Participation In Co-management Research Articles

What factors influence women’s participation in co-management? A case study of Sundarban mangrove forest management in Bangladesh

Understanding what factors influence women’s participation in forest co-management is vital for effective policy planning and women’s empowerment. The views of women and men from four villages in the Chandpai forest range on what influences women’s participation in forest co-management were gathered qualitatively. Data were collected through focus group discussions (n = 16) and in-depth interviews with key informants (n = 29), and thematically analyzed. The participation of women in forest co-management was mostly influenced by family expectations, then religious and societal norms. Women stated that these expectations constrained their participation, whereas men suggested it was less influential. Men reported that women’s participation was motivated by a sense of responsibility to protect the forest, while women reported that participation was mainly focused on economic security for the family. Activities to increase women’s participation could include training (e.g. forest protection, leadership), awareness campaigns regarding women’s roles, and gender-balanced involvement in household activities.

Landscape co-management and livelihood sustainability: Lessons learned from the billion trees afforestation project in Pakistan

In Pakistan, forests and agriculture are important sources of food and income for rural communities. Therefore, to restore the landscape and improve livelihoods, the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) implemented the Billion Trees Afforestation Project (BTAP) in 2014, which lasted for six years until 2020. In this study, we examined the activities undertaken by the forest department at the Dir Kohistan Forest division to promote community-level participation in landscape co-management. This study also analysed the factors that affected participation in landscape co-management and the impacts of co-management participation on livelihood capital using a mixed-methods approach. The study revealed that the forest department established various community-based organizations, which increased participation in landscape co-management and improved the livelihoods of the participating farming communities. Various factors, such as elite dominance, unavailability of required land for afforestation, illiteracy, high dependency on the forest, low confidence among community members, negative attitudes towards landscape co-management activities, and membership in a pastoralist community negatively contribute to participation in landscape co-management. Participation in co-management generated employment and resulted in improved crop farming, livestock rearing, timber harvesting, and firewood collection. Our findings highlight the importance of the factors that hinder effective community-based participation in co-management and livelihood improvement for many communities.

Setting the Social Monitoring Framework for Nature-Based Solutions Impact: Methodological Approach and Pre-Greening Measurements in the Case Study from CLEVER Cities Milan

Nature-based solutions (NBS) are currently being deployed in many European Commission Horizon 2020 projects in reaction to the increasing number of environmental threats, such as climate change, unsustainable urbanization, degradation and loss of natural capital and ecosystem services. In this research, we consider the application of NBS as a catalyst for social inclusivity in urban regeneration strategies, enabled through civic participation in the co-creation of green interventions with respect to social cohesion and wellbeing. This article is focused on a social monitoring framework elaborated within the H2020 CLEVER Cities project, with the city of Milan as a case study. Firstly, we overviewed the major regeneration challenges and expected co-benefits of the project, which are mainly human health and wellbeing, social cohesion and environmental justice, as well as citizen perception about safety and security related to the NBS implementation process. Secondly, we examined the relevance of using NBS in addressing social co-benefits by analyzing data from questionnaires against a set of five major indicators, submitted to citizens and participants of activities during pre-greening interventions: (1) Place, use of space and relationship with nature, (2) Perceived ownership and sense of belonging, (3) Psychosocial issues, social interactions and social cohesion, (4) Citizen perception about safety and security, and lastly, we analyzed (5) knowledge about CLEVER interventions and NBS benefits in relation to socio-demographics of the questionnaires’ respondents. Thirdly, we cross-referenced a wind-rose multi-model of co-benefits analysis for NBS across the regeneration challenges of the project. Because of the COVID-19 emergency, in this research we mainly focused on site observations and online questionnaires, as well as on monitoring pre-greening scenarios in three Urban Living Labs (ULLs) in Milan, namely CLEVER Action Labs. Lastly, this study emphasizes the expected social added values of NBS impact over long-term urban regeneration projects. Insights from the pre-greening surveys results accentuate the importance of the NBS interventions in citizens’ perceptions about their wellbeing, general health and strong sense of neighborhood belonging. A wider interest towards civic participation in co-management and getting informed about NBS interventions in the Milanese context is also noted.

Participatory governance in Lake Victoria (Kenya) fisheries: whose voices are heard?

Co-management is advocated as a means to improve human equity and the ecological sustainability of common-pool resources. The promotion of co-management of fisheries often assumes the participation of resource users in decision-making ensures more ecologically sustainable outcomes than top–down management approaches while improving livelihoods and food security. However, in fisheries co-management approaches, participation is often poorly defined and measured by co-management proponents. For resource users, it may not be clear what their participation in co-management entails, and what such participation might involve or achieve. For the fisheries of Lake Victoria (Kenya), the introduction of co-management established Beach Management Units (BMUs) on a model of participatory decision-making. Unsurprisingly, given global experiences of institutions for resource users’ participation in co-management, the structures established across Lake Victoria (Kenya) have not resulted in effective participation of fisher folk. We examine why this is so. Specifically, we examine the influence of institutions on fisher folks’ participation in co-management, using critical institutionalism to explain how participation of resource users is shaped by the relation between formal government institutions and informal social norms. We take four BMUs as case studies to investigate how historical administrative structures shape the development of co-management, how power relationships within co-management are negotiated at the local beach level and the fisher folks’ understanding of their participation in co-management. We document how informal institutions undermine and replace formal institutions at the local beach level, while formal institutions suppress and ignore informal ones at the national and regional levels. From this, we argue power sharing between the government and fisher folk is key for fisher folk participation in fisheries co-management, capable of addressing both social and ecological challenges facing fisheries management.

