Building Partnerships Working together for conservation and development Funded by: Recommended citation BirdLife International (2008) Building Partnerships: Working together for conservation and development. Cambridge, UK: BirdLife International Compiled and written by Abisha Mapendembe and David Thomas Reviewed by John Fanshawe, Joanna Phillips and Oliver Komar Edited by Nick Langley Layout production overseen by Ade Long Map by Mark Balman and Ian May Designed by NatureBureau Front cover photographs by Emily Y. Horton Published with support from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Development Cooperation) under their Theme-based Financing Mechanism (TMF) The partnerships in Lebanon, Indonesia, Bolivia, Ghana, Myanmar, Panama, Philippines, Zimbabwe, Syria, El Salvador, Paraguay and Madagascar were supported by funding provided to BirdLife by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Development Cooperation). Contents Introduction 2 Livelihoods and biodiversity conservation – the case for partnerships 2 What is a partnership? 3 Achieving successful partnership – lessons learned 4 Types of partner organisation 4 Formality of partnership 4 Benefits of working in partnership 5 Challenges of working in partnership 7 Role of partnerships in the effective linking of biodiversity conservation and development 8 Ingredients of a successful partnership – in BirdLife’s experience 9 Case studies 13 Fighting fires in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe 4 Conserving forests of local and global biodiversity importance in Sierra Leone 6 Cross-sectoral alliances at Echuya Forest Reserve, South-western Uganda 7 Forest resources and alternative incomes at Afadjato-Agumatsa Community Nature Reserve in Ghana 8 Working with industry to protect biodiversity and create income-earning opportunities for local communities in South Africa 20 Promoting forest conservation at Siburan IBA, Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro, the Philippines 22 Sustainable development of San Rafael Forest, Paraguay 24 Ecotourism and recreation for conservation and development at Kfar Zabad wetland, Lebanon 25 Using local radio to support sustainable use of wetlands in Western Madagascar 26 Community involvement in conflict resolution and management of Manupeu Tanadaru National Park, Sumba, Indonesia 28 Conservation and development at Natmataung National Park IBA in Myanmar 29 Conservation and livelihood improvement at the Upper Bay of Panama IBA 3 Improving local people’s health at two Important Bird Areas in El Salvador 32 Protecting the last population of the Vulnerable Wattled Curassow in Bolivia 34 Government-NGO partnership in Jordan – protecting the Dibbin Forest 36 Partnership for conserving the Critically Endangered Northern Bald Ibis in Syria 38 Notes 40 INTRODUCTION Livelihoods and biodiversity conservation – the case for partnerships The purpose of this publication is to share experiences, and support lesson-learning within the BirdLife International Partnership. Because the lessons learned are of broad relevance to those working on biodiversity conservation and development issues, they are also being offered to a wider audience. The BirdLife Partnership is a global network of over 00 autonomous national conservation organisations working to conserve birds, biodiversity and the wider environment by working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment clearly demonstrated the importance of intact, healthy ecosystems for human wellbeing, and many studies before and since its publication have confirmed the importance of the environment and natural resources to the livelihoods of poor people2. BirdLife International shares the view that ecosystems and the services they provide are the foundation of development, and therefore fundamental to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). To this end, the BirdLife Partnership is actively involved in addressing various conservation challenges at Important Bird Areas (IBAs)3. These challenges include threats to biodiversity and local livelihoods from habitat destruction, deforestation, encroachment into forests and grasslands, bushfires, agriculture expansion, damage to watersheds, invasive species, poverty, pollution and industrial expansion4. Work at IBAs shows that these conservation challenges are often too complex and dynamic for BirdLife Partners to address alone. Strategies involving the integration of biodiversity conservation with, for example, providing alternative livelihood options to people living in and around IBAs, working at landscape scale, or influencing national policies that affect the environment, require collaboration with institutions that have specialist knowledge and experience. This view is shared by others, and alliances are increasingly being seen as central to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals by 2055 and to delivering sustainable development. Throughout BirdLife, Partners are working in formal and informal alliances with other institutions including development-focused non-governmental organisations (NGOs), local and central government departments, universities and training institutes, the business sector and local community organisations6. Such alliances have proved to be a powerful tool for delivering conservation, promoting sustainable use of natural resources and improving the livelihoods of local communities living in and around IBAs. With a focus on cross-sectoral partnerships formed at the project or local level, and based on a review of 6 case studies, this publication: • Examines the nature and type of relationship BirdLife Partners have formed • Explores the benefits of partnership to each of the parties • Identifies some of the difficulties and challenges of working in partnership • Explores the importance of these cross-sectoral alliances to the effective delivery of biodiversity conservation and livelihood improvement • Provides key lessons learned from these relationships. 2 What is a partnership? Partnership7 has been defined simply as “a process in which two or more organisations or groups work together to achieve a common goal and do so in such a way that they achieve more effective outcomes than by working separately”8. Ideally partnerships are characterised by organisations working together in a transparent, equitable and mutually beneficial way (see Box ), whereby partners agree to commit resources, and to share the risks as well as the benefits of working together9. “The Division of Tourism of the Department of Beni is helping to publicise the San Marcos community ecotourism project and is collaborating with Armonía in securing additional financial support for the initiative” Hugo Aranibar, Asociación Armonía (BirdLife in Bolivia) Box 1. Key Partnering Principles. Adapted from The Partnering Toolbook (2003) written by Ros Tennyson and produced by The Partnering Initiative in co-operation with the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). http://www.iblf.org/docs/PartneringToolbook.pdf ) Transparency – Openness and honesty in working relationships are preconditions of trust – seen by many as an important ingredient of successful partnership. Only with transparent working will a partnership be truly accountable to its partner donors and others. Equitable – Equity implies an equal right to be heard at the table and validation of those contributions that are not measurable simply in terms of cash value or public profile. Mutual Benefit – If all partners are expected to contribute to the partnership they should also be entitled to benefit from the partnership. A healthy partnership will work towards achieving specific benefits for each partner over and above the common benefits to all partners. Only this way will the partnership ensure the continuing commitment of partners and therefore be sustainable. Whether partnerships are formed at the level of individuals, or organisations working at local, national or global level, will help to define the purpose, scope, structure, and depth of involvement of each party0. Partnerships may have a focus at operational, policy, strategic or/and advocacy levels. Relationships founded on a one-way transfer of money and nothing else are less likely to be described as partnerships except, perhaps, to satisfy a donor. Partnerships can be both formal and informal – some partnerships are set up on a statutory basis, whilst others are set up to deal with specific issues or meet local needs. This report deals with both formal and informal forms of collaboration where partners are working together to promote biodiversity conservation and livelihoods improvement at IBAs. Box 2. The BirdLife Partnership BirdLife International is itself a global Partnership of national, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) from over 00 countries worldwide. The Partners work together to deliver a shared strategy for the conservation of birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, by working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources. The Partners share resources, expertise and information in order to maximise the impact and influence of the network at levels from local to global. This report concerns partnerships external to the BirdLife network, formed mainly at local level (sites) for the purpose of more effectively combining conservation outcomes with benefits to local livelihoods. 3 ACHIEVING SUCCESSFUL PARTNERSHIP – LESSONS LEARNED “The partnership with national