Strengthening natural resource institutions in Africa: applying social learning to reconciling pover

1
Strengthening natural resource institutions in
Africa applying social learning to reconciling
poverty reduction and environmental management
Jon Anderson Natural Resource Management
Office US Agency for International Development
Louise E. Buck Diji Chandrasekharan
Behr Department of Natural Resources, Cornell
University
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Overview

• Problem of weak institutions
• Reality of institutional pluralism
• Social learning in institutional coordination,
  
• adaptation and innovation theory and design
• Social learning in integrated environment and
• development initiatives case studies
• Conclusions

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Weak Institutions
Communities, governments and markets alone are
limited in their capacity to transform natural
resources into wealth for ecologically
sustainable development Linking required roles
and responsibilities to capacities and
coordinating across numerous organizations is a
design or learning challenge Necessity and
complexity of pluralistic institutional
development expand with increasing scale and
scope of NRM
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Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS)
Economies and ecosystems are CAS CAS represent
many levels of organization Characterized by
constant rearranging and revising of building
blocks Strive for no optimum or steady
state Represent rich webs of interaction among
agents Depend on dispersed control mechanisms
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Human Activity Systems (HAS)
Complex adaptive systems Soft-systems, based on
agreement among members on goals, membership and
boundaries HAS comprised of linked activities
that exhibit emergent properties of
purposefulness System goals are not given, but
contested and system boundaries are negotiated
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Complex Coupled Systems (CCS)
Natural resource management systems are complex
coupled systems Unpredictability, dynamics and
imperfect information on CCS underscores need to
learn about changing relationships between
communities and resources Management of CCS
must build on a foundation of pluralism and
cyclical (adaptive) processes
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Social Learning
Involves interaction of social units
(organizations, households, communities) in
transformation of group behavior uses creative
abilities of all participants to foster
innovation and collective action Builds on
pluralism recognizing value in others
positions, perspectives and knowledge Captures
the dialogue and discourse between stakeholders
that is fundamental for adaptive management of
complex coupled systems
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Facilitating Social Learning
Catalyzes joint learning by bringing stakeholders
together to plan, coordinate, demarcate, monitor,
reflect and learn to act together Helps people
reconstruct their realities through observation,
experimentation, meaningful experience and
dialogue Numerous possible techniques how to
choose and apply them?
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Techniques for facilitating social learning
participatory mapping --- stakeholder analysis
--- conflict management --- rapid appraisal of
agricultural knowledge sytems (RAAKS)
--- back-casting --- soft systems methodologies
---platforms for resource use negotiation (RUN)
---search conferences --- linked local learning
--- collaborative learning --- future scenarios
analysis participatory rural appraisal (PRA) ---
participatory technology development (PTD) ---
action research others
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Scale
small
large
11
Scale
small
large
village/ hh clusters
multiple villages
watershed
eco-region
12
low
Diversity of governance regime
high
Scale
small
large
village/ hh clusters
multiple villages
watershed
eco-region
13
few
Stakeholders
many
low
Diversity of governance regime
high
Scale
small
large
village/ hh clusters
multiple villages
watershed
eco-region
14
few
Stakeholders
many
low
Diversity of governance regime
high
simple
Scale
small
large
Scope
complex
15
few
Stakeholders
many
low
Diversity of governance regime
high
simple
Scale
small
large
sustainable agroecosystems
soil erosion
Scope
community forestry
integrative watershed management
wildlife management
complex
