IIED, Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Livelihoods Programme

At the heart of co-management of natural resources is a process of collective understanding and action by local communities and other social actors. The process brings about negotiated agreements on management roles, rights, and responsibilities, making explicit the conditions and institutions of sound decentralised governance. De facto, co-management is about sharing power. The publication is designed to support those who wish to better understand collaborative management processes and to develop and enhance them in practice.

Le processus collectif de compréhension et d’action par les communautés locales et d’autres acteurs sociaux se trouve au cœur de la « cogestion » des ressources naturelles. Ce processus aboutit à des accords négociés sur les rôles de gestion, les droits, les responsabilités et rendent explicites les conditions et institutions pour une gouvernance saine et décentralisée. De fait, la cogestion revient à partager le pouvoir. Cette publication vise à soutenir ceux qui s’évertuent à mieux comprendre les processus de gestion collaborative, et à les développer et les renforcer dans la pratique.

At the heart of ‘co-management’ of natural resources is a process of collective understanding and action by local communities and other social actors. The process brings about negotiated agreements on management roles, rights, and responsibilities, making explicit the conditions and institutions of sound decentralised governance. De facto, co-management is about sharing power. The publication is designed to support those who wish to better understand collaborative management processes and to develop and enhance them in practice.