKASUGA allows the separate recovery of solid and liquid human excreta in order to improve soil fertility.
- Improved wood burning stoves: the spread and use of improved stoves contributes to reduce deforestation and the degradation of wood resources
- Seasonal forecasts: the diffusion of the seasonal forecast is a determining factor decisions for the agri-breeder

• Participatory planning and accompaniment of CCA measures with the population and the local administration for good acceptance

• Gender mainstreaming in all CCA activities so that women play a leading role in the implementation of these measures

• Awareness-raising, training and capacity building enabled the various actors and beneficiaries to learn about the new CCA measures

• Do not give up on cultural taboos or fears but listen to, understand and explain to the population the advantages of such measure (case of Akasuga latrine) which is now very popular after having encountered the reluctance of the population and the municipal administration

Implementation

Local

National