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few
Stakeholders
many
low
Diversity of governance regime
high
low
simple
Scale
small
large
sustainable agroecosystems
soil erosion
Diversity of governance regime
Scope
community forestry
integrative watershed management
wildlife management
complex
high
17
few
Stakeholders
many
low
Diversity of governance regime
high
low
simple
Scale
small
large
many
sustainable agroecosystems
soil erosion
Diversity of governance regime
Scope
Stakeholders
community forestry
integrative watershed management
wildlife management
complex
high
few
18
few
Stakeholders
many
low
Diversity of governance regime
high
low
simple
Scale
small
large
many
PTD
RAAKS
Platforms for resource use negotiation
Conflict management
Diversity of governance regime
PRA
Scope
Stakeholders
Future scenarios
Collaborative learning
PRA
Conflict management
Platforms for resource use negotiation
Search conference
PRA
complex
high
few
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few
Stakeholders
many
low
Diversity of governance regime
high
low
simple
Scale
small
large
many
PTD
RAAKS
Platforms for resource use negotiation
Conflict management
Diversity of governance regime
PRA
Scope
Stakeholders
Future scenarios
Collaborative learning
PRA
Conflict management
Platforms for resource use negotiation
Search conference
PRA
complex
high
few
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Participatory Technology Development
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Joint understanding
Participatory Technology Development
Options for local learning
Foster community dialogue
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Foster interaction
Joint understanding
Improve correspondence between systems
Enhance communication
Participatory Technology Development
Options for local learning
Enhance experimental capacity
Stimulate joint monitoring
Foster community dialogue
Link science with local priorities and capacities
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few
Stakeholders
many
low
Diversity of governance regime
high
low
simple
Scale
small
large
many
PTD
RAAKS
Platforms for resource use negotiation
Conflict management
Diversity of governance regime
PRA
Scope
Stakeholders
Future scenarios
Collaborative learning
PRA
Conflict management
Platforms for resource use negotiation
Search conference
PRA
complex
high
few
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Platforms for Resource Use Negotiation
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Created around a problem
Platforms for Resource Use Negotiation
Stakeholders work collectively
Undertake joint action
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Shared learning
Created around a problem
Accommodation
Platforms for Resource Use Negotiation
Stakeholders work collectively
Collective action
Develop learning processes that solve problems
Undertake joint action
Commitment to action strategies
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few
Stakeholders
many
low
Diversity of governance regime
high
low
simple
Scale
small
large
many
PTD
RAAKS
Platforms for resource use negotiation
Conflict management
Diversity of governance regime
PRA
Stakeholders
Scope
Future scenarios
Collaborative learning
PRA
Conflict management
Platforms for resource use negotiation
Search conference
complex
PRA
high
few
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Future Scenarios
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Creative visioning
Innovative ways of assessing situation and
planning
Future Scenarios
Guided imagery
Focus on uncertainties, drivers of change and
causal relationships
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Creative visioning
Generate perceptions of interdependence
Innovative ways of assessing situation and
planning
Influence stakeholders thinking
Future Scenarios
Guided imagery
Create platforms for joint learning and
negotiation
Focus on uncertainties, drivers of change and
causal relationships
Influence actions
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Nature, Wealth and Power Emerging Best Practice
For Revitalizing Rural Africa
Review of lessons learned from CBNRM in
Africa Programs that simultaneously improve
environmental and economic outcomes emphasize
adaptive management and improved governance in
addition to technical and economic interventions
Social learning is key to the success of these
new institutional approaches
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Three Case Studies

