Community Lead Natural Resource Management and Conservation in Mongolia’s Southern Gobi Region Processes, Impacts and Le

1. Community Lead Natural Resource Management and Conservation in Mongolia’s Southern Gobi Region Processes, Impacts and Lessons Learned

2. Project “Conservation and Sustainable Management of Natural Resources” Gobi Component Objective Project Region To enable local communities to use and conserve natural resources sustainably - in close cooperation with government agencies and the private sector Implemented by Funded by New Zealand Nature Institute Initiative for People Centered Conservation German Technical Assistance

3. Natural Resources and Conservation Values ecological, natural history and cultural, human history

4. Gobi Gurvan Saikhan -The Three Beauties of the Gobi- National Park Wildlife (Argali, Ibex, Snow Leopard) Endemic Plants Paleontological Sites Desert and Semi-Desert Ecosystem

5. Gobi Gurvan Saikhan National Park Cultural Landscape Cultural and Spiritual Values Prehistoric and Historic Sites Livestock Genetic Resources Traditional Resource Management Systems

6. Strategy • Facilitating Community Organization and Stakeholder Consensus on sustainable, collaborative management of NR • Strengthening local institutions and collaboration • Developing enabling policy framework Approach Participatory People centered Process oriented

7. Recognizing Local/traditional knowledge and resource management systems Potential contribution of nomadic livestock herders to conservation Local communities as rightsholders to resources Need for new concepts of Protected Area Management

8. Participatory Learning and Actionfor Project Design, Implementation and Evaluation • Facilitating analysis of problems and opportunities • Understanding local livelihoods and local peoples’ perceptions • Facilitating community initiatives, mobilizing local potential

9. Facilitating Analysis of: Natural Resources – uses and trends Socio Economy – livelihood analysis Institutions and Conflicts Problems and Opportunities

10. Participatory Analysis - Findings Lack of coordination and weak (government) institutions for sustainable resource use, and of effective conservation

11. Perceived lack of community institutions for resource management and coordinating herders movements Self-Help to improve NRM and Livelihoods

12. Challenges Increase in herding households and livestock in 1990s Massive losses of livestock and livelihoods in early 2000s • Private herds on state owned, collectively used land • Young Institutions for Resource and Park Management

13. Challenges • Mongolia’s grasslands (and Protected Areas) are a vast • territory to manage • Spatial and temporal variability of non-equilibrium • ecosystem requires local and collective management, • and mobility

14. Community Based and Collaborative Management of Natural Resources in Mongolia Opportunities Long history of common property resources and local resource management. Tribal organization and large tribal herds. Pasture resource management (of allocated territories) by local herder groups since 13th century. Traditional knowledge on livestock and grazing management.

15. Self-help to improve sustainable Resource Use + Livelihoods Emergence of Community Organizations Based on customary institutions and norms, adapting to new socio-economic and political framework

16. Strengthening Community Organizations Success Factors – Lessons Learned by Community Leaders • Community has agreed on and established: • Leader and Council • Objectives and Norms • Community Fund and Community Center Elders support the Initiative of Younger People Men are supportive of Women who lead community activities

17. Success Factors of Community Leadership Leaders and Council members : “Act transparent and accountable” “Facilitate joint decision making” “Respect everybody’s opinion” “Include and support poor households” “Organize social activities” Community Organizations learn about and practice Principles of Good Governance

18. Currently, over 70 Community Organizations active in 3 provinces (Aimags) • Scaling up through self-organization. • Community Organizations in some districts (Sums) established umbrella organizations (associations). • Community Organizations are registering as legal entities. • Accepted by local government as local institutions for NRM. “Functional Participation”

19. Impacts ofCommunity Organization Environmental Economic Social

20. The Economic and Environmental Impacts of Community Organization and Collective Actionas perceived by local communities “Living standard of families has improved” “Jobs were created for unemployed women” “Pasture land is used properly” “Use of trees and bushes as fuel wood has decreased” “Illegal taking of falcons has decreased”

21. The Social Impacts of Community Organization and Collective Actionas perceived by local communities “Other organizations are interested to cooperate with us” “Equality (of rural women) with men and city women has increased” “Education of community members has improved” “It became easier to receive health service” “Communities can influence the government”

22. Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation Community-defined Indicators to measure Environmental, Economic and Social Impacts Planning Tool for Community Activities

23. Community Managed Area Contracting with local government Resource rightsand management responsibility to Community Organization Commitment to alternative fuel/dungstoves, and to protection of bushes Community rangers Community Pasture Management Norms

24. Community Pasture Management Norms • Rotational grazing • Agreements on moving dates • Reserving winter pastures • Educating, and negotiating with • outsiders • Mutual support in preparing winter • camps and in risk management

25. Local Appropriate TechnologyDevelopment to save Fuel Wood Fuel efficient dung stoves Solar energy Briquettes and presses

26. Peoples’ Strategies for Sustainable Livelihoods Collective Action Value Addition Income Diversification Credits to Households from Community Funds

27. Changes in regulatory and institutional framework - introduced or under discussion • Recognition of Community Organizations as NRM institutions • Contracting with Community Organizations to transfer land/resource rights • Tax incentives for collective action on sustainable NRM and conservation • Create position of “Community Organizer”in local government ? • Introduction of new Protected Area category “Community Conserved Area” ?

28. Lessons Learned Community organization has triggered better governance through experiential learning about good governance while building strong community organizations Communities have a voice and are recognized partners

29. Lessons Learned The poorest households have driven development of strong community organizations The poorest communities contributed most to resource conservation and restoration

30. Lessons Learned Women have taken a leading role in organization and facilitation

31. Support Strategy Developing Human and Institutional Capacity Skills for Value Addition and Income Diversification Facilitation and Management Skills Organizational Development

32. Support Strategy Facilitating Experience Sharing and Community Exchanges Building linkages - locally, nationally, internationally

33. Thank you for your attention New Zealand Nature Institute Initiative for People Centered Conservation Tungalag, Mongolia