Local communities are the residents, custodians, and everyday users of socio-ecological production landscapes and seascapes. They are the primary agents of landscape change, and can be prime movers in rebuilding landscape resilience. However, in order to do so communities and their organizations must be able to participate effectively in the decision-making processes which affect their landscapes. A resilient landscape system needs institutions and processes that are collaborative and flexible, and which bring together actors from various levels and sectors.
As landscape-level approaches to natural resource management are gaining momentum around the world, it is crucial to take into account the often complex governance issues that influence how resources are allocated, used and conserved in a landscape. With support from Natural Justice, an organization working at the intersection of human rights and environmental law, COMDEKS has developed the publication “Governance of Socio-Ecological Production Landscapes: A Guidance Note and Self-Assessment Tool,” which provides guidance to organizations involved in landscape approaches on how to understand and improve the governance setting of the landscape, with a focus on the community perspective.
The publication contains two parts:
Part 1 of the document is a general guidance note, which provides:
- an overview of the importance and challenges of governance in socio-ecological production landscapes;
- guidance on how to integrate governance into the planning and execution of strategic landscape processes; and
- examples of measures to support local communities in their efforts to improve the governance of their socio-ecological production landscapes.
Part 2 is a governance self-assessment tool that communities, and their supporting organizations, can use to understand and analyze governance processes in their landscape, and to reflect on possible actions.
Please click here to download the full publication.
COMDEKS 