Independence

A structure is in place to ensure the panel is free from any external influence whether from government, private sector, NGOs, scientists or IUCN. Panel members are free to reach what they consider to be the best conclusions and recommendations based on the latest available science. They can be free with their opinions and have no contractual arrangement for research funding or other with the funder/contracting party or any of other companies operating on the Sakhalin Shelf (including their parent or sister companies and subsidiaries).

The scope of the panel’s work is based on a set of specific, pre-defined conservation and natural resource management questions. Members bring to the table the required expertise from different disciplines and perspectives, and they are expected to consider all evidence before them from a strictly technical or scientific point of view.

Independence of the WGWAP is central to its ability to serve the function for which it was created, and IUCN helps safeguard the integrity of the panel. On a few occasions, for example, the panel has issued public statements of concern, when it felt necessary.

Robust and independent governance structure

The consortium’s governance model will be different to that of largest sustainability platforms which bring together diverse stakeholders. It comprises a board, an innovation fund, committees, a management team and implementing partners, each with a clear role. This helps to reduce the risk of conflicts of interest. On-the-ground sustainability interests drive the platform rather than competition over funding, mandates and influence. The management team coordinates the execution of the action plan and monitors impact. Regular meetings take place to ensure alignment among partners and that workstreams make progress towards overarching goals and vision.

A key element of the consortium’s success is that the while the strategy is designed by the members of the board, who safeguard the long-term interest in the future and prosperity of the region, implementation will be done by specialists and coordinated by a management team.

 

In order to replicate and expand the actions of the platform it is important to have a governance structure with board members who are not directly responsible for implementation to avoid conflict of interest.

 

When actions on the ground are coordinated by a professional management team rather than isolated organisations, this team can learn, replicate the work and communicate results more effectively during the platform’s expansion.

Detailed action plan and budget

The consortium’s vision has been transformed into a clear action plan outlining specific workstreams, accompanied by a detailed budget:

 

  • Connected landscapes
  • Climate-intelligent farming practices
  • Ensured water resources
  • Stakeholder engagement
  • Fundraising

 

The action plan is built on an extensive assessment based on satellite images and interviews with each land owner or producer in the area. Broad consultation took place with all those involved and potentially impacted by the interventions (farmers, members, government agencies and donors). The plan includes details of who will do what by when which is key to monitoring progress against overall objectives. All of this is reassuring for donors and investors who can see that their funding is being effectively targeted.

  • Clarity about the group’s vision and the objectives of each workstream.

 

  • A long and in-depth preparation phase gathering detailed knowledge of each property.

 

As a pioneer initiative that is expanding, adjustments are needed to ensure a smooth implementation phase and concrete results which the group can learn from. To date, the consortium has focused on short-term actions and immediate goals.

 

In order to engage further donors and partners, the consortium has developed an action plan with concrete objectives while addressing the costs and potential partners for each activity.

Matching international expertise with on-the-ground knowledge

The consortium has made concerted effort to build on rather than duplicate existing work. Some members have been active in this region for the last 15 years and have gained a wealth of experience. This is now being matched with the national and international expertise of other members to guide strategic coordination of activities.

 

New partnerships are being formed at all levels and information shared among diverse players. Those with technical or scientific expertise are teaming up with NGOs that have the will and capacity to generate change. One example is that IUCN will help local NGO Imaflora develop biodiversity indicators for the consortium’s handbook on conservation and best agricultural practices. IUCN has also mobilised key coffee brands (Lavazza, Illy and Nestlé) along with Nespresso to discuss a potential collaboration for expanding the consortium.

  • Capacity to map all stakeholders present in the area and interested in participating, to build a platform that is legitimate, representative and capable of implementing change.

A number of valuable lessons have been harnessed. Among these it is important to:

 

  • Understand all the interests and stakeholders of any given region;

 

  • Have international sponsors that can bring expertise to the platform;

 

  • Map local organisations working in the region that have an established and successful track record;

 

  • Use co-creation as the main approach to defining strategy and action plans.

 

While the initial impetus came from one company – Nespresso – the consortium uses a sectoral approach, aiming to ultimately change the behaviour of the entire coffee supply chain. A sectoral approach promotes more powerful change, sends a strong signal to the market, as well as ensures the consortium’s sustainability.

