Walia Special Edition on the Bale Mountains (2011) - Zoologische ...

esults from a planning process that is expert or consultant driven. The BMNP planning process was
designed to be participative with the goal that planning led easily into implementation. Our approach
at participation had mixed success; it worked well with government and other NGO partners, who
supported and endorsed the final product such that is was ratified within three days of submission.
However, it has been criticised for not sufficiently or appropriately engaging with communities
or addressing their needs and concerns regarding the management of the BMNP. Community
participation in the development of the plan could have been much stronger had a clear process for
engaging at the local level been developed from the outset.
Even with wide-buy in and early ratification, implementation was initially delayed by changes
in the institutional framework central to the BMNP. Shortly after ratification the management
authority for the BMNP was moved from the Regional government to the Federal government, and
although both had been involved throughout the planning process, the change meant that the plan
needed to be re-aligned with new policy and organisational priorities. This was compounded by
simultaneous changes in senior staff within FZS, the main implementing NGO partner.
Another point worth noting is that not as much background data was required as expected
to complete the GMP. Where information was lacking, actions were developed to fill knowledge
gaps, rather than hold up the planning process. Furthermore, the adaptive nature of the plan with its
ten year strategic vision and three year rolling action plans allows for new or revised actions to be
incorporated into management activities over time.
The planning process also highlighted two other factors crucial to implementation. First,
successful management of the BMNP hinges on two key policy and legislative issues: i) formally
and transparently gazetting the park, and ii) recognising and managing, in some way, the presence
of the communities living within and using the park. Secondly, additional finances are needed for
implementation. The BMNP has always been under-resourced and hence the slow slide to poor
management. Improved financing of the park will need to come from at least five sources:
i) Increased government allocation (justified by valuation of the ecosystem goods and services:
for example recent research suggests that the annual direct consumptive use of forest products
in the Bale Mountains is $84 million). Nevertheless, it is unlikely that core budget allocation
will ever be sufficient for proper management.
ii) Increased revenue by making the park more attractive to tourism operators and tourists. This
would need to be complemented by a system of revenue retention.
iii) Payments for ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, watershed protection and
biodiversity/genetic conservation – additional studies and specialist technical expertise will
be required to explore these opportunities
iv) Improved financial flows within the park through business planning (for example improving
revenue collection, increasing efficiency of spending, and maximizing the quality of services
being paid for).
v) Securing external technical and financial assistance through partnerships with NGOs and
third party donors.
Partnerships are essential to ensure the sustainable and effective management of the BMNP
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