Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
CATEGORIES OF INTERVENTION
Protectionist
Integrated
Communal Management
EXAMPLES
Strict Nature Reserve
Joint Forest Management
Community-based
Forest Management
National Park
Community-based
Wildlife Management
Forest Wilderness Area
Improving the ICDP model
We believe that recent experiences with the ICDP model, despite all
the harsh criticism, do not argue for the cessation of the approach. The
blending of poverty alleviation with conservation goals (or conservation
with poverty alleviation) is in line with many international conserva-
tion agreements, and is evidently morally correct in poor regions of the
world. ICDPs are not aiming for conservation at the expense of lives and
livelihoods - but instead are trying to i nd a solution to this
dual
goal
through a multidisciplinary approach. This is not only an issue of rel-
evance to conservation staf , as it has been shown that the environment
does matter to poor people in Africa (Posey, 1999; Songorwa, 1999), and
that maintaining a strict divide between 'development' and 'conservation'
is often quite artii cial in the minds of the people living in the sites where
conservation projects are implemented.
Instead of abandoning the overall ICDP approach, we believe that the
limitations identii ed in ICDP design and performance need to be addressed,
new interventions tested and performance of these interventions evaluated
in a rigorous way. Failure to build upon the ICDP model and to truly
create the conditions where livelihood enhancement is linked carefully with
natural resource conservation will almost certainly result in a signii cant
decline of funding for conservation-related activities. This becomes more
likely as funding from northern governments is targeted to the improve-
ment of livelihoods and the reduction of poverty across Africa.
Through our experience, and from discussions with colleagues and a
review of the literature, we have identii ed seven issues that need more
attention during the design and the implementation phases of future
ICDPs in Africa.
Scale is appropriate
Recent discussion has focused on whether the ICDP model only applies
to small sites of isolated habitat, or whether it can be used as a model
