This toolkit gathers together information on seven tools that have been successfully used by members of the International Land Coalition (ILC) to enable the role of local land users in territorial and ecosystem management. It is intended to facilitate mutual learning based on the good practices of specific ILC members.
download ILC Toolkit #6
1) COMMUNITY FOREST GOVERNANCE STRATEGY
A community forest governance strategy is a four-tier tool which caters for the formation of forest protection committees (FPCs) and supports forest resource management. The tool is designed for the promotion and protection of land tenure systems of forest-dwelling indigenous communities. It combines traditional and non-traditional self-governance institutions.
2) SUPPORTING FAIR RECOGNITION OF CUSTOMARY LAND TENURE AND USE SYSTEMS
A process for supporting the implementation of new policies and laws that allow for community forest claims and protect the rights of forest-dwelling communities to live on and cultivate forest land.
3) RESISTING EVICTION BY DEMONSTRATING THE BENEFITS OF TRADITIONAL FOREST ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT
Resisting eviction by demonstrating the benefits of traditional forest ecosystem management enables forest-dwelling communities to continue to manage and regenerate forest biodiversity while securing their customary lands, livelihoods, and ancestral territories. The community-led tool facilitates the management of forest pastures and waterways using the traditional ecosystem practices of forest-dwelling communities and the conservation of forest biodiversity and wildlife, as opposed to the removal of forest-dwelling communities from their ancestral lands and their resettlement in areas that are foreign to them.
4) RESISTING MINING ACTIVITIES THROUGH COMMUNITY ECOLOGICAL RESERVE MANAGEMENT
Community ecological reserve management is used to resist the advance of large-scale mining industries in areas inhabited by indigenous communities. Community establishment, ownership, and management of ecological reserve sites facilitates the conservation of forest ecosystems that are at risk of being lost to mining activities.
5) FOREST STEWARDSHIP CERTIFICATION
Forest stewardship certification facilitates the development of national indicators and guidelines for responsible management of forests and forest resources. The certification scheme contributes to restoring the ecological balance of forests by ensuring responsible forest management. It ensures that forests are managed in an environmentally friendly way, providing social, economic, and cultural benefits to communities whose livelihoods depend on them.
6) SUSTAINABLE LAND AND WATER MANAGEMENT TRAINING
Sustainable land and water management training improves the performance of existing irrigation facilities and serves as a platform for developing an efficient model for the management of land and water infrastructure. It also facilitates access to funding
and expansion of irrigated areas.
7) PARTICIPATORY MAPPING FOR CUSTOMARY FOREST USE
A traditional natural resources management system that facilitates the management
of community lands and seas to curb excessive exploitation and destructive use of natural resources by large private investors. The tool is also used to challenge top-down national approaches to natural resource management that stifle community self-governance, by encouraging communities to determine their own natural resource and ecosystem management practices.
how to use the toolkit
Each section describes the characteristics of the tool: its goal, actors involved, the ILC members that have used it, the expected outcomes of the tool’s use, and a step-by- step practical guide to implementation. The stories at the end of each section summarise aspects of good practice connected with the tool’s use by one or more ILC members and partners. Tools can be adapted to different contexts or needs. By using the available links, it is possible to access more information about each tool and to get in touch with ILC members that have used it.
ILC Toolkit #5: Indigenous Peoples and communities land rights
26 April 2018
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