Lands of the poor : local environmental governance and the decentralized management of natural resources

This book focuses on local environmental governance and decentralized natural resource management. Environmental issues are analyzed against the backdrop of new approaches to local development. Particularly important is the concept of ‘local environmental governance’: the quality, effectiveness and efficiency of environmental stewardship led by local administrations, its transparency and accountability, and the manner in which environmental powers and authority are exercised at the local level. The book highlights a new environmental approach aimed at integrating relevant technical measures into broader institutional frameworks and regulatory measures. It does this by linking local development concerns to broader democratic processes, and by transforming local populations from mere beneficiaries or users of natural resources (or, worse, ‘targets’) into citizens endowed with basic civil rights. Acknowledgments 8 Acronyms and Abbreviations 9 Foreword 10 Overview 14 Part I 18 An analysis of poverty and the environment 20 1.1 General background 20 1.2 UNCDF and the environment 21 The ‘participatory eco-development’ approach 21 The way forward 23 New challenges 24 1.3 Major ecological factors 25 1.4 Political and institutional factors 28 Policy-related factors 28 Institutional factors 30 1.5 Issues related to laws and regulatory frameworks 31 1.8 Overview and conclusion 35 Current cross-cutting issues and environmental policies 38 2.1 Introduction 38 2.2 Focusing on governance and decentralization 38 2.2.1 Empowering grass-roots user groups 41 2.2.2 Defining the competencies of (sub) district councils 42 2.2.3 Recognizing the importance of customary institutions and rights 46 2.2.4 Mixed results of programme implementation 47 2.2.5 Challenges 51 2.3 Strengthening local institutions 54 2.4 Adopting broader perspectives 57 2.5 Stressing cross-sectoral frameworks 59 2.6 Focusing on human capital 62 2.5 Supporting a more balanced technical agenda 64 2.6 Securing the land 67 2.7 Overview and conclusion 67 Part II 72 Best practices, lessons learned 74 and environmental strategies 74 3. 1 Introduction 74 3.2 Best practices 74 3.3 Major lessons learned 75 3.4 Environment, democracy and poverty reduction 80 3.5 Local Development Programmes and Local Environmental Governance 80 3.5.1 Institutions 81 3.5.2 Regulatory mechanisms and policies 82 3.5.3 NRM technologies 82 3.6 Overview and conclusions 83 Local institutions for environmental governance 88 4.1 Introduction 88 4.2 Consolidating formal and informal organizations 88 4.3 Promoting regulatory frameworks 90 4.4 Favouring interactions between institutional levels 93 Basic principles 93 4.4.1 The role of central government 95 4.4.2 The role of local government 97 4.4.3 The role of grass-roots user groups 99 4.5 Building local environmental capacities 101 4.5.1 Capacity building for local governments 102 4.5.2 Capacity building for user groups 103 4.5.3 Capacity building for technical services and NGOs 104 Participatory environmental planning 108 5.1 Introduction 108 5.2 Basic principles for environmental planning and budgeting 108 5.3 Local Environmental Fund 110 5.4 Environmental planning mechanisms 112 Part II 72 The way forward 124 MDGs and the environment: their limitations and potential 124 UNCDF: localizing the MDGs 126 Challenges ahead 127 Making major technical investments towards a holistic approach 130 Water supplies and water resource management 130 Inset 1: New understanding of environmental paradigms 26 Inset 2: Governance and new environmental concepts 40 Inset 3: Empowering users: examples from national legal frameworks 43 Inset 4: Objectives of major environmental conventions 65 Inset 5: Indicative checklist for appraisal of environmental micro-projects 76 Inset 6: From local environmental governance to poverty reduction 86 Inset 7: Tenure commissions in Niger 91 Inset 8: (Sub)district development plan: environmental section 109 Inset 9: Support for local environmental governance in Mali 111 Inset 10: Agriculture and environment fund in Ethiopia 113 Inset 11: Environmental assessments in Mali 115 Inset 12: Example of a bottom-up (village to district level) environmental planning cycle supported by LDPs 117 Inset 13: Examples of environmental investments at sub-district (commune) level 118 Inset 14: Key performance indicators for local environmental