• Illustrate ways that social learning
• Strengthened NRM institutions at different
• levels of governance
• Helped integrate technical, economic and
  governance dimensions of NRM
• Locations
• Senegal and Mali
• Namibia and Botswana
• Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africa

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Senegal A forest level case
Situation Competition for land and natural
resources between local, agro-pastoral people and
migrant farmers Migrants cleared large tracts of
protected forest for peanut and other
farming Grazing and water conflicts became
violent Local government had limited
jurisdiction over Forest Department land
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Senegal A forest level case
Intervention Participatory assessment of
conflict dynamics generated options for
addressing conflict Confirmation and validation
of study by government and opinion
leaders Engagement of wider community in
dialogue and development of preferred
options
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Senegal A forest level case
Institutional outcomes Draft action plan that
monitoring committee would refine to define zones
and limit future settlements Collaborative
forest management system among forest service,
villages surrounding forest and local governments
(continued)
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Senegal A forest level case
Institutional outcomes Commitment from
participants to develop simple management plans
and a local surveillance system Collaborative
search for alternative crop and production
techniques that are profitable and protect the
environment Improved understanding among
partners and better management of resource
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Mali forest level
Tension between local villages in upper Niger
valley and Forest Service based on permits to
urban woodcutters without local
consultation USAID led conflict mitigation
effort to develop legally recognized local
organizations who gained access to
credit Cooperatives enhance villager capacity to
negotiate and exchange information with
suppliers, purchasers and government
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Namibia social learning at sub-national level
Situation Ten-year old community based NRM
program supports local rights over wildlife
resources Wildlife censuses are key to
establishing off-take limits and
quotas Government managed, aeriel surveys were
out of date, flawed and undercounting
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Namibia social learning at sub-national level
Intervention NGOs, government and community
officials developed alternative census process
based on road counts, community guards and
event books New data set with broad based
ownership used by communities to question
government process of renewing quotas
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Namibia social learning at sub-national level
Institutional Outcomes Collaborative monitoring
enables continuous processing of feedback between
bio-physical status of resource and the
management system Quotas and incomes have
risen, and conflict has been reduced
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Namibia social learning at national level
Situation Establishment of CBNRM program induced
involvement of numerous new actors Institutional
complexity and lack of coordination lead to
conflict, uncertainty and sub-optimal
performance
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Namibia social learning at national level
Intervention Namibian Association of CBNRM
Support Organizations (NACSO) formed by 11
NGOs A small secretariat plans activities of
organizations who meet quarterly Individuals
from member organizations work on x-cutting
issues through working groups on NRM, enterprise
institutional development, training and
monitoring
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Namibia social learning at national level
Institutional Outcomes Created platform for
collaborators to influence the sector through
analysis and dissemination of information about
CBNRM NACSO now coordinates national CBNRM
program and stimulated development of government
CBNRM unit to help sustain CBNRM upon completion
of donor support
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Botswana social learning at national level
New community trusts threatened by effort to
re-centralize financial management of
CBOs Platform formed for dialogue and
deliberation to express rural views, channel
communication among communities and lobby against
re-centralization CBOs federated into network
(BOCOBONET) that plays mediating and advocating
role between communities and service providers
including government, NGOs and private sector
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Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africa a
transnational case
Situation Southern Africas wildlife underpins
prospects for economic and social development of
region Political boundaries do not correspond
with animals needs to move unrestricted through
their natural ecosystem Efficiency of management
and marketing sub-optimal due to differing
endowments among units and high transaction costs
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Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africa a
transnational case
Intervention Great Limpopo Transboundary Natural
Resource Management Area (TBNRMA) initiative
recognized need for communities and nations to
collaborate to manage shared, unique
heritage Tri-national technical committee
established to create platform for dialogue and
coordination amongst communities and
governments Platforms generated collaborative
means of creating and enforcing rules
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Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africa a
transnational case
Institutional Outcomes Formal treaty signed by
presidents of 3 nations established Transfrontier
Park and Conservation Area in 2002 Strong policy
foundation for collaborative NRM and business
development Robust alliances of community
groups, and public and private sector entities
interacting effectively and implementing program
activities
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Conclusions
Case studies reveal importance of social
learning in transforming natural resources into
wealth through negotiating changes in access and
control and stimulating joint environmental
stewardship Social learning, ably facilitated,
brings together stakeholders who previously did
not interact or were locked in conflict it
helps change institutional relationships and
capacity Learning activities that strengthen
institutions include facilitating perceptions of
interdependence, generating common objectives,
and strengthening capacity to jointly monitor,
analyze, plan and act
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Conclusions (cont.)
It is important to tailor social learning
activities to the social and ecological context
based on the scope, scale and complexity of
the problem situation the characteristics and
contributions of different methods In addition
to getting the method right social learning
requires investment in a long term process whose
outcome is uncertain and contingent