S E Q U O I A C L U B

The Community Afromontane Monitoring Project (CAMP)

Frankfurt Zoological Society’s (FZS) Community Afromontane Monitoring Project (CAMP) has been supporting our existing project sites in the Bale Mountains National Park and the Guassa and Abune Yoseph Community Conservation Areas for the past 4 years. The project has focused on supporting the implementation of community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) as local people should be at the forefront of the management, sustainable use and monitoring of the natural resources on which they depend. The project has empowered communities to develop their own approaches to monitoring legal and illegal resource use, its impact on the ecosystem and the functioning of elected management bodies.

Where does CAMP operate? The Guassa Community Conservation Area (GCCA): Menz, Amhara NRSGCCA, home to the endemic and endangered Ethiopian wolf and endemic gelada, is one of the oldest known common property resource management systems in sub-Saharan Africa, and is over 400 years old. In 2012 GCCA became the first legally recognized community conservation area in Ethiopia and is managed by a council comprising community members from nine Kebeles. CAMP has worked with the GCCA to strengthen the capacity of local government and the management bodies elected by the community, as well as develop and implement the participatory community monitoring and feedback system for GCCA management.

The Abune Yoseph Community Conservation Area (ACCA): Lalibela, Amhara NRSThe ACCA is found in the northern highlands of Ethiopia and safeguards another key portion of Afroalpine habitat for Ethiopian wolves and geladas. The area is now conditionally used for livestock grazing, according to byelaws developed by the local communities of the four user kebeles. The ACCA should be legally gazetted in 2013, as thanks to CAMP, its boundary is agreed and the CBO has been constituted. The development of the participatory community monitoring and protection system has also been supported by CAMP.

The Bale Mountains: Oromia, NRSThe Bale Mountains contain the largest area of Afroalpine habitat on the continent, Ethiopia’s only cloud forest and is second largest moist tropical forest. Animal endemicity is the highest of any terrestrial habitat in the world. Bale is also a year-round source of water for over 12 million people. CAMP supported the development of participatory forest management (PFM) areas around the BMNP in 12 kebeles of Dinsho and Adaba woredas which are in various stages of development. The majority of the community-based organizations (CBOs) are legally recognized and had developed community protection and monitoring systems.

CAMP is financed by the UK Darwin Initiative with co-financing from the European Union and FZS.

Project Purpose: ! ! ! ! Human and institutional capacity for natural resource monitoring built and contributing to community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) in key Afromontane areas in Ethiopia.

S E Q U O I A C L U B

Major Achievements

The forest areas around the Bale Mountains National Park were experiencing open-access forest use with rapid deforestation and degradation. Resource use is now regulated and deforestation rates are reversed. The conservation of these forest will provide secure and contiguous quality habitat for the endangered mountain nyala, endemic Menelik’s bushbuck and several endemic and endangered forest bird species as essential buffer area for BMNP itself. Now, combined with the work done by Farm Africa/SOS Sahel, there is almost a complete cordon of forest under PFM around BMNP. In GCCA and ACCA Afroalpine grassland has been protected for critical populations of Ethiopian wolves and geladas and other ecosystem services.

25,000 hectares under participatory forest management (PFM) in the Bale Mountains, 7,400 and 5,000 ha under community grassland and wildlife management in GCCA and ACCA respectively

Participatory monitoring incorporated into CBNRM and adaptive management.

Resource use is now regulated and

encroachment of communal resources is reversed in 37,400 ha

under protection

Co-management agreement signing at Koma Kebele, Adaba Woreda.

Community Forest of Ayida Kebele, Dinsho Woreda.

Endemic and endangered mountain nyala in native Juniper forest.

CAMP has pioneered the integration of participatory monitoring into CBNRM,

including PFM, a first for Ethiopia

Development of a Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool (METT) for community managed areas.The project adapted an international tool used to track protected area management effectiveness for use in community managed areas, developing sections on empowerment, governance and transparency; experience from other countries has shown that weaknesses in these areas often cause CBNRM to falter. CAMP has found this tool useful to both track progress and for planning future work.

