Corporate Policy Papers
Taking Risks: Background Papers
Background Papers Index
Participatory Eco-Development
Annex B
Glen Cove Regional Meeting, March 1997,Main Findings and Recommendations
The following recommendations transpired from group discussions during the March 1997 Glen Cove meetings:
- Pre-conditions for eco-development programmes. Eco-development projects should take place in regions that have economic potential, a formal request for an eco-development project should be made by the government to UNCDF, communities must have a legal status and eco-development projects should not be anchored within the deconcentrated ministries structures.
- Eco-swaps. These were defined as "buying a commitment from a community for the long-term restoration of natural resources against the provision by the project of social or productive investments in the short-term". The group stressed, however, that eco-swap is only one instrument among an array of possible interventions (such as change in the regulatory environment, change of land ownership and tenure and creation of an enabling environment) and recommended that eco-swaps be refined further in order to make them more simplified and less costly.
- Long-term strategy. The time frame of five years for eco-development projects was considered too short and unrealistic. UNCDF’s capability to build forums and to replicate was questioned.
- Institutionalization of eco-development projects: what actors, what type of management and what training? Because of recent developments in decentralization policies, eco-development projects must now count the elected local government as a new partner. They must now foster consultation between local governments, the civil society and the private sector.
- Selection of activities, planning and start-up actions. The working group felt that there is an inherent contradiction between the concept of eco-development, which stresses participatory decision-making in response to the peculiarities of each situation, and its implementation, which tends to follow what resembles an institutional blueprint. To address this contradiction, project teams must accept a reduced control during implementation and strive to foster a process of participation and ongoing negotiation with all actors.
- How to simplify and make cheaper the instruments of eco-development projects (map and social and land tenure studies). Completion of Village Investment Plans should not be a pre-condition to starting activities and investments at the village level. The means used to conduct initial studies and gather information should be both less expensive and more relevant. This could be achieved by improving the selection and targeting of villagers, improving the maps and social and land tenure studies, using less and more relevant data, simplifying inquiries and setting up reference village development plans in one village rather than finalizing a plan in each village.
Saly workshop, June 1997, Main findings and recommendations
- Strengthening local capacities. To ensure the sustainability activities initiated by the project. It must be part of a recognized political and legal framework and not operate in a vacuum. Eco-development projects must therefore include a communications strategy modeled according to the needs of each stakeholder group. Financial and human resources need to respond to the demands of the population.
- Political and legislative influence on the projects. Ways must be found for external assistance organizations to harmonize their approaches to ensure the sustainability of new structures and participatory approaches.
- Relevance and operationalization of the petite region or local area concept. Projects to date have focused almost exclusively on the village or terroir level. Working at a higher level (that of the small region) is indispensable for maximum impact and for truly addressing larger resource management and socio-economic issues.
- Land tenure issues. Land tenure often emerges as a problem in eco-development projects. User rights must be identified in order to find acceptable solutions. All relevant interest groups, such as pastoralists and fishermen, must be involved in negotiations.
- Financing eco-development. Credit is of vital importance for eco-development projects and the absence of credit has had negative effects on the projects.
- Entry point (filière). Projects should initially focus on one area of economic activity and deliver some funding in advance to ensure an important and sustainable impact on the livelihood of the population.
- Adapting the analytical tools to the different project zones. Focus on area-specific issues (pastoralism).
