Building Effective Partnerships for Mangrove Conservation and Policy Integration
Cross-sector partnerships were the basis for achieving success in mangrove conservation efforts. The journey began in partnership with the World Bank, which supported the development of the initial documents. As the World Bank phased out its involvement, IUCN stepped in as a reliable partner to continue the work. This transition included co-funding a staff member for six months, allowing them to represent both IUCN and the World Bank until the document development was completed.
IUCN then formed strategic partnerships with WWF and WCS, who contributed valuable biodiversity data for the National Territorial Development Plan (PNDT) and Marine Spatial Plan (MSP). Notably, WCS and the National Biodiversity Database was fully integrated into the developed documents. These partnerships were extended to all other planning and conservation stakeholders, by maintaining a continuous information sharing system to ensure streamlined knowledge, support, understanding and engagement.
Ultimately, the most crucial partnership was with the Government, to which the partners need to refer to in order to pass on the data to be uploaded to the national GIS system. Effective governance and policy-making are the Government’s mandate and responsibility, and for policies to evolve or be adopted, they must be accepted and integrated by Government leaders. IUCN’s role was to facilitate transparent, reliable, and efficient dialogue, leveraging its expertise and broad network to drive these discussions forward and ensure alignment with the Government’s objectives.
Key to this success was IUCN’s role as a trusted partner, its strong dialogue skills, and its reputation as a reliable and skilled partner for the Government. IUCN’s extensive membership network further supported this collaborative effort.
Several lessons emerged from these partnership activities. First, understanding the subject matter and having access to skilled staff was essential. Regular updates and information sharing with members and partners helped maintain momentum and encouraging a unified approach. The ability to build a common voice and common force within the network was key to ensuring success. It was important to avoid fragmented efforts and instead focus on joint, complementary planning that aligned everyone toward a shared goal.