Meeting on Community Protocols Held in Sabah, Malaysia

On 28 March, an informal meeting on biocultural community protocols was organized by Natural Justice and hosted by PACOS in Sabah, Malaysia. Anne Lasimbang (PACOS) provided background on the first community protocols developed in Sabah in 1998. Community researchers from Kampung Buayan presented on the protocol developed by the communities of Ulu Papar over the past two years with support from the Global Diversity Foundation. Natural Justice discussed activities undertaken in the Regional Initiatives on Biocultural Community Protocols and introduced the newly released Biocultural Community Protocols Toolkit for Community Facilitators.

Borneo Conservancy highlighted the potential wider applications of community protocols in the context of different legal frameworks. A representative of LEAP and the Indigenous Peoples Network of Malaysia (JOAS) noted the need for such tools that can help amplify communities' voices, particularly in partnerships with government agencies and the private sector. The organizations in attendance agreed to further explore opportunities for coordination and joint strategies around community protocols in Sabah, including to advocate for recognition of customary systems of resource governance (known as tagal).

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African BCP Initiative Meeting - Nairobi

Building on its earlier meeting held in December 2011, African BCP Initiative Kenyan partners met in Nairobi to discuss the experiences of members in developing and implementing BCPs. Member organizations including Natural Justice, ETC Compas, the Center for Indigenous Knowledge and Organizational Development (CIKOD), Mainyoito Pastoralists Integrated Development Organization, Save Lamu, Kivulini, Ogiek Peoples Development Programme and Life Network provided updates on the status of their BCPs. They shared valuable information regarding lessons learned during development and implementation of BCPs, and discussed some of the challenges they faced in the process. 

Natural Justice contributed insights on dealing with some of these challenges, and introduced the Biocultural Community Protocols Toolkit, which sets forth tools for community facilitators to support communities in the BCP process. The Toolkit is now available for member comments, with a final version scheduled to be published by the end of 2012. An electronic version is available here. Finally, ETC Compas facilitated a discussion on the relationship between BCPs and multistakeholder partnerships, and addressed the next steps to be taken by the African BCP Initiative. All African partners of the BCP Initiative will be attending a final meeting and planning session in Ghana in June.

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Save Lamu Hosts Community Meeting to Discuss BCP

For three days beginning 20 March 2012, at a meeting facilitated by Save Lamu, community members representing stakeholders from around the Lamu region gathered in Lamu Town on Kenya’s coast to continue developing the community’s biocultural community protocol (BCP). Dividing into six groups based on Lamu’s major nature-based livelihoods—fisherfolk, farmers, hunter-gatherers, mangrove cutters, pastoralists, and other-nature-based livelihoods—participants mapped the location and identity of the natural resources used by those livelihoods. Participants provided information regarding their use and conservation of Lamu’s natural resources, discussed the positive and negative impacts of the planned port, and proposed mitigating measures to address potential impacts. 

Other issues addressed included improving communication among community members and dealing with the misconception that Save Lamu is against the port when in fact its major concern is the lack of community participation in the planning of the port. Additionally, participants developed a vision statement encapsulating the community’s goals and aspirations, which will help to guide the development of Lamu’s BCP going forward.

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Final Guidelines for Land Tenure Submitted

Photo credit: Roberto Faidutti - FAO

The draft text for the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security was submitted for final approval by the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) this past week. While the guidelines will not be binding, Yayi Olaniran, the chair of the CFS, said the inclusive process used to develop the guidelines will help to ensure “they will set the bar for policy makers.” 

The full text of the draft guidelines will be available at the website of the CFS Secretariat here soon. Read more about the guidelines here.

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Forever Sabah Stakeholder Meeting

Last week Harry Jonas attended an NGO stakeholder meeting for a bold new project being developed in Malaysia: Forever Sabah. The meeting was convened by LEAP and attended by a range of NGOs including Borneo Conservancy, PACOS, Hutan, WWF, and Global Diversity Foundation. Forever Sabah is a full-scale reintegration of economic, social and environmental issues at the landscape level towards a paradigm shift to a "greener" economic and governance model. Harry provided input on Natural Justice's work on the green economy and green governance, about which more can be read here. More information on Forever Sabah can be found on LEAP's website.

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Protest for Community Inclusion in Banni

The Banni Pashu Uchherak Maldhari Sangathan and Maldharis of Banni have organized a public gathering to protest the lack of involvement in the Indian Forest Department's working plan for the Banni grasslands of Gujarat. The community has previously developed a biocultural community protocol which can be accessed here. For more information contact the Banni Breeders Association: bpums4@gmail.com.

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Biocultural Community Protocols Toolkit for Community Facilitators

Natural Justice has just released the first version of "Biocultural Community Protocols: A Toolkit for Community Facilitators". Developed through the Regional Initiatives on Biocultural Community Protocols and with guidance and input from other key partners around the world, the Toolkit is comprised of four parts:

• Part I: Understanding and Using the Toolkit
• Part II: Documenting and Developing a Biocultural Community Protocol
• Part III: Using a Biocultural Community Protocol
• Part IV: Reflecting, Reporting, and Revising

It is intended primarily for use by Indigenous peoples and local communities with support from long-standing and trusted organizations, where appropriate. The Toolkit is available for download in one document or in smaller components on the dedicated community protocols website, along with a number of additional resources such as e-learning modules on key legal frameworks, publications, and films.

We welcome feedback and suggestions regarding any of the materials ahead of developing a second version of the Toolkit later in 2012. Please contact Holly Shrumm at holly (at) naturaljustice.org with any questions or inputs.

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