Updated 03/02/22

Young team associated with IRD (JEAI)

January 2020 – December 2022

Mozambique

 

 

Context

For more than 30 years, Integrated Natural Resource Management (INRM) and its many closely related approaches such as the Ecosystem-based approach and the Adaptive Natural Resource Management, have been advocated for an holistic management of many ecosystems. More recently, beyond that consensus, another step came from the recognition of the need for a more inclusive approach where local stakeholders have their say in terms of natural resource management and benefit sharing.

However, it is commonly recognized that such integrated and inclusive approaches are not easily implemented. The success stories are rare, especially in African countries where natural resource governance is complex, with discrepancies between legal and customary rights, a complex administrative procedure, government institutions that are generally confronted with a lack of resources, etc. In such difficult contexts, the bottlenecks to successful implementation are multiple and it is not rare that INRM projects or Community Based Natural Resources Management (CBNRM) initiative benefits are captured by powerful elite members of the community.

Natural Resource Management is a key issue in Mozambique, as the rural population is highly vulnerable to climate change: drought, water scarcity, extreme flooding.

The situation for the people living close to protected areas is not better: 26% of Mozambique is designated as conservation areas with 92% of parks and reserves entrenched within human settlements.

 

Objectives

In such a context, tackling the multiple dilemmas of reconciling conservation and livelihood goals protected areas with human habitations has proved to be a challenge. Three case studies (Limpopo delta, Mangalane community and lower Buzi floodplain) of the project aim at reconciling environmental conservation and poverty alleviation through new tools and approaches to natural resources governance. A multidisciplinary team will conduct research to find a good balance between:

  • an holistic and prospective analysis at the landscape scale to conceive plausible scenarios for the future
  • a realistic governance analysis grounded in an approach by the commons in order to understand the power relations among the State, economic actors and local populations in terms of natural resources management
  • an inclusive approach where participatory research is favoured to understand the interactions among stakeholders and individual strategies and desired future.

Partners

 

Funding

ITANGO-MOZ is part of the young teams associated with IRD program, funded by IRD.

 

 

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