A field manual to support planning and management in rangelands including in Village Land Use Planning.
Land use planning in rangelands is highly challenging. There are multiple users and multiple uses of the land and resources, which result in complex access, management and governance arrangements. The distribution of resources is often variable and unpredictable. This requires flexibility of use both spatially and temporally, as well as unfettered movement across the rangeland area. Planning and managing this use must take account of and work with this complexity, rather than try to simplify it.
Why is participatory rangeland resource mapping needed in village land use planning?
Participatory rangeland resource mapping is an important tool for use in the Village Land Use Planning (VLUP) process in pastoral and agropastoral villages. It improves the understanding of rangeland resource use, management and access, and incorporates the complexities described above. Not only does the mapping provide rich amounts of information in a short period of time, it also initiates a process that improves the participation of pastoralists and agropastoralists in village land use planning decision- making. This contributes to better feelings of ownership amongst rangeland users over the VLUP process, and as a result improved incentives to invest in VLUP implementation, and a likely reduction in land use conflicts.
How to use this manual
This manual is structured so that it can be used easily in the field. In each section, the rangeland resource mapping process is divided into separate stages, and then within each stage practitioners are given clear step-by-step guidance on how to undertake specific activities. The guidelines explain the purpose, methods, and potential outcome of each mapping stage and the steps in each stage. Boxes give examples and scenarios for the practitioner to consider.
- Stage 1 | Preparation: organising for mapping
- Stage 2 | Facilitation: making the map
- Stage 3 | Verification: confirming the map
- Stage 4 | Application: using the map