This project which
is fully funded by IUCN, focuses only on Santa Isabel, an island in
the northern part of Solomon Islands. Santa Isabel has a population
of approximately 20,000 people who reside mainly in rural and remote
villages along the coast. These communities rely on subsistence for
their livelihoods.
The local people in Santa Isabel (and in the Solomon Islands as a
whole) still have customary tenure over their forests. However, despite
the fact that this traditional ownership is legally recognised and
enshrined in the constitution, communities are often left out of the
decision-making process with regards to the exploitation of their
natural resources. As a result, the Community Governance for Rainforest
Conservation project has been developed to focus on building local
"governance" capacity of communities (including marginalised groups
such as women and youth) to plan, make informed decisions and act
in support of sustainable development and environmental conservation.
In addition, the project works with the rural communities and seeks
to empower them by returning to them the control of their forests
that they have traditionally managed.
To address the challenges face by the rural communities, the project
engages in the following:
-
Build capacity
of local people to map their communities (including their rainforests),
identify problems and solutions, and formulate action plans in
support of their own development (including forest management
plans). This process is known as "Participatory Learning and Action"
(PLA).
-
Support communities
in implementing action plans, specifically assisting them to find
alternatives to destructive/extractive activities for their rainforests
-
Through the PLA
process, build capacity among communities to advocate on behalf
of their rights in maintaining long-term stewardship over their
forests, locally, nationally and regionally through dialogue,
networking and policy influence
This project is managed
by the FSPI Secretariat who provides technical expertise in PLA processes
(FSPI has on staff a PLA expert - Ms. Suliana Siwatibau - who is also
the Oceania representative on the IUCN World Council). FSPI also provides
management and coordination of activities, advocacy on a regional-level
to other regional NGOs and organisations. SIDT will be responsible
for carrying out capacity building work within each community,
utilising their community outreach officers and Village Demonstration
Workers.
