1. Presentation
The main objective of this document is to present a new way of conserving and managing Protected Natural Areas within the context of Regions of Conservation and Sustainable Development (RECODES). For these purposes, it is proposed what a RECODES is and how is established, in addition a methodological guide is presented for planning the sustainable development of RECODES.
As a general assumption, it can be established, for the benefit of the RECODES scheme, that: "It is more efficient, ecologically and administratively, to manage regionally protected wild areas than individually"
The purpose and the desired expectation, with this new modality, is that the National Systems of Protected Wild Areas of the Latin American countries are covered by as many RECODES as necessary and that each one of them has its own ENVIRONMENTAL STRATEGY.
It is important to highlight that the Environmental Strategy for each RECODES is materialized in real socio-environmental needs translated into viable strategic projects, identified in a participatory manner by the RECODES actors themselves. The vision of this STRATEGY must be with a horizon of 20 years, although some specific projects may have shorter horizons.
The methodological planning process, which is described, gives high priority to the opinions and proposals of local actors, that is, it is participatory and therefore is based on consultation and consensus and promotes the commitment of government institutions., municipal governments, NGOs and citizens to promote a better use and conservation of natural resources to achieve sustainable development, both social, economic and environmental.
The Environmental Strategy for each RECODES are not specifically land use planning plans, but they do share many concepts and objectives of it, therefore it is pertinent to offer here some elements that are common to both.
The ecological territorial ordering is defined as the global and coordinated planning and programming process of a set of measures that seek a better spatial distribution of human beings, productive and recreational activities, taking into account the available natural resources (potentialities - restrictions) and having to contribute to the harmonious development of each territory.
The ecological territorial ordering seeks to make the interests of a given territory coincide with those of a more extensive spatial group in which the farm, the region, the municipality, the region, the province or department and the entire country are inserted.
Therefore, the territorial ecological ordering seeks to remedy the excesses, imbalances and disparities caused by human actions that are too free, very spontaneous and almost exclusively concentrated in the variable of economic profitability.
In general, the territorial ecological zoning scheme or plan represents a frame of reference destined to allow the examination of the major decisions of the public and private sectors, regarding the geographic location of their relevant investments, and they constitute a guide for the development interventions of all entities of the state apparatus, as well as an instrument to guide the activities of the private sector.
The way of approaching the ecological order is inspired by a philosophy of concerted ecological planning of the development of the territory. It then assumes that local private and public actors mostly identify the best options for development and conservation of their territories. At the same time, the strengthening of local and regional capacities for the environmental and financial management of the territories is oriented.
Finally, in order to materialize the tasks related to the ecological territorial ordering and integrated management of natural resources (environmental strategy), it is necessary to point out some lines of work:
1) Determination of priority geographic areas of the region, linked to protected areas and their areas of influence according to ecological, political and socioeconomic criteria.
2) Carrying out biodiversity and socioeconomic studies to detect threats and opportunities for conservation and eco-friendly production.
3) Preparation of territorial planning instruments in the prioritized areas in a participatory and consensual manner.
4) Support for the differentiation of practices of use and management of natural resources, which are ecologically friendly, economically viable and beneficial in the social sphere.
5) Training of local and regional, public and private partners
6) Facilitation of financial and technical resources to put into practice the proposals of regional and national actors.
7) Promotion of the exchange of experiences between different actors and regions, in a country and outside it.
2. Regions of Conservation and Sