Snapshots of International Community Forestry Networks: Country ...

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Learning from International Community Forestry Networks: India Report 2. International networks often have a one-way interaction with local sites. Network members gather information and publish documents. Not much effort is made to ensure that the documents are widely distributed at the local site or translated into local languages. Though it may not be practical for international networks to communicate directly in local languages, the need for coordinating translations through local networks seems essential. 3. Networks seem to learn from local experiences but it is not clear how this benefits the local initiatives. It is a one-way enrichment process with unclear benefits to the concerned communities. A feeling that “international networks do not talk, do not communicate information about themselves, only come, learn and publish” emerged very strongly. 4. International networks could be more proactive about reaching local groups and bringing up local issues in newsletters regularly. International networks could also be more proactive in making local groups aware of the existence and objectives of international networks. 5. Not much effort has gone into adding value to what is already happening at a local site either through exchange of experiences with easily accessible tools and language, or in any other way. 6. International networks could play a crucial role by facilitating exchange of information and effectively disseminating it through creation of local resource centres. Networks can also help to facilitate exchange visits within a country or across countries. 7. International networks could help with lobbying on critical issues, especially at international level. For example they could help lobbying with donor agencies based on local experiences and issues. 8. International networks and national networks should function in a manner that facilitates the work of existing local networks or operate through these networks rather than establishing their own branches and co-opting the activities of local groups/networks. 9. Networks could coordinate among themselves to avoid duplication of efforts and for maximum cohesive impact at a local level. 5. INDIA REPORT CONCLUSION: SUMMARY OF MAIN LESSONS LEARNED By and large the preliminary findings from Delhi were confirmed while visiting the different states. Additional important points also came to light. Overall findings and lessons learned are summarised below. Findings about individual networks have not been summarised here, as evaluation of specific networks is not the objective of the study. Findings and lessons have instead been organised thematically. In the methodology jointly worked out by the international research team, it was agreed that the effectiveness of CF networking could be measured in terms of the degree to which it has succeeded in promoting the following: • empowerment – inclusive decision-making, including marginal voices • equitable income generation and livelihood strategies in communities • access to, and control of forests by, the local communities • ecological sustainability and conservation • 2-way flows of information in appropriate forms and languages As per the above criteria, it would seem that international networks have played a small role in India, and overall not been very influential. As far as impact on, and inclusion of, communities and marginal voices is concerned, there was no evidence that international network activities had a direct impact at the grassroots level. Communication in local languages, or facilitation of communication in local languages did not seem to have been a priority for any network. However, it is possible that international networks may have had an indirect role in promoting CF and sustainability at grassroots level, by influencing some individuals and institutions that work at grassroots level, through information dissemination, research, workshops, and training on the above topics. It was not possible to ascertain the extent of this influence, as interviewees were vague about this. 66
Learning from International Community Forestry Networks: India Report Some interviewees agreed that there had been an overall beneficial influence of international networks in promoting CF, but could not specify what this was. Others felt that international networks had not played any relevant or influential role in India. Judging from the fact that international networks have by and large succeeded in reaching out to many key players in CF, it is highly likely that international networks have had some kind of influence in India, but overall they have not been perceived as being widely influential. The key question is whether the time and resources spent on/by international networks, are proportionate to the impacts achieved, particularly at grassroots level. 5.1 Reach and impact of international networks 5.1.1 Regional representation International networks were more visible in Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal, and less so in Andhra Pradesh. All the three states studied have an environment conducive to JFM or CF, with presence of national or state level networks. Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal have a smaller presence of NGOs and weak state-level networking as compared to Andhra Pradesh. However, they do have a greater presence of national networks, while IIFM and IBRAD have provided substantial support for CF in different ways, including through their involvement with national networks. Given the presence of strong state-level networks and NGOs in AP, one would have expected international networks to have played a greater role there, by exploiting the existing mass base of networks, to reach out to a large number of people at grassroots level through information dissemination, training, etc. However, international networks were found to have a relatively larger presence in West Bengal, MP and Delhi. One reason could be that these three places are served by large, formalised institutions. Delhi, being the capital, is a hub of international and national institutions, while IBRAD and IIFM have a strong presence in West Bengal and Madya Pradesh as well as a presence outside these states. It may be that international networks have found it easier to communicate with such institutions where the favoured tools of communication – email and the English language – were not lacking. 5.1.2 Linkages to national and local networks The most glaring gap in international network activity was the fact that there did not seem to be any attempt to create formal links with national or local networks through collaborative activities and facilitation, even where local networks were strong and vibrant, such as JSM in Madhya Pradesh or APNGOs in Andhra Pradesh. Many of the individuals active in national or regional networks were also actively engaged with international networks. It may be, therefore, that international networks were indirectly influencing national or local networking through these individuals. However, this was not obvious, and it seems that a more effective role could be played by international networks if they were to formally link with indigenous networks. Two main purposes could be served by linking formally with national / local networks: 1) co-ordination of activities with national/local networks, or facilitating their activities, would mean that the influence of international networks would be reaching out to a large, pre-existing base of people, whether it is for information dissemination or capacity building activities. In other words, it would greatly add value to an on-going process. 2) It could avoid the problem of being perceived as a ‘foreign’ activity, because people would find it easier to relate to an indigenous network, and would be less ‘suspicious’ of international networks if they were directly linked to indigenous networking efforts. 5.1.3 Impact on different sectors International networks do not seem to have made any effort to target forest departments, which are central to the implementation of JFM, the predominant form of CF. This misses out a crucial sector in the CF scenario, and perhaps serves to alienate the FD. The alienation may be further fuelled by the feeling that networks and NGOs tend to ‘protect’ a certain kind of idea of CF, where NGOs and communities are supported against any governmental initiative. It was felt, for example, that networks tend to mainly highlight successes of CF, even though there is much to learn from failures of CF. The FD is a key player in JFM, and perceives itself as such, clearly illustrated in the example of the WWF-Foresters Network which faded away because the FD felt that a foresters’ network should be a governmental initiative, and did 67
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