A guide for planners and managers - IUCN

76 MARINE AND COASTAL
PROTECTED AREAS
– involve the community in all stages of
protected area planning, and facilitate plan
development by the villagers themselves
wherever possible (Figure I-38)
– involve the community in final review and
approval of the protected area management
plan (including location of zones, boundaries
and controls)
– integrate the protected area into the village
institutional structure, using existing committees
and customs as much as possible,
and aim to reinforce these—at all costs avoid
developing parallel structures
– have clear definitions of community and
management authority roles and responsibilities,
and establish these through formal
agreements
– place community representatives in the
forefront of public activities related to the
protected area (planning workshops,
meetings with donors and other institutions
and media events)
FIGURE I-38.
An extension officer of the Ministry of
Agriculture takes notes at a village consultation
for a coastal nature trail project in St. Lucia.
– to secure central government support for community based initiatives, get these
officials out into the field and participating in meetings with villagers, committing
themselves publicly to follow up, and reporting back at appropriate (annual)
intervals
– training villagers as “specialists” in a variety of skills so that they can train or advise
a larger number of villagers is effective in getting villagers on board and saves time
and money for cash-strapped management authorities
– use simple methods and start small—once something is found to work it should
be simplified to the critical elements only, so that it can be easily understood and
taken up by villagers without being excessively (and unnecessarily) demanding of
their time, e.g., action plans and monitoring indicators should be simple and
straightforward.
The concept of collaborative management may be anathema to some
management authorities and individuals. It will be seen as a threat to revenues (even
personal income in some societies) and erosion of power and influence. If the
collaborative management structure we help build is to last, we need to demonstrate
that it can work to everyone’s advantage and achieve the goals of resource conservation
Photo by Erkki Siirila.