The project facilitated community groups to design a natural resource use monitoring system, including the monitoring of illegal incidents. More than 100 community monitoring teams (CMT) were selected by local community members and trained in field data collection. Every quarter this data is collated and fed back to the community, so that they can discuss its findings, achievements and challenges and then decide if and how management of the area should be adapted. Building on established processes and practices of CBNR management in Ethiopia, CAMP has successfully pioneered the integration of participatory monitoring. These practices are a a first for Ethiopia.

Quarterly presentation of participatory community monitoring data at Kebele level.

Lessons Learnt

CBM provides useful information on strategies to alleviate threats.In Guassa, detailed analysis of records of those caught breaking the law has revealed that in some cases certain community members are repeat offenders. Insights into their personal circumstances is enabling us to design future interventions: for example, some offenders are very poor and thus should be targeted for schemes for alternative livelihood development and poverty alleviation.

Conservation focused projects can enhance women’s engagement with decision-making related to natural resources. Many rural communities in Ethiopia have male-dominated power structures. This situation, combined with their limited free time, means that women are rarely involved in community meetings or decisions. Considerable sensitisation work by the project in the Bale communities and gentle persuasion from the project officers facilitated the user groups to accept women’s representation on the CBO. Given the community reluctance, this can be seen as a significant step for women’s rights generally and will significantly improve natural resource management specifically. Although in reality, these women are initially reluctant to speak out in meetings, we hope that in time, they will gain confidence and find their voice. Although this is a not a new lesson learnt in the global context, it is of significance in context.

Previously excluded from community meetings or decisions, women are now becoming more

involved in decision making

CBM improves commitment of CBO leaders and enforcement of rules.The challenge in newly established CBNRM areas is enforcing byelaws that prevent resource use when previously many people were freely harvesting natural resources, albeit unsustainably. Early action is vital and this depends on the commitment of elected CBO leaders. The provision of monitoring data both on illegal use and the consequent follow up actions of CBO leaders, to the user group has been powerful in highlighting lack of action and giving credit to committed office holders.

Community natural resource monitoring can improve transparency and trust. In the Guassa CCA, instigating community-based monitoring (CBM) improved trust within local communities and between communities and local government. Clear and regular communication and the transparent availability of accurate information allowed objective discussions and reduced unsubstantiated rumour.

Illegal harvest of Guassa grass.

Collection of records and insight of circumstances of

offenders enables better design for future

interventions

+251 911 093045fzsethiopia@fzs.org

www.fzs.orgwww.mluri/camp

Local government commitment is important for governance and sustainability.The success and sustainability of CBNRM depends on a supportive policy context and the commitment of local government. Whilst CBOs have to be owned by communities, in many contexts (local) government support is required to ensure the accountability and regulation of these institutions within the national framework, thereby also preventing CBOs being taken over by local elites. Formal institutions provide legitimacy, support integration of the specific initiative with other related activities and are linked to resources that have a longer, more secure lifespan.

For further information:Dereje Tadesse Wakjira, Project LeaderP. O. Box 100003, Addis Ababaderejetadessse@fzs.org

ConclusionWe hope the community monitoring approach will be adopted throughout Ethiopia, as it strengthens both community involvement in natural resource management and governance, as well as enabling communities to demonstrate the impact of CBNRM on natural resources. Project lessons are therefore being widely disseminated: (i) A documentary film has been made about CBNRM and CBM integration (ii) 3 national and regional workshops have been convened, (iii) 3 peer reviewed papers are currently under preparation.

Balancing the maintenance of institutional memory and replacing long serving committee members.In Guassa, as all CBO members were male at the project start, the project facilitated the inclusion of women on the CBO and the creation of byelaws that determine CBO rotation. However, the project learnt that a balance must be met between the maintenance of institutional memory, ensuring good governance through avoiding elite capture and allowing new members with fresh energy to be included. Byelaws must be set up to ensure that only part of a CBO is changed at each election.

Experience sharing trips are expensive but effective. Local and international experience-sharing trips have been critical in the project and CBM development. The power of personal experience and anecdote in peer-to-peer learning and for changing attitudes within communities, as well as gaining local government support, has been proven time and again in this project.

The power of personal experience and anecdotes in

peer-to-peer learning has been proven time and again

in this project

Lessons Learnt Continued

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