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COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT OF PROTECTED AREAS
FOR CONSERVATION (COMPACT)>> Community-based initiatives to conserve biodiversity in World Heritage Landscapes
As a globally representative sample of the world’s most important ecosystems, flagship species, critical genetic resources, and outstanding cultural landscapes, World Heritage Sites protected under the 1972 UNESCO World Heritage Convention are today playing an expanding role in the conservation and safeguard of biological diversity for future generations.
Despite their international recognition, however, many World Heritage sites continue to face a variety of threats. These include unsustainable harvesting practices, illegal encroachment, poor management, as well as ecosystem conversion by local communities marginalized during the conservation planning process. Widespread lack of involvement of key resource users in protected area management has unfortunately weakened support for protected areas amongst many surrounding communities and indigenous peoples. In response, Integrated Conservation and Development Projects (ICDPs) seek to redress this imbalance by increasing local benefits from conservation and promoting sustainable resource use in and around protected areas.
Within this context, the UNDP/GEF Small Grants Programme joined forces with the United Nations Foundation (UNF) in 1999 to pioneer a demonstration project entitled 'Community Management of Protected Areas for Conservation' (COMPACT). As of December 2003, Phase I of the COMPACT project has distributed an estimated US $6,000,000 to show how community-led initiatives can significantly increase the effectiveness of biodiversity conservation in World Heritage Sites, including globally important marine coral reefs. As a key partner organization in the project, UNESCO has also played a pivotal role in identifying six World Heritage sites in Tanzania, Kenya, Mexico, Belize, Dominica and the Philippines to concentrate efforts in Phase I of the COMPACT initiative.
COMPACT has four key objectives. Firstly, the project seeks to enhance the capacities of community-based organizations and national NGOs associated with internationally recognized, as well as potential, World Heritage landscapes. Secondly, it provides an enabling framework to increase local concern for the protection of World Heritage Sites and globally significant coral reefs. Thirdly, it promotes communication and cooperation between park management, surrounding communities, and concerned groups at local and national levels. Finally, the project strives to increase understanding among governments, NGOs and donors of the synergies between community development, marginalized resource users, and the critical role of international protected areas (including Ramsar sites and Biosphere Reserves) in achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
At the international level, the GEF SGP – which is implemented by UNDP on behalf of the World Bank and UNEP – has proven to be a highly appropriate mechanism to address environmental concerns whilst meeting the needs of local communities. Building on well-established SGP methodologies and procedures, COMPACT is a demand-driven process managed in a decentralized manner. Fitting within the broader structure of the GEF SGP, the overall grant allocation and site strategies for COMPACT implementation are therefore decided nationally by a SGP National Steering Committee (NSC) composed of government representatives, academia, conservation and development NGOs, and the scientific sector.
In terms of hands-on project management, the GEF SGP National Coordinator has overall responsibility at the national level with administrative support from the UNDP Country Office. In consultation with a Local Consultative Body, established by COMPACT for each World Heritage Site, a Local Coordinator then works together with the National Coordinator to provide grants of up to US$50,000 to small-scale community projects. As of May 2003, approximately 111 community-based activities were funded at the six selected World Heritage sites. Sites have been chosen according to a balanced global distribution, with two in Africa (Mt. Kenya and Mt. Kilimanjaro); two in Latin America (Sian Ka’an and the Belize Barrier Reef System); one in the Caribbean (Morne Trois Pitons); and one in Asia (Puerto Princesa Subterranean River).
Examples of the many activities supported by grants have included buffer zone outreach projects; micro-hydro and renewable energy projects; as well as many income-generating activities such as beekeeping, community ecotourism, and the promotion of sustainable fishing techniques. With respect to terrestrial biodiversity, COMPACT further seeks to improve the productivity of agro-ecosystems, and to reduce the consumption of wild resources through genetic inventories and the search for effective substitutes for wild species. Numerous workshops and consultations have taken place as a means to determine ways to effectively involve communities, foster dialogue, and build consensus amongst protected area stakeholders.
In order to disseminate critical lessons learned, COMPACT has continually documented project implementation processes and analyzed information on biodiversity trends in each World Heritage site. Guidelines on a participatory methodology at the local level have elaborated a “baseline assessment” for each World Heritage site to guide the overall site strategy, project implementation, and subsequent analysis of threats encountered. In particular, in Mt. Kenya and Mt. Kilimanjaro World Heritage sites, an innovative “aerial survey technique” has been developed to monitor vegetation and other land use changes within the protected area. The encouraging photographs generated have proven to be an exceptional communication device to convince policy-makers and politicians of the positive results of small grants clustered strategically at the landscape level.
For more information you may contact terence.hay-edie@undp.org
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