Knowledge of activities in the area

It is very important to identify the activities likely to affect the conservation of the species to be protected. Here, we have identified several sources of nuisance. This text deals only with the nuisance caused by jet-skiing. To confirm the nuisance caused by these machines in our area, we recorded the noise propagated during normal use. Finally, the bibliography enabled us to confirm the nuisance caused.

Knowledge of measurement/mapping activities and resources.

Confirmation that jet-skiing is harmful to the conservation of a coastal group of bottlenose dolphins.

Product Innovation and Development Using Applied Technology

The continuation of organizing every group of the village is to hold a training and development of post farm production such as improving quality of raw materials, packaging, marketing, and research and development. Applicable technology (i.e. fish farming intensification (biofloc), fish food production using pepper and rice farm waste supported mechanical processing, organic fertilizer using processed waste of fish farming, etc) is required and it has to be simple technology so that the people can operate, maintain, and even build the machine itself. Widening the range of market and technology information can be obtained from training events and various exhibitions. Up until the final stage that the local people are fully capable to execute and develop themselves. The future evolving technology that is going to be applied in the village has to be controlled so it doesn't exceed its biocapacity(an estimation of capacity given to an ecosystem/biological productive area to absorbs waste and produce natural resources).

  • Executing initial research of post farm product development and application of applied technology
  • Widening the distribution of those products to big cities nearby.
  • Product development with various practical and modern packaging
  • Green packaging development to eco-friendly material/plastic subtitute material (i.e using plastic subtitute package, such as, plastic from sea weed, maizena, etc).
  • Product innovation (i.e. powder, essential oil, etc) to create more variety of products and increasing brand value
  • Network expansion to export market
  • Understand which local companies we're going to collaborate with and regional distribution line.
  • Discover various organic community and product innovation, green packaging innovation, and applied technology to support these.
  • Enriching product and market knowledge and its legal barrier so we can improve human capacity to overcome those challenges.
  • Using up to date media as marketing strategies (online marketing) so increasing information tech savviness is mandatory for villagers.
Establishment and Development Support of Village Level Organizations.

From the execution of the participatory mapping and creation of medium term planning, it’s required to have short term follow up action plans such as:


1. Making the union of farmers, village owned company (Pondok Lada), research group is legally recognized both locally and nationally,

2. Support annual strategies that based on medium term planning, such as:

a. Farmers union is to increase the annual harvest volume, not expand their agriculture in water source protection area, using organic pesticide and fertilizer, grading pepper berries to be sold to the company, Pondok Lada.

b. The company buy graded pepper berries with the fair price that is disscussion with farmers union, producing post harvest product as a instant product, gradually transform to eco-packaging to reduce the impact of plastic waste.

c. Research group to teach how to grade pepper with global standard, teaching how to integrate each type of farming (pepper, fishery) by supplying each other nutrition.

 

This annual planning that is arranged by village has to be synchronized to district and national medium and long term planning in order to have better support from the government.

  • Legalization of formed groups (the company, research groups) regionally to nationally.
  • Creating key persons and support system for regeneration of those groups.
  • Synchronization of annual strategies of those groups to village administration medium term planning, medium and long term regional to national government level planning with collaborations with other local movements, academics, start-up companies, NGOs, etc.
  • Coordination and data sharing with related government institutions to gain support from the planning that is arranged by village.
  • Understand how the line of coordination and legal system works in different regions
  • Collected of various policies, (i.e long term agricultural development plan from Ministry of Agriculture, long term agricultural and energy development plant from province level) to be synchronized to village development plan from each level of government, i.e (National or Regional) Planning and Development Ministry, Village Empowernment Ministry (regional), Agriculture Ministry.
  • Know the key person of each sector from the government, NGOs, academics, i.e. head of directorate of development rural area in National or Regional) Planning and Development Ministry.
Achieving governance for adaptation with an ecosystem approach

The Advisory Council serves as a vehicle to escalate up to the Commission local experiences and evidence of the benefits of ecosystem based adaptation. To address adaptation challenges, it is governed by several criteria, among them: identify and reduce the vulnerability of society and ecosystems; consider climate change scenarios in territorial planning; study and strengthen the resilience and adaptive capacity of natural and human systems; take advantage of opportunities generated by new climatic conditions and; promote food security, productivity and ecosystem conservation. To facilitate the consideration of technical matters, the Council established 4 Working Groups, the last one being that for Adaptation. This latter Group hopes to consolidate a space for exchanges and multidisciplinary synergies, where its members can advocate for EbA. The Council's contribution to governance for adaptation will depend on the mechanisms it is able to facilitate for the integration of grassroots and civil society organizations (ejidos). If it also adopted a basin-wide approach to territorial management, and collaborated with the other Working Groups, it could build an even more collegial, ecosystemic and resilient governance model.

