News and Updates
Permaculture in the Kalahari
Gobabis, Namibia: Kalahari Garden Project, launched in July 2007, helps San Bushmen maintain kitchen gardens in the arid Aminuis Corridor of Omaheke region, Namibia. As hunting is illegal and wild foods are diminished due to overgrazing, these gardens help alleviate hunger and food insecurity. In October 2009, project staff went to Zimbabwe, sponsored by GDF and GardenAfrica, for a two-week course in Permaculture Design at Fambidzanai Permaculture Centre. They developed an understanding of the ethics, principles, design and implementation of permaculture and traditional African farming techniques. New skills and ideas on home gardening and ecological sustainability are now being shared with San communities in the Omaheke and Kavango regions.
GDF SEA Community & Conservation 2009
2007 to 2009, 24 monthsParticipatory resource monitoring of Community Use Zones in the Crocker Range Park, Sabah, Malaysia. Darwin Initiative UK
From August 2007 to July 2009, we are conducting participatory resource monitoring of the Buayan-Kionop Community Use Zone in the Crocker Range Park. Funded by the Darwin Initiative, this project is carried out in partnership with Sabah Parks, Partners of Community Organisations (PACOS) and the local community in Buayan-Kionop. The project is governed through the MoU between the Global Diversity Foundation and Sabah Parks, and the Community Research Agreement between the Global Diversity Foundation and the Buayan-Kionop community. The project has formed a Resource Catchment Assessment Team comprising representatives from the Global Diversity Foundation, Buayan-Kionop Community Research Assistants, Sabah Parks and PACOS. The Team has been trained to plan, design and implement participatory resource monitoring of subsistence activities in the Buayan-Kionop CUZ. A key aspect of field research focuses on strengthening the capacity of our Community Research Assistants to carry out community-based monitoring of subsistence activities, both inside the Buayan-Kionop CUZ and in adjacent areas outside the Park. Project monitoring results are presented and jointly reviewed at regular CUZ Management Workshops, thereby generating systematic feedback to inform aspects of the CUZ Management Plan.
2009 to 2010, 18 months
Traditional ecological knowledge in Sabah: A consolidation of issues and experiences in relation to biodiversity conservation and sustainable resource use. JICA Japan
From Jan 2009 to July 2010, we are implementing a project on traditional ecological knowledge in Sabah. Funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the project is a collaborative effort between the Global Diversity Foundation, Sabah Biodiversity Centre, Sabah Parks and JICA under the Bornean Biodiversity and Ecosystems Conservation Phase Two Programme. We have an existing MoU with Sabah Parks, and we are currently in the process of finalizing an MoU with the Sabah Biodiversity Centre. The project is managed through a Steering Committee chaired by the Natural Resources Office of the Sabah State Chief Minister’s Department. The project examines traditional ecological knowledge according to two core themes: 1) we are implementing a series of seminars, workshops and field visits aimed to build the capacity of Sabah state agencies to develop protocols for Access and Benefit Sharing in Sabah; and 2) we are conducting a state-wide review on Indigenous Peoples’ and Community Conserved Areas (ICCAs) in Sabah using both desk-based research and community-based fieldwork approaches. It is expected that project results will contribute towards submissions to COP10 in Nagoya, for which JICA is one of the principal organizers.
Participatory approaches to nominating the Crocker Range Biosphere Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia. Darwin Initiative UK
From August 2009 to July 2012, we will be conducting a project to support the nomination of the Crocker Range as a Biosphere Reserve under the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme. Funded by the Darwin Initiative, this is the third in a sequence of projects we have been carrying out in the Buayan-Kionop area of the Crocker Range Park in Sabah. This project will maintain our existing partnerships with Sabah Parks and the Buayan-Kionop community. We are also partnered with PACOS Trust and the University of Kent, UK. In this project we extend our focus from the Buayan-Kionop villages to include other communities in the Ulu Papar area of the Crocker Range. This project responds to a request from the Buayan-Kionop community for assistance in strengthening community institutions and building grassroots capacity so they can meaningfully engage in the conservation agenda – including nomination of the CRP Biosphere Reserve – of Sabah Parks and related government agencies. Community input into the nomination of Crocker Range Park as a biosphere reserve will consolidate the efforts of Sabah Parks and local communities to work together to create community use zones and buffer zones. We will support the Buayan-Kionop community and Sabah conservation agencies through a combination of training, participatory action research and community-based conservation education activities.
Under development for 2010
Construction of a community resource centre in Buayan, Sabah, Malaysia. Japanese Grassroots Grants Programme, Japan.
Since September 2009, we have been working with counterparts in JICA and the Japanese Consulate to Sabah to develop a project proposal with community members in Buayan-Kionop. The proposal will be submitted to the Japanese Grassroots Grants Programme, which is managed through the Japanese Consulate to Kota Kinabalu. The proposed project (up to US$100,000) aims to construct a Biocultural Heritage Community Centre in Buayan-Kionop where all research results will be housed as well as being a centre for community outreach in the Ulu Papar area. If successful, the construction of the Centre will also be co-funded by the Darwin Initiative grant we will be implementing in August 2009, which has funds allocated towards equipping the Centre with weather monitoring equipment. This will enable us to open a new phase of participatory research in Sabah that addresses indigenous knowledge about weather indicators and patterns, and documenting local adaptations to climate change.
Community Conservation in Practice: A workshop for representatives of indigenous peoples and local communities
Before the 12th International Society of Ethnobiology Congress (www.tbgf.org/ice/), the Global Diversity Fund (GDF) and the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) will co-sponsor a workshop on ‘Community Conservation in Practice' from 7 – 9 May 2010 in Tofino, British Columbia. Led by Eli Enns, Tla-o-qui-aht Nation Building Program (Canada) and Jamili Nais, Deputy Director, Sabah Parks (Malayisa), the workshop will explore international and national policies, contemporary concepts and exemplary case studies of community conservation. There will be a particular focus on governance, and the relationship between government protected areas, collaborative management and community conservation. In addition, we will learn about emergent designations such Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS), Indigenous and Community Conserved Areas (ICCAs), and Indigenous Conservation Territories (ICTs). We also intend to showcase the special role ethnoecology can play in community conservation projects.
Participants in the workshop will report on their discussions and experiences during a session at the ISE Congress on “Community Conservation in context: can designations embrace the diversity of global experiences?”
Please note that only indigenous peoples and local community members who are currently involved in conservation projects may apply. Those selected to attend may propose a colleague from an academic, non-government or government organization who can accompany them in the course. The workshop will be delivered in English, but time will be allowed for discussion and translation in other languages as needed.
Workshop participants must be members of the International Society of Ethnobiology and attend the ISE 12th Congress from 9 – 14 May 2010, also held in Tofino. The ISE has announced a limited number of travel bursaries (typically up to $2000 USD per participant) to offset direct expenses (transportation, hotel, meals, registration) for indigenous and local people who are members of the ISE and involved in ethnobiology at the community or grassroots level. Both new and renewing ISE members are eligible. For ISE membership information, please see http://ise.arts.ubc.ca/membership/. The deadline for applying for these bursaries is 16 October 2009.
With financial support from The Christensen Fund (TCF), GDF may award a limited number of bursaries to cover course fees, materials, accommodation and meals during the three days of the workshop. Candidates from focal regions of TCF and GDF will be given priority and are encouraged to apply. More information on the Global Diversity Fund and its focal regions – Mesoamerica, North Africa, Southeast Asia and Southern Africa – is available on www.globaldiversityfund.org . Consult www.christensenfund.org for an overview of The Christensen Fund, including its priority areas: Turkey, Iran and Central Asia; Northern Australia and Melanesia; Greater American Southwest and the African Rift Valley.
An on-line application form, instructions and additional workshop information will be available starting 16 October on the GDF Biocultural Diversity Learning Network website (www.globaldiversityfund.net). The application deadline is 1 December 2009 and successful candidates will be notified by 15 January 2010.
Enquiries may be directed to Erin Smith (erin@globaldiversityfund.org), GDF International Programmes Coordinator.
2009 Distinguished Ethnobotanist Lecture
Bringing the food back home: indigenous foodways, nutrition and biodiversity in western Canada
October 20, 2009
17:00 - 18:30
GDF is happy to announce Dr. Nancy J Turner will give the 2009 Distinguished Ethnobotanist Lecture at the Royal Botanical Gardens Kew. Nancy Turner is an internationally distinguished scholar and ethnobiologist. She has worked for more than 25 years with the First Nation communities of British Columbia on their knowledge and use of plant resources. The lecture is free but pre-booking is required. For more information on the lecture and to RSVP please click here.
This lecture is sponsored by GDF, the Centre for Biocultural Diversity at the University of Kent and the Centre for Economic Botany at Kew.
Plants, Livelihoods, and Community Conservation in the Kalahari
In March 2009, representatives of indigenous peoples’ communities in southern Africa, particularly Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa, participated in a workshop entitled “Plants, Livelihoods and Community Conservation in the Kalahari”. GDF and the Indigenous Peoples of Africa Coordinating Committee (IPACC) collaborated with the Kuru Family of Organisations (KFO) to conduct the workshop. It was co-funded by UNDP SGP and The Christensen Fund. The workshop addressed two primary gaps in community based natural resource management (CBNRM) in southern Africa: 1) the international and national instruments that exist to protect and enforce indigenous rights to natural resources, and 2) the important role of plant resources in the lives of indigenous and local communities.
GDF and IPACC co-produced a video during the workshop, called Fresh from the Ground - Traditional Plant Knowledge in the Cyber Age. Click here to watch the 2-part video on the BDLN website. A full report from the 5-day workshop can be seen at: PLCC Report.
July 2009 - Kalahari Garden Project
2-year mark for the KGP
The Kalahari Garden Project began two years ago in July 2007. It was designed to be facilitated by GDF, Komeho Namibia and WIMSA for this period of time. After reviewing our progress we have decided to extend the current project management until September 31st 2009. Following this date, Komeho Namibia will take over the management and supervision of the project for a further three years. Since March, GDF has been in a period of management transition to phase out GDF’s physical presence on‐site, while Komeho Namibia assumes greater responsibility for project supervision. This is part of the overall aim of reducing constant on‐site assistance, empowering the beneficiaries to manage the project alone and ultimately making the gardens self‐sustainable.
Read the latest KGP updates in the July 2009 newsletter.