governance 119 Annex II: Sustainable technologies to support local economies and poverty reduction 130 Watershed management 131 Soil fertility 132 Anti-erosive measures 133 Agricultural intensification 134 Livestock production and health 134 Best agricultural practices 135 Rangelands 138 Agricultural and non-agricultural activities 139 Other appropriate investments 139 Conclusion 141 Annex II: Best anti-erosion practices 142 Annex III: Best practices and techniques in soil fertility management 144 Notes 146 Bibliographic references 0 Acknowledgments......Page 8 Acronyms and Abbreviations......Page 9 Foreword......Page 10 Overview......Page 14 Part I......Page 18 1.1 General background......Page 20 The ‘participatory eco-development’ approach......Page 21 The way forward......Page 23 New challenges......Page 24 1.3 Major ecological factors......Page 25 Policy-related factors......Page 28 Institutional factors......Page 30 1.5 Issues related to laws and regulatory frameworks......Page 31 1.8 Overview and conclusion......Page 35 2.2 Focusing on governance and decentralization......Page 38 2.2.1 Empowering grass-roots user groups......Page 41 2.2.2 Defining the competencies of (sub) district councils......Page 42 2.2.3 Recognizing the importance of customary institutions and rights......Page 46 2.2.4 Mixed results of programme implementation......Page 47 2.2.5 Challenges......Page 51 2.3 Strengthening local institutions......Page 54 2.4 Adopting broader perspectives......Page 57 2.5 Stressing cross-sectoral frameworks......Page 59 2.6 Focusing on human capital......Page 62 2.5 Supporting a more balanced technical agenda......Page 64 2.7 Overview and conclusion......Page 67 Part II......Page 72 3.2 Best practices......Page 74 3.3 Major lessons learned......Page 75 3.5 Local Development Programmes and Local Environmental Governance......Page 80 3.5.1 Institutions......Page 81 3.5.3 NRM technologies......Page 82 3.6 Overview and conclusions......Page 83 4.2 Consolidating formal and informal organizations......Page 88 4.3 Promoting regulatory frameworks......Page 90 Basic principles......Page 93 4.4.1 The role of central government......Page 95 4.4.2 The role of local government......Page 97 4.4.3 The role of grass-roots user groups......Page 99 4.5 Building local environmental capacities......Page 101 4.5.1 Capacity building for local governments......Page 102 4.5.2 Capacity building for user groups......Page 103 4.5.3 Capacity building for technical services and NGOs......Page 104 5.2 Basic principles for environmental planning and budgeting......Page 108 5.3 Local Environmental Fund......Page 110 5.4 Environmental planning mechanisms......Page 112 MDGs and the environment: their limitations and potential......Page 124 UNCDF: localizing the MDGs......Page 126 Challenges ahead......Page 127 Annex II: Sustainable technologies to support local economies and poverty reduction......Page 130 Inset 1: New understanding of environmental paradigms......Page 26 Inset 2: Governance and new environmental concepts......Page 40 Inset 3: Empowering users: examples from national legal frameworks......Page 43 Inset 4: Objectives of major environmental conventions......Page 65 Inset 5: Indicative checklist for appraisal of environmental micro-projects......Page 76 Inset 6: From local environmental governance to poverty reduction......Page 86 Inset 7: Tenure commissions in Niger......Page 91 Inset 8: (Sub)district development plan: environmental section......Page 109 Inset 9: Support for local environmental governance in Mali......Page 111 Inset 10: Agriculture and environment fund in Ethiopia......Page 113 Inset 11: Environmental assessments in Mali......Page 115 Inset 12: Example of a bottom-up (village to district level) environmental planning cycle supported by LDPs......Page 117 Inset 13: Examples of environmental investments at sub-district (commune) level......Page 118 Inset 14: Key performance indicators for local environmental governance......Page 119 Watershed management......Page 131 Soil fertility......Page 132 Anti-erosive measures......Page 133 Livestock production and health......Page 134 Best agricultural practices......Page 135 Rangelands......Page 138 Other appropriate investments......Page 139 Conclusion......Page 141 Annex II: Best anti-erosion practices......Page 142 Annex III: Best practices and techniques in soil fertility management......Page 144 Notes......Page 146 Bibliographic references......Page 0