Africa

UNESCO biosphere reserves are regions that resemble protected areas, but go far beyond mere protection. Their target is to balance nature conservation with socio-economic development and poverty alleviation. This manual gives guidance to managers, their key partners and stakeholders on this central issue of UNESCO biosphere reserves: why and how to work with local communities. This manual focuses on practical aspects such as how to address and manage local conflicts between stakeholders as well as on co-management with local communities and benefit-sharing.

UNESCO biosphere reserves are regions that resemble protected areas, but go far beyond mere protection. Their target is to balance nature conservation with socio-economic development and poverty alleviation. This manual gives guidance to managers, their key partners and stakeholders on this central issue of UNESCO biosphere reserves: why and how to work with local communities. This manual focuses on practical aspects such as how to address and manage local conflicts between stakeholders as well as on co-management with local communities and benefit-sharing.

In this publication, several case studies from the African continent illustrate the "nature-based solutions" approach and offer hope that effective solutions to the climate change dilemma can be addressed through local responses that also achieve mutual benefits for biodiversity conservation and community resilience.

La présente analyse de situation a été réalisée pour éclairer les réponses à plusieurs résolutions formulées lors du 5 Congrès mondial de la nature en 2012, concernant l'état critique des grands vertébrés d'Afrique centrale et de l'Ouest. Elle s'appuie sur un large éventail d'informations pour fournir des renseignements sur le statut de ces espèces, les sites importants, les pressions, la législation, l'efficacité des aires protégées, les mesures d'incitation communautaires en faveur de la conservation et les réponses institutionnelles.

The Responsive Forest Governance Initiative (RFGI) is an Africa-wide environmental-governance research and training program focusing on enabling responsive and accountable decentralization to strengthen the representation of forest-based rural people in local-government decision making. This Working Paper series will publish the RFGI case studies as well as other comparative studies of decentralized natural resources governance in Africa and elsewhere that focus on the intersection between local democracy and natural resource management schemes.

The Responsive Forest Governance Initiative (RFGI) is an Africa-wide environmental-governance research and training program focusing on enabling responsive and accountable decentralization to strengthen the representation of forest-based rural people in local-government decision making. This Working Paper series will publish the RFGI case studies as well as other comparative studies of decentralized natural resources governance in Africa and elsewhere that focus on the intersection between local democracy and natural resource management schemes.

The Responsive Forest Governance Initiative (RFGI) is an Africa-wide environmental-governance research and training program focusing on enabling responsive and accountable decentralization to strengthen the representation of forest-based rural people in local-government decision making. This Working Paper series will publish the RFGI case studies as well as other comparative studies of decentralized natural resources governance in Africa and elsewhere that focus on the intersection between local democracy and natural resource management schemes.

The Responsive Forest Governance Initiative (RFGI) is an Africa-wide environmental-governance research and training program focusing on enabling responsive and accountable decentralization to strengthen the representation of forest-based rural people in local-government decision making. This Working Paper series will publish the RFGI case studies as well as other comparative studies of decentralized natural resources governance in Africa and elsewhere that focus on the intersection between local democracy and natural resource management schemes.