Transcript Document

Conserving Biodiversity and
Sustainably Managing Land through
Community Conserved Areas
Dr. Jonathan Davies, Drylands Coordinator
IUCN, the International
for the Conservation
of Nature
IUCN, the International
Union forUnion
Conservation
of Nature
Land restoration in Jordan,
Mali, Botswana and Sudan
IUCN, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature
etween 10 and 20% of drylands are
subject to desertification
esertification exacerbates poverty,
eates food and water insecurity and
aggravates conflict
bal cost of desertification: 42 billion
USD annually
stimated cost of preventing it: 2.4
billion USD
IUCN, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature
Drivers of desertification
• Poor understanding of dryland ecology
• Weak consultation with resource managers
• Weak communal tenure arrangements and
governance
• Unsupportive policies and investments
• Human poverty and population dynamics
• Climate change and climatic uncertainty
• Fragmentation of landscapes
IUCN, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature
Governance: the bedrock of
sustainable land management
IUCN, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature
• Why implement good land management practices
if you cannot stop others from abusing your land?
• What is the point of protecting your resources to
improve production if somebody else can benefit
and leave you with nothing?
IUCN, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature
Creating and enforcing rules:
what we mean by governance
• Governance is more than government
• Interaction between citizens, between the
State and its Citizens, and between States
– Rules – laws and other norms
– Institutions
– Processes
IUCN, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature
Strengthening Governance
• Multistakeholder
dialogue
• Participatory planning
and problem solving to
get to root causes
• Strengthening
participatory practices in
government and
community
• Hima identified as the
preferred mechanism
IUCN, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature
Legitimising Hima
• Legal avenues identified and political dialogue to
identify acceptable approaches
• Land for protection identified by communities
• Allocation of land approved by government
– Dept rangelands or forestry
– Dept tourism and antiquities
• Rules and regulations developed by communities
• Inter-community dialogue to enforce rules:
enforcement is key
IUCN, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature
What we did not do
• Investment in infrastructure
• Fencing
• Extensive technical advice
This can get in the way and can
undermine governance
• The key is community autonomy
and leadership with government
support
IUCN, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature
Results
• 4 plots under improved
management and
conservation (approx.
1000 ha)
• Running 2 years so endresults are modest
• Major change in attitude
and behaviour amongst
communities
• Significant change in
support from Ministry of
Agriculture
IUCN, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature
Results
• Biodiversity benefits:
recovery of floral
species
• De facto IUCN Protected
Area Category 5
• Built on local knowledge
and expertise in
conservation and
rangeland management
• Dual development and
conservation impacts
IUCN, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature
Results
• Return of plants
with medicinal
values (e.g.
artemesia spp.)
• Return of wildlife
and possible hunting
concessions (e.g.
partridge)
IUCN, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature
Questions
• Does HIMA
management meet
PA category 5
standards?
• Are these effective
ICCAs that
contribute to Aichi
targets?
IUCN, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature
Questions
• Can livestock
management
replicate natural
herbivore processes?
• Where is the balance
between livestock
management and
conservation?
IUCN, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature
Questions
• Ecosystem-scale
impacts
– Can improved
rangelands vegetation
lead to better water
cycling and reduced
drought?
– To what extent will we
be able to rehabilitate
rangelands?
IUCN, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature
Lessons
IUCN, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature
Community empowerment
• Local communities have unique skills for conservation that
can be harnessed through Hima
– Key is to use Hima to strengthen local land use, not to exclude
land use
• Healthy, productive rangelands offer a genuine win-win of
increased agricultural production (through livestock) and
biodiversity conservation
• Communities have aesthetic as well as economic motives
– Assume that most rural people desire a beautiful environment:
but a beautiful productive environment
• Communities can be initially defensive towards any
discussion of land rights
– Demonstrating progress leads to rapid change of view
IUCN, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature
Government enabling
• HIMA has positive effects on community-government
relations
• Political support gives high credibility
– To succeed, this approach requires sanctioning by government,
and may require policy reform
• Not every government extension worker has the character
to promote Hima
– Requires a sensitive approach: only part of this can be taught
• Technical advice can play an important role, but comes
later, and must build on (and complement) communal
management and knowledge
• Government role in setting standards and evaluating
progress needs to be developed through dialogue
IUCN, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature
Conservation outcomes
• HIMA can improve landscape-connectivity by including
community conserved areas in conservation strategies
(including productive lands)
– Requires new working relations between ministries that
typically compete against each other
• Herbivores play a critical role in rangeland ecology and
we have to learn how to replicate this
• Greater emphasis is needed on monitoring biodiversity
and ecosystem services to track long-term progress
• Long-term impacts can be exponential as people gain
confidence in governance systems
IUCN, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature
Wider impacts
• Great appeal world-wide
– Hima has parallels in other cultures – recommend to
adapt to other contexts and share experiences
• Governance of water can undermine Hima
systems in the long term
– Factor water into community-government dialogue
• The environmental services of Hima have hidden
values (e.g. water cycling, migratory species,
carbon sequestration)
– These can be measured and should be compensated
through domestic and international channels
IUCN, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature
Thank you
DAVIES Jonathan [email protected]
IUCN, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature