Inter-community peace committee and peace meetings

The Mt. Kulal landscape consists of eight different villages spread out around the biosphere and depending on the shared ecosystems and rich biodiversity within the landscape. This leads to competition for shared resources and conflicts. The project worked with local administration and leadership to revive peace committees within the communities and link them together across the landscape to create inter-community peace committee that can meet periodically to plan sustainable management of shared pastureland and water resources, resolve disputes, and provide leadership in resource governance to reduce and prevent degradation of local ecosystems and biodiversity. Through this structure peace meetings were organized where communities openly discussed their grievances, challenges, and how to address issues around sustainable grazing land management.

  • Readiness of elders from different rival communities to sit together and plan sustainable management of pasturelands and other resources as well as resolve conflicts.
  • Availability of resources including funding to convene joint inter-communal meetings and events.
  • Readiness of local administration and leadership to support the processes and recognize the inter-community peace committees as valid resource governance structures.
  • Good will and support from the County government to the process.

Although inter-community peace committees and arrangements for management of shared resources remain weak due to traditional community rivalry, the structures work effectively when given support and with good local leadership. The structures form a strong basis from which good landscape management processes and structures can be developed for viable sustainable ecosystem management.