  • Having evidence of EbA effectiveness for mainstreaming EbA throught the Advisory Council: Community vulnerability studies and experiences in applying EbA measures in ejidos of the upper watersheds of the Coatán and Cahoacán rivers, and on the coast (Tapachula) were developed and shared with the Council.

 

  • Sharing the evidence widely to mainstream EbA: Studies were presented at VII National Congress on Climate Change Research, allowing for network-building, awareness-raising and experience-exchange on EbA effectiveness.
  • A barrier to EbA implementation is financial resources. Reaching policy-makers to include EbA as a State development priority and assign budget remains a challenge. Despite Counsellors being open to leverage EbA approaches to policy-makers, there is still need for greater linkages between State’s climate change institutional system and watershed management organizations/resource management organizations.
  •  EbA can achieve greater impacts by complementing actions and recognizing synergies with other strategies, such as mitigation /emissions reductions (e.g. REDD+) and disaster risk reduction. This is relevant as a way to expand the Council's agenda, which has tended to focus more on mitigation issues.
  • To truly achieve multidimensional, ecosystemic, sustainable and participatory governance, these CC institutionality and grassroot organizations must demonstrate greater coordination over time, including the ability to jointly assess the effectiveness of adaptation policies and co-benefits for mitigation.
Achieving multi-dimensional and participatory governance for adaptation

The Climate Change State System is the permanent mechanism for communication and coordination of State entities and municipalities on climate change policies. It members are: Climate Change Inter-Secretariat Coordination Commission (CCISCC), Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC), State Secretary of Environment, federal delegations, mayors and state Congress.The CCISC is in charge of developing the adaptation and mitigation policies against climate change in the State of Chiapas and the CCAC is the permanent consultative body. Although the CCAC was established in 2014, it was inoperative, leaving a gap in the promotion of public participation in the formulation and implementation of CC policies.

IUCN conducted an analysis and interviews to identify the reasons behind it, which were: 1) lack of time due to the honorific (non-paid) basis of the Counsellor and 2) lack of an Internal Regulations with rules on removal from office due to prolonged absence. Counsellor lasts 3 years in office, thus IUCN and the State Secretariat of Environment used the momentum in 2017 to promote the appointment of new Counsellors by the CCISCC president and the elaboration of its Internal Regulation. They also made sure to include a Working Group on Adaptation.

The multidimensional participatory governance improvement was possible thanks to a variety of enabling factors:

 

  • Political will and commitment
  • Commitment from NGOs
  • Committed local communities with experience in conservation actions
  • Media coverage
  • Support from ongoing adaptation projects, both from international cooperation and national programs.

 

  •  In order to constitute a multidimensional governance platform, the Advisory Council should promote multi-sectoral integration, but also multi-level integration. This implies the inclusion of Ejido representatives, local actors and indigenous peoples so that these actors can put their proposals, adaptation needs (particularly for EbA) and mitigation opportunities, before state authorities.
  • Considering that over 50% of Chiapas population live in rural areas and that some Counsellors live far from Chiapa’s capital, it is important to develop decentralized mechanisms for representation and participation in decision-making. Otherwise the institutional setting may fail to achieve its goal.  
  • Spaces such as the National Congress on Climate Change Research, supported in recent years by the Advisory Council, offer dissemination and networking opportunity so that actors, such as Ejidos, researchers and civil society, can present their needs and proposals related to climate change.

Note: The Ejido is a system of land tenure and form of communal organization, where communities sow to help each other.

Knowing and protecting the home range of a sensitive species

The first step in this solution is to know exactly the home range of the species to be protected (in this case, Tursiops truncatus). It was therefore necessary to carry out participatory science actions, integrating observation data from tourism companies and setting up a network of hydrophones. Park staff were then trained to observe the bottlenose dolphin. In particular, they learned to detect the animal's activity according to its behavior (hunting, social interactions, resting, etc.). This knowledge was then mapped.

Means of acquiring knowledge - human, material and financial resources

Competence of the management team

Ability to network with research organizations.

The means of observation must evolve, as bottlenose dolphins are sensitive to the presence of an observer team, and their behavior changes when the team is present.