A system of decentral supervision and control through local forest authorities and enforcement patrols in the villages has been set up. Awareness raising against illegal practices was strengthened. Public controls of transport routes to consumption hotspots and markets ensure that charcoalers, transporters and retailers are motivated to use sustainably sourced wood.
The strategic orientation on green charcoal value chains has been laid down in a Regional Modernisation Strategy (Vision 2020) for the DIANA region. The strategy was the outcome of a negotiation process with main actors of civil society. Key elements include improved forest management, reforestation & introduction of efficient technologies and the development of local wood energy markets.
Proposals for regulatory measures were made to curb unregulated and widespread production of wood energy in remaining natural forests. An environmental coordination platform (OSC-E/DIANA) reuniting all relevant actors of the civil society of the DIANA region has been created. The members of the platform gather regularly to discuss the progress of the modernisation process and to negotiate how to overcome upcoming barriers.
Awareness of policy makers to foster wood as a renewable source of energy
Good governance and tenure security, esp. self-determined allocation of wastelands to households committed to their reclamation and sustainable use
Multi-stakeholder coordination (regional biomass energy exchange platform - PREEB) to promote coordinate the implementation of the regional woodfuel strategy
Enhanced law enforcement and transparency enhancing market competitiveness of sustainable charcoal
Formulation of a regional woodfuel strategy has to be based on a consensual vision, high-level commitment and ownership, and sound baseline information. The strategy must combine the modernisation of “upstream” and “downstream” aspects of the value chain
Value chain development must be backed up with policy support and business development
Value chain development needs to be incentivised through fiscal exemptions during the start-up phase; at later stages, parties to the value chain will be able to contribute funds to their respective municipalities
Crowdfunding is a relatively new way of funding projects, the goal being to inspire individuals to want to help you achieve the project goals by donating to the project budget. There are several online crowdfunding platforms that work in different ways, some of which require a fee whilst others are free. We used a site that requires us to meet a set amount of our budget before funds were extracted from donors, if we didn’t reach that amount then the project would not go ahead. The crowdfunding site was easy to set up but requires you to write project details into sections. This should be easy because of already writing the project proposals and pitch packs. We were also able to embed the campaign video into this site. Once the site was set-up we shared it on all our social media sites and through our personal networks.
It is extremely straightforward to achieve this step, once the necessary research and preparations are in place. It is a matter of 'just do it'. Once the crowdfunding begins, and gains momentum, it creeaetes a sense of excitement and energy among project team members and contributors alike, as we watch targets being met and the portfolio of supporters grow. Access to the totals and ability to track contributions is an important enabling factor.
The important lesson we learnt during the crowdfunding stage is that it is better to set up the crowdfunding page for a smaller portion of your project budget and therefore better to wait to see if your receive any cooperate sponsors before initiating this phase. It was also useful that SIF had committed £20,000 pounds to the project. This encouraged public and corporate sponsorship as it was used to match the first £20,000 that was raised. People are also more likely to sponsor a project target that looks achievable especially bearing in mind these will be smaller donations. The crowdfunding page must also portray the project clearly and appeal to a wide variety of people. It is therefore important to set up the reward system for donations, ranging from small rewards to substantial rewards for large donations. For example, we rewarded small donations with a high quality digital photograph by a wildlife photographer who spent time on Aldabra and large donations with an invitation to the post-expedition events, hosted in Queen’s College.
Seychelles launch 5th June. Selection of Aldabra Clean Up Project volunteers
State House Office of the President of the Republic of Seychelles.
Seychelles launch 5th June. SIF board member presents Aldabra map to the President of Seychelles.
State House Office of the President of the Republic of Seychelles.
Seychelles launch 5th June. SIF CEO Dr Frauke Fleischer-Dogley gifting Aldabra map to the President of Seychelles
State House Office of the President of the Republic of Seychelles.
Seychelles launch 5th June. Project Officer and Co-team Leader, Jeremy Raguain records the event.
State House Office of the President of the Republic of Seychelles.
Seychelles launch 5th June. Distinguished guest look on.
State House Office of the President of the Republic of Seychelles.
Seychelles launch 5th June.The President poses with a guest and volunteers mingle with guests.
State House Office of the President of the Republic of Seychelles.