Rethinking Institutional Knowledge for Community Participation in Co-Management

Critics of participation often examine the undesirable consequences of state-led systems without much analysis of institutional knowledge at the local level. In this paper, we investigate whether smaller institutions could offer useful knowledge for meeting the development needs of local people. Using participation theory and related literature on development and power, we investigate a co-management system in communities around Mount Cameroon National Park (MCNP), in sub-Saharan West Africa. Our study adopts a multimethod approach to survey officials in 16 agencies and locals in 17 village groups. The findings indicate factors that hinder the effectiveness of local participation and avenues by which institutional knowledge can be customized to meet local development priorities. This system of participation, we conclude, could work better through open dialogue that is explicitly accountable and transparent.

What (De)Motivates Forest Users’ Participation in Co-Management? Evidence from Nepal

The co-management concept has been echoed in scientific literature for over two decades. Emphasis has been tailored towards an understanding of structural and functional issues linked to its application and the outcomes thereof. However, a crucial aspect which still begs for scientific and policy edification, concerns the motivational drivers of actors’ participation in co-management arrangements. Studies contend that actors are motivated to participate in co-management based on their perceived benefits (e.g., income). Conclusions from these lines of argument further raise a theoretical quagmire, requiring further grounding, with regards to context-specific (de)motivators of users’ participation in co-management. The case of Nepal is pertinent. Although Nepal has a rich community-based forest management history, scientific investigations have virtually ignored the motivational drivers of participation in the co-management of natural resources (forests). Against this background, this paper seeks to explore the following: (i) the decision-making and monitoring structure of rules regulating the co-management of forests, (ii) the implications of this system on users’ motivation to participate, and (iii) the motivational drivers of users’ participation in co-management. To achieve this, five focus group discussions and 10 key informant interviews were conducted in five villages (Kunjo, Titi, Parshyang, Cchayo, and Taglung) within the Annapurna Conservation Area (ACA). We further employed narratives, framework, and thematic analyses to discuss the decision-making structure and motivational aspects of co-management. The results point to the following conclusions: (1) Despite the rather top-down decision-making setting, users remain motivated to participate in co-management. (2) Interestingly, the motivation by actors to participate is not largely driven by users’ perceived benefits. The results present another twist, a deviation from the previously understood rationale, which should be factored into co-management theory development. However, the paper equally makes a succinct request for further studies, including quantitative investigations, to ground this assertion.

The Influence of Leadership in Fisheries Co-Management: The Case of Tam Giang Lagoon, Vietnam

ABSTRACTLeadership has been documented as one of the factors affecting successful fisheries co-management, yet the attributes of good leadership in fishing communities need more analysis. This study investigates the influence of the leaders of fishers’ organizations on fishers’ participation in co-management in Tam Giang Lagoon, Vietnam, and analyzes the elements that make a leader influential in that context. The findings show correlation between the fishers’ level of trust in their leaders and the participation of fishers in co-management. Six attributes give leaders influence over fishers: (1) fairness, (2) accountability, (3) acting as a role model, (4) being a “servant leader” (one who focuses on the needs of others), (5) professional competencies (resource knowledge and management skills), and (6) social qualities (ethical, moral, understanding the community, relation with community). The study has implications for selection of appropriate leaders and human resource development in fishery associations.

Toward Inclusive Co-Management: Factors Influencing Stakeholder Participation

This study investigates stakeholder participation in selected examples of existing co-management arrangements developed to manage marine protected areas (MPAs) within the wider Caribbean. An understanding of the factors contributing to and dynamics of stakeholder participation is essential for promoting effective resource co-management. Data were collected from individuals living within the communities closest to or most affected by the MPAs, inquiring about their participation in and knowledge of MPA management. This article seeks to answer the question: What factors influence participation in co-management? Factors found to be predictors of participation, including occupation, age, and gender are discussed, as is the relationship between participating in MPA management and feeling one's interests are represented.

Motivating factors and facilitating conditions explaining women's participation in co-management of Sri Lankan forests

Among South Asian countries, Sri Lanka has only recently ventured into community management of its forests. This paper focuses on a qualitative exploration of two communities in a rainforest conservation project in Sri Lanka. The high level of women's participation is attributed to motivating factors and facilitating conditions. Obstacles to forest co-management outcomes include reduced forest dependency and top–down decision making. Adaptive implementation strategies compensate for these obstacles by establishing strong networks and structural organizations in forest boundary communities. This suggests that an intervention addressing the actual needs of stakeholders, rather than focusing on perceived problems, would allow for increased participation.