Participatory governance of natural resources in the Caribbean Regional Workshop on the Implementation of Rio Principle 10 in the Caribbean Region, Port of Spain, 17 September 2013

What is participation? Participation in the context of natural resource management can be described as a process that: facilitates dialogue among all actors; mobilises and validates popular knowledge and skills; encourages communities and their institutions to manage and control resources; seeks to achieve sustainability, economic equity and social justice; and maintains cultural integrity (Renard and Valdés-Pizzini 1994).

Types of participation Manipulative Passive Participation by consultation Participation for material incentives Functional Interactive Self-mobilisation ( Bass et al (1995)

Spectrum of participation Full control by natural resource users: all stakeholders fully involved Control and decision-making shared among stakeholders Full control by agency with authority Spectrum of participation Consulting Transferring authority and responsibility Actively seeking consensus Sharing authority and responsibility formally Developing and deciding on specific agreements

What are the factors that determine the type of participation? Purpose of the initiative Complexity Urgency Capacity: an umbrella term to refer to the ability of a person or organisation to participate effectively in the process in which they are engaged. In practice, several different elements of capacity (or capacities) are needed to participate effectively.

Capacities needed for participation Capacity needs depends on the stakeholders involved Access to information is key is the participation is to be meaningful Available time Available human and financial resources

Types of capacity needed for participation World view/Philosophy of leaders of process Culture Structure Adaptive culture and strategies Linkages Skills, knowledge, abilities Material resources

What type of participation is desired? What is the context? What is the willingness? What type is possible? What are the costs and benefits?

What is the context? Is there existing or potential conflict? Is there strong interest by stakeholders? Do many different stakeholders have management rights and responsibilities? Are there existing or potential users of the resource?

What is the context (cont’d) Will people be negatively impacted by the change in management of the resource? What are the relationships and power struggles? Is there a risk that by not involving stakeholders the management efforts will be derailed?

What is the willingness? Is there willingness to accept the inputs of stakeholders in the decision-making? Is there willingness to accept the involvement of stakeholders in management?

What type of participation is possible? Are there sufficient resources to support the desired type of participation? Is there sufficient time to facilitate it? Do the stakeholders have the capacities required to equitably and effectively participate? Can an appropriate facilitator be found? Can the mechanisms to facilitate equitable involvement of stakeholders be created?

What are the costs and benefits? What are the benefits that we are seeking to achieve through using a participatory approach? What are the costs of this approach? Are the benefits greater than the costs? What are the costs of not using this approach? Are other approaches feasible? Would they yield greater benefits in relation to costs?

The example of the J’can LFMCs Local Forest Management Committees (LFMCs) are the main mechanism for formal community participation in forest management in Jamaica. LFMCs are independent, community-based organisations formed for the express purpose of playing a role in the management of forests and forest resources and using them sustainably in community livelihood strategies. intended to play monitoring, advisory, and management roles within their local area. - an exceptionally steep watershed, which supports a range of uses that impact on its forests and the services they provide. The area has among the highest poverty rates in Jamaica. - These committees are set up in critical watersheds and are– first 2 LFMCs established in 2000 in in the Buff Bay/Pencar Watershed Management Unit.

LFMCs – the enabling context Jamaica’s new approach: to involve stakeholders in managing forest reserves Jamaica’s forest legislation and policy make specific provisions for stakeholder participation in management and decision- making about the use of forest resources

The LFMC model The principles of sustainability, broad-based engagement, relationship building and responsiveness guide the Forestry Department in its work with the LFMCs. Its strategy has been to: establish LFMCs in areas where forest resources have been subjected to human-induced degradation, reconcile forest sustainability and biodiversity conservation with the livelihood needs of the communities while reducing pressure on the resource

The LFMC model (cont’d) manage expectations and stimulate community responsibility for resource mobilisation by taking into account the existing financial and human resource situation; • increase appreciation of forests and of the principles of forest management through training; commit to the long-term viability of the LFMCs while placing an emphasis on community-led resource mobilisation.

The LFMCs: what type of participation? The predominant form of participation that characterises the participatory arrangement that the LFMCs facilitate is functional participation. The LFMCs do not participate in management decision-making (retained by the Forestry Department), although they do inform it.

The LFMCs: what type of participation? LFMCs establish their priorities for local action and develop local plans of action, but these fall within the parameters set by the Forestry Department, which the LFMCs have played no part in developing. Also: elements of interactive participation and self- mobilisation, particularly in the LFMCs’s broader community development role and functions, where they set their own agendas within the wider livelihoods framework.

LFMCs: results and successes advocates for the forest and its resources and have become champions for the forest and for environmental stewardship. strong environmental education, awareness and outreach component and are active in area schools, churches and community groups. LFMCs’s education and awareness activities complement the Forestry Department’s own awareness raising programme

Challenges of participation Costly in terms of time & resources for all (including stakeholders) Raises stakeholder expectations & can lead to disillusionment if realistic expectations are not defined Where capacity is lacking, it can be counterproductive and result in backlash Danger of consultation burnout

Values of participation Incorporates a wide range of perspectives and ideas and sources of knowledge Improves the knowledge and skills of all stakeholders Increases the likelihood of stakeholder support through involvement in decision-making Can provide a forum for identifying conflicts between users and negotiating solutions Can contribute to stakeholder empowerment and local institutional development, especially when sharing of management responsibility in involved

Loïza Rauzduel loiza@canari.org www.canari.org Merci Thank you Gracias ! Caribbean Natural Resources Institute – CANARI Loïza Rauzduel loiza@canari.org www.canari.org