Identifying EbA solutions through participatory assessments
Steps towards effectively communicating EbA solutions and trade-offs to stakeholders
Developing alliances and integration of local to national levels
Tacaná Watershed
Taco Anema
At the community level in Guatemala, WANI facilitated the development of collaborations with the Community Development Committees and coordinated with Municipal and National Development Councils to enable integration of microwatershed planning and management with community-led action on development. Implementation has demonstrated that projects formulated by the communities rather than external institutions respond to the real demands of communities.
At the department level in San Marcos, in Guatemala, an alliance was created with 16 government and NGOs, to form the Inter-Institutional Coordination for Natural Resources and the Environment of San Marcos. CORNASAM has adopted the microwatershed as the unit of planning and, together, these groups have coordinated outreach and training in the micro-watershed approach.
As a result of the success of the Microwatershed model at the local level, the National Microwatershed Commission of Guatemala was established, comprising several government ministries and NGOs/ IGOs (Action Against Hunger, FAO and IUCN) to lead application of governance reform through microwatershed management country-wide. This National Commission will facilitate the preparation of national public water policies.
In Mexico the new water law of 2003 outlined and supported the implementation of water councils.
At the transboundary level the signing of the “Tapachula Declaration of Intent” by Mexican and Guatemalan mayors supported cooperation on joint actions on watershed management and to provide a platform for information sharing by governmental agencies at the very local level.
Strengthening community-based alliances and integrating them with municipal and national development institutions increases coordination between administrative levels. This promotes integrated and coordinated water resource planning across the watershed and shared experiences with other community groups and networks.
Members of JEM, Jóvenes en la Misión, pose in front of project site.
Taco Anema
Small business enterprise: In Guatemala, WANI was instrumental in supporting the emergence of a youth-run cooperative enterprise called ‘Jóvenes en la Missión’ (Youth in Mission, JEM). JEM began as a Catholic environmental education initiative run by a group of young volunteers promoting sustainable water use and watershed restoration.
Microwatershed model: The Tacaná project developed a water planning and community management model based on:
Broad community participation and recognition of Microwatersheds as a planning unit.
The involvement of local political authorities in environmental management,
Building community capacity in IWRM, and
Forging strategic collaborations with government and nongovernmental organisations.
The Microwatershed model is inclusive, highly participatory and based on strategic collaborations. In Guatemala, Microwatershed councils encompass 10 to 20 communities who share water resources in the watersheds of tributary streams. The councils are organized to coordinate resource management and, critically, how this can be integrated with community development. The Microwatershed councils join each other together and therefore expand their actions to include watershed management at different scales.
The Councils were recognised by local governments from the start as town mayors participated in the organisational process. Engaging the right stakeholders in the process enables better uptake and ownership of apporach.
Projects developed by communities rather than external institutions address the real demands of communities, not just institutional goals.
The micro-watershed model was central to the achievement of the project’s objective of building the adaptive capacity of the watershed and local livelihoods through empowerment of community-owned institutions. With support from the Tacaná project, communities built micro-watershed councils to lead watershed restoration and development that met their priorities.
Developing alliances and integration of local to national levels
Drinking water systems rehabilitation and disaster preparedness
Knowledge mobilisation
Mexico
Taco Anema
Mobilisation was achieved through economic valuation of water resources, provision of locally available information and capacity building for learning and leadership.
The project’s Living Water Partnership established a Payment for Ecosystem Services scheme in Guatemala to protect and restore the Tacaná Watersheds’ natural resources, focussing primarily on water.
WANI facilitated grassroots mobilisation in Mexico through the establishment of the ‘virtual water resource libraries’ in the town halls of five municipalities. These provided access to up-to-date information and knowledge on water resources and the environment in the region.
Learning from the pilot projects under WANI has been incorporated into the University of San Carlos’s academic studies through 10-month internships. These programmes are creating a critical mass of professionals trained in WANI concepts, approaches and practice who will eventually go into professional positions in different institutions and organizations active in the area, creating an influential feedback loop.
Trust and good relationship with local institutions.
Locally available information.
Generation of local knowledge leads to more disaster preparedness and increasing political openness over water at the municipal and State levels.
The scope of the project could have been wider in terms of stakeholder partnerships. The private sector was included in payments for watershed services schemes in the middle part of the catchment, but only for smaller scale holders. In the lower part, large palm and banana tree growers from Guatemala use large amounts of water with no compensation for water retention services upstream.
Commission for the management and protection of sea turtles.
Management committee session
Norma Rodríguez
1.By consensus of the interested parties, INCOPESCA, ADIO, UCR, and SINAC created a commission of co-management and created a legal framework established with executive decree DAJ-020-2005, in order to work together and this group of Co-management launches a management plan for the conservation and sustainable use of turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) nesting on Ostional beach.
The SINAC and INCOPESCA authorization and supervision of the Ostional Development Association (ADIO) to use eggs as a means of subsistence (consumption and sale). The community benefits from consumption of the egg as food and also to receive the economic resources that are distributed between people and social welfare, while contributing to the conservation of the turtle, through the cleaning of the beach and the care Of turtle hatchlings.
Leaning from the results of the first phase (2006-2011) progress was made in fulfilling population recovery objectives. The analysis of research advances made in the last five years and the sessions valuation that each of the actors did on experiences informed the 2013 – 2016 5-year plan; so did negotiations and agreements between the parties.
Representatives of the ADIO, UCR, INCOPESCA and SINAC developed jointly and by consensus four products that were the basis for the development of the new five-year management proposal:
A basic characterization of the roles of the actors and the main elements of their experience, which identified the keys to a successful plan for future use.
An interpretation framework as reference to outline the guidelines of the use plan for the next five years;
Commission for the management and protection of sea turtles.
Distribution of profit to families
Political engagement and promotion
Demonstrating the value of the protected area, community involvement, and conservation is important to align the project with political and bureaucratic imperatives. Provincial authorities have recognised this project as an example of best practice, particularly in terms of community zoning. The method has been replicated in other communities in the protected area, and the Provincial Director of the Ministry of the Environment also advised to apply the method in other wildlife sanctuaries.
A partnership with the Sam Veasna Center for Conservation (SVC), a Cambodian NGO, has provided expertise in promoting responsible tourism. SVC have ensured promotion of the ecotourism project to national and international tourists, as well as supporting tourist visit logistics. SVC also work with the local community to build their capacity for providing tourism services.
The Ministry of Environment recognises the community as a flagship community committee, allowing the committee to attend and present at several workshops throughout the country to share their experiences.
Existence of a local NGO in Cambodia’s most popular tourism destination (Siem Reap) with a goal to promote alternative sustainable livelihoods from ecotourism for local communities at priority sites for conservation provided a natural partner for the project.
Respond to the political and bureaucratic imperatives such as demonstrating value of parks beyond biodiversity. Ensure further political support – or less interference – by raising the profile and status of the park and conservation enterprises among communities and civil society such that political and bureaucratic forces respond to that support.
The actual expert elicitation assessment is carried out during a workshop or series of workshops, attended by appointed marine experts in the field of marine environmental or socio-economic sciences. The experts collaborate and discuss the status and trends on the different parameters for the marine assessment and come to a consensus score. The scores are recorded during the workshop and entered into the SOME website. Notes are taken by a rapporteur on the discussion and the details of relevant reports, papers or other documents are recorded . The interaction and discussions during the workshop should allow the editorial board to identify potential authors to participate in the subsequent report-writing phase of the process.
A minimum of 20 experts, with at least 5 for each key discipline areas (fisheries and biology, physical sciences and socioeconomics).