UK Launch 22nd May. Volunteers stand with ACUP banner.
Adam Mitchell.
UK Launch 22nd May. ACUP Co-team leader April Burt discussing with fellow Oxford researcher.
Adam Mitchell.
UK Launch 22nd May. The Seychelles High Commissioner to the UK laughs with the UK High Commissioner to Seychelles.
Adam Mitchell.
UK Launch 22nd May. Volunteers discussing with guests.
Adam Mitchell.
UK Launch 22nd May. Co-team Leader April Burt present ACUP to guests.
Adam Mitchell.
UK Launch 22nd May. Guests watch a presentation on ACUP.
Adam Mitchell.
It is necessary to develop a strong, concise and attractive pitch pack, which is professional and clearly shows the project’s importance and budget. It is extremely important to make a clear pitch on how, by funding the project, the organisation or company will benefit. For example, for X amount of money the funder logo will be used on project t-shirts and the funder will be mentioned in all media coverage. The pitch pack should include the project logo, and use visual aids to bring the point across. In this case we used images of Aldabra, it’s wildlife and the impact of the plastic pollution. Since we were distributing these packs in the UK and Seychelles it was vital to create each pack with the local context in mind, whether it was currency conversions or the use of particular quotes from recognisable figures. Alongside the pitch pack we created a campaign video which introduces the problem and the solution using strong imagery and a voiceover. With these steps completed, we could then plan the project launch. The aim of the launch was to garner a maximum amount of media coverage and engage as many individuals and companies as possible via a face-to-face event. We therefore organised events both in UK and in Seychelles, in which potential donors and supporters were invited.
Team members skilled in visual design were key to ensure the pitch-pack was professional. The campaign video required basic video-editing skills, footage of the site and impact of plastic pollution. Advice on the pack’s design and how to approach companies from fundraising professionals was useful. ACUP’s launches took place in prominent locations, the Royal Society of London’s headquarters and the Seychelles State House. SIF’s Patron, Mr Danny Faure, President of Seychelles gave a video speech making ACUP as a project of national significance.
We found that the most likely success in pitching our project was to companies with some connection, either to a team member of the project or to the project itself via an interest in either Seychelles or Aldabra specifically. It is important to take time in ensuring that if you are emailing companies that you email the appropriate person to deal with your request. It is also a very good idea to make as many face-to-face connections as possible during the launch event and answer queries about the project to ensure there are no misunderstandings regarding project objectives and outputs. It is also a lot easier to gain the attention of funders if you already have some sponsorship and even better if you have a media partner for the project e.g. a local or international news agency.
Certificates for the FLR training are handed over by the AFR100 Focal Point
GIZ PAGE
Participant receives his certificate after FLR training
GIZ PAGE
A series of trainings for national decision makers was conducted covering topics such as FLR terms & definitions, strategies addressing drivers of degradation (e.g. wood energy), as well as financing options. Capacity building was conducted continuously and had a ‘training on the job’ character; it was aligned with concrete aspects such as FLR studies (ROAM study, financing options), the national FLR strategy and identification of FLR priority landscapes. ~40 relevant actors (universities, civil society, private sector) were able to provide their input in the form of questionnaires on how to define priority areas for FLR, which was a cornerstone of capacity building.
The training was complemented by the participation of national representatives at various FLR & AFR100 regional and international conferences; this enabled further knowledge exchange at global level to improve national strategies.
At present, capacity building focuses at the regional level; a training module has been developed and tested in Boeny region in April 2018 and will be adapted for application in Diana region. Additional trainings will be held for the Ministry of Spatial Planning, covering land governance.
An assessment of stakeholders and capacity needs was conducted and completed (06/2016)
High personal experiences and technical abilities of the RPF National Committee members were great assets for the capacity building. They acted as trainers and external resource persons were not necessary
High political commitment from partner side
Support of BIANCO (national independent anti-corruption agency) to improve transparency in the forest sector (until late 2016)
The trainings and regular exchanges helped to create a common understanding about the FLR concept as a multi-sectoral landscape approach and its practical implementation in Madagascar at policy, strategy and practical level
It was crucial to increase the knowledge about the RPF approach based on international discussions and local realities. Each actor had own definitions of "landscape"; capacity building on the approach proved essential to ensure the same level of information for all stakeholders, especially those in sectors other than the environment
The innovative aspect was that members of the National Committee dedicated a lot of time and also actively participated in the development of training modules and capacity building.
The implementation of capacity building was highly participatory and the content was improved continuously by participants, also adapting the ‘language’ of key sectors such as land use planning and finance
The Kumamoto Ground Water Foundation was established by the City to financially support multiple projects and research activities aiming at groundwater conservation. The large part of the financial resource relies on contributions provided by the local governments and supporting members of private sector. The amount of contributions is determined in accordance with the amount of groundwater withdrawn by each government/company. The budget of the foundation used to promote activities for recharge, quality, and conservation of ground water. The Foundation also calls for cooperation from citizens and private companies in its own ways. Citizens and companies, for instance, can offset groundwater consumption by purchasing or consuming crops or meat grown in the groundwater recharge areas. The Foundation provides service to covert the amount of consumed product into the amount of water recharged by the consumption, and then issues a certificate that proves contribution to groundwater conservation. Companies can use this certificate to prove their efforts of conserving groundwater by attaching it to a report to be submitted to the prefectural government. Citizens and companies can also join their conservation activities by owing paddy fields in the recharging areas.
Foundation established by the city government
Various mechanism applied by the foundation to conserve groundwater
There are generally two ways to secure financing for local governments to conduct groundwater management in Japan. The first is to collect fees from users based on beneficiary-pays principle. The other is to collect as a form of tax for the conservation and recharging of groundwater. As in Kumamoto’s case, these kinds of funding can be used for groundwater monitoring, recharging activities, groundwater conservation activities, forestry conservation activities, and rainfall infiltration infrastructure development.
Balancing Water Sources through Multi-stakeholder Collaboration
The ordinances and the master plan stipulate collaboration among relevant local stakeholders to establish a common system for conservation management. In line with the city ordinance, private companies that withdraw more than 30,000 m3 of groundwater annually are requested to form, implement and monitor a conservation plan. They also submit a report on the recharge of groundwater to follow the prefectural ordinance. Through this collaboration system, the governments have achieved multiple projects to recharge groundwater with involvement of different stakeholders. The prefectural government, for instance, took the lead in recharging groundwater by filling fallow paddy fields full of water in collaboration with farmland owners in upper basin region, agricultural cooperatives, and neighboring towns and villages. Furthermore, there are some companies participating in the projects as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility. Farmers are requested to use fertilizers and treat animal excrement properly in order to decrease the concentration of nitrate.
Multi-stakeholders collaboration among relevant stakeholders are stipulated in ordinances and a master plan
Groundwater tend to be higher water quality but lower water quantity as a water source, compared to surface water source. Since the groundwater volume is limited, collaboration among various experts and stakeholders such as local citizens, academia, the private sector, NGOs, and local municipalities, has been effective particularly for properly managing withdrawal of ground water.
Intergovernmental Collaboration at the Groundwater Basin Level
Even though the national law does not cover the groundwater system, the groundwater management has been governed through a series of ordinances, comprehensive plans, and action plans for more than 40 years. Groundwater Preservation Ordinances was established in 1977 for Kumamoto City and in 2001 for Kumamoto Prefecture. The city and prefecture governments jointly developed a comprehensive plan to control groundwater in 1996, incorporating collective input from 17 municipalities in the catchment area into the plan. Later, a second version of the plan in 2008 was developed by the group of 15 municipalities in the catchment, identifying four prioritized areas: 1) improvement of the balance of inflow and outflow of groundwater, 2) protection and improvement the quality of groundwater, 3) raising awareness of citizens for the conservation of groundwater, and 4) establishment of a common goal among stakeholders. A detailed five-year action plan was also developed the following year in order to implement mitigation measures in a timely manner.
Intergovernmental collaboration at the basin level for groundwater management
Given the characteristics of groundwater, governance of groundwater management system requires intergovernmental cooperation at the basin level and their long-term commitment to the conservation activities. Moreover, region-wide plans should cover multifaceted aspects of groundwater management, including flood management, water utilization, environmental and ecosystem protection, culture and education, and economics while meeting various local needs and mobilizing diverse expertise.
