Participatory conservation co-management: a component description
2000
S. Southammakoth | I. Craig
This paper describes the Lao-Swedish Forestry Programme’s overall approach to participatory National Biodiversity Conservation Areas (NBCA) co-management in Laos.This approach involves the development of co-management systems with guardian villagers, who are provided with a stake in the resources they are being asked to help protect. This is done through the development of secure and sustainable resource use and monitoring systems.Lessons learned from the application of this approach include:It is important that guardian villages, rather than the district, play the lead role in monitoring conservation agreementsThe most serious threats to both habitat degradation and wildlife destruction come from external pressuresAlthough subsistence-based hunting and gathering activities by local communities still have negative impacts on the natural resource base, participatory co-management is beginning to reduce these to sustainable levelsIt is important that guardian communities are given a commensurate stake in the resources which they are being asked to protectCommunity-based nature-tourism provides incentives for conservation co-management activitiesMajor reforms are required in training for NBCA staff if patrolling skills are to be upgraded and investment in such training is to be cost effective[adapted from author]The document is available free of charge on mekonginfo but registration (free) is required.
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