Who undertakes unauthorized resource use & why
despite over 25 years of ICD
at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Enhancing Equity / Fairness
• The R2P Research shed new light on drivers of unauthorised resource use
• Poverty is a major issue
• But it is only half of the story
Feelings of unfair distribution of costs & benefits were just as important a driver as poverty
unfair share of Revenue Sharing
jobs given to outsiders
lack of support over crop raiding
Improving ICD
• A targeted, fairer approach
• For Bwindi, this especially means targeting ICD to benefit those suffering the greatest costs of conservation
Equitable / Fair Conservation
• A workshop with UWA, Conservation Practitioners, Local Govt, Community Representatives
• Objectives:
– Raise awareness of key research findings from R2P project
– Explore different views on fairness / equity in conservation
– Develop and agree ideas for making Revenue Sharing more equitable and fair
Exploring Views
• What does equitable / fair or inequitable / unfair conservation mean to you – explain this as general principles or specific examples
• Why is equity / fairness important for communities and conservation?
Local Government Conservation Communities
Equitable sharing of the costs and benefits from protected area conservation
Conservation that benefits everyone
Including 2nd tier villagers affected by crop rading
Benefit according to socio-economic & cultural needs
Benefits to those who ‘deserve’ according toregulations
Targeting people closer to the Park who bear the costs
Equitable governance
Transparency Participation of ley stakeholders
Communities deciding projects that address their needs
What does fair conservation mean to you?
Local Government Conservation Communities
Equitable sharing of the costs and benefits from protected area conservation
One group takes all benefits Benefits are not equal to costs of Park conservation
Removing people from the Park without compensation
No “compensation” of crop raiding
Tracking gorillas on community land with no compensation to the community
Equitable Governance
UWA – LG relationship is not harmonised
Lack of accountability of the funds to the community
What does unfair conservation mean to you?
Local Government Conservation Communities
Peaceful coexistence by all stakeholders
Increased ownership Increased community ownership
Sustainability of conservation
Helps make conservation sustainable
Reduced maintenance costs by UWA
Why is fair conservation important?
Enhancing Equity / Fairness in Revenue Sharing
• How can we strengthen implementation of the next round of revenue sharing to make it more equitable / fair?
• How could we strengthen the revenue sharing policy to make it more equitable / fair (as this will be reviewed in the next two years as part of the new Wildlife Policy)?
Local Government Conservation Communities
Timely release of funds Explanation of RS guidelines to local people
Capacity building of all involved for greater sustainability
Format of project proposals harmonised to match LG standards
Support proposals to be sustainable
Monitoring
RS in one strategy with all other NGOs
Strengthen ‘fairness’ of next round of Revenue Sharing
Local Government Conservation Communities
% of RS for vermin guards (not responsibility of LG)
Clarity of RS funds to alleviate human – wildlife conflict
Increase gorilla levy in % not amount
RS beneficiaries according to crop raiding not frontline or 2nd tier parish
Compensation for those most affected by crop raiding
Strengthen ‘fairness’ of Revenue Sharing Guidelines
ICD Guidelines
• Operationalise the research recommendation into practical guidance for ICD practitioners
• So what are our main research recommendations?
• And what ‘practical guidance’ can we produce?
NB: UWA comments received on the outline
Resource Users
• Understand the “who & why” of unauthorized resource use to better target ICD interventions
• Fundamentally this involves understanding those bearing the greatest cost of conservation
• Improving ICD: a more targeted, equitable approaches
ICD Guidance: focus is on supporting practitioners adopt a more targeted, equitable approach
But what practical guidance can we produce?
ICD Guidance - Part 1 definitions & information
• Summary of Bwindi research
• Key concepts of ICD & the ICD concept
• Legal & institutional frameworks supporting ICD inUganda
• Evidence of what works
ICD Guidance - Part 2 Practical Guidance
A. Understanding the ‘who and why’ of resource use
To improve targeting of ICD towards drivers of biodiversity loss by understanding who has the greatest impact on conservation & their reasons for doing so
B. Mapping poverty -conservation linkages
To further inform targeting of ICD interventions by fully identifying how the costs of conservation are manifested at the local level
C. Evidence modelling what ICD success looks like
To identify the evidence that supports ICD success while learning from past interventions how to improve future practice
D. Enabling local voices in decision-making
To determine the best ways to involve & collaborate with local people throughout the ICD process
E. Enhancing equity
To help ensure that fundamental aspects of equity are incoporated into ICD interventions