Local Community Involvement and Opportunities Lesson

Local Community Involvement and Opportunities: On-Line Lesson

The purpose of emphasizing local participation in ecodevelopment is to structure the development to meet local needs and reduce the leakage of benefits outside the community. Basic issues (objectives) for local communities include:

	1) social;
	2) ecological; and
	3) economic

Ten Methodologies for Eliciting Community Based Participation

1) local participation's role

2) empowerment as an objective

3) participation in the project cycle

4) creating stakeholders

5) linking benefits to conservation

6) distributing benefits

7) involving community leaders

8) using change agents Mescalero Apache Parade

9) understanding site specific conditions

10) monitoring and evaluating progress

Mescalero Apache Parade, NM

Integrated Conservation Development Projects (ICDPs): promote socioeconomic development and provide local people with income sources that do not threaten the natural resource base. Two examples of ICDPs are:

Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal

A unique blend of good ecology with good economies and conservation with development, the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP), established in 1966, covers an area of over 7,000 sq. km. with a wealth of biological diversity.

As the catchment of one of he major river systems in the Himalayas the Annapurna basin is not only of aesthetic value to foreign visitors but also vital to the conservation of soil, water and resources of Nepal. Traditional subsistence activities in the Annapurna Conservation Area are woven into a framework of conservation activities such as forest conservation , community development, conservation education, community health and sanitation, environment friendly tourism management, sound resources management, alternative energy projects, research and training Besides, the users fee levied on visitors is used for ACAP's development and conservation activities in the region.

Jointly funded by the World Wildlife Fund, the KMTNC's United Kingdom Chapter, SNV, TRAS and other organizations, ACAP is the most challenging project of the KMTNC , in its involvement as well as its management . Its headquarters, are located in picturesque Ghandurk on the way to the Annapurna Sanctuary (Nepal National Park Service).

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)

CITES was established to protect endangered species. One important component of the CITES management plan is local involvement in the conservation effort see Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

When war erupts in an African country, park animals become a prime food source for local residents. Parks at War

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