PROJECT DEVELOPMENT - Enhancing Multi-Stakeholder Capacity in linking Environment and Development, facilitating an inclusive developmental planning
| Project title | PROJECT DEVELOPMENT - Enhancing Multi-Stakeholder Capacity in linking Environment and Development, facilitating an inclusive developmental planning |
| Implementing Institutions | M S SWAMINATHAN RESEARCH FOUNDATION, CHENNAI |
| Country(ies) | INDIA |
| Abstract | This one year-long phase aims to develop a long-term capacity building programme to facilitate an inclusive developmental planning in the Western Ghats. The proposal can capitalize on many of the priority IPBES capacity building needs, especially to develop the capacity for enhanced and meaningful multi-stakeholder engagement by improving the capacity for access to data, information and knowledge on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Multi-stakeholder consultations and short case studies are envisaged to come up with a full-length proposal. |
| Project Description | Western Ghats is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and also a Mega Endemic Centre. The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel constituted by Govt of India has noted that this hill range which is the backbone of the ecology and economy of South India has been torn severely. The implementation of injunctions to preserve ecosystems and biodiversity are hampered mainly by the lack of appropriate operational objectives and frameworks for research, which respect and capitalize on traditions which enhance sustainability and thus underrating the goods and services provided by different agro-ecological systems. Yet, on the positive side, this region has some of the highest levels of literacy and a high level of environmental awareness and democratic institutions are also well entrenched. This region may be the apt one in the country for attempting a transition towards an inclusive, caring and environment-friendly mode of development. Even though the country has advanced in formulating a number of environment/biodiversity/land use directives, the successful implementation of many of them is a matter of debate. A trans-disciplinary mode of action needs to be devised for making the said transition. A shift from ‘Government-lead’ efforts to ‘Governance-lead’ systems is already evident in biodiversity governance, involving multi-stakeholders. There is also no ‘one perfect model’ for the management of biodiversity, in fact, each has to learn from the other and collectively look at a new dimension of relationships. |
| Project Objectives and expected Achievables | Project objective is developing a long-term capacity building programme for an inclusive, democratic & decentralized governance system for the sustainable management of natural resources along the Western Ghats. This one year-long project development phase will make a series of consultations among project partners and critical stakeholders and conduct short case studies to frame a complete proposal in the above mentioned context. The multi-stakeholders of the programme include members of local self governments (especially members of the local biodiversity management committees), regional and national policy makers, officers of government departments, scientists and practitioners in the field of environment and development, civil society organizations, farmers and public (special mention to tribes, women, youth and students). The expected major result of this phase is a proposal which aims: • Improved capacity of multi-stakeholders to deal the issues related to sustainable environmental development; • The transformation knowledge, aiming youngsters increasing people's and local authorities’ capacity for performing roles as independent change makers and local development actors; • Making the legal, regulatory, financial and institutional environment more conducive to a constructive and effective participation of civil society in the process of sustainable development. |
| Timeframe | 1 year |
| Geographic Scale | Sub-national |
| Seeking Resources for: | Project development |
| Type of Resources/Support needed: | Financial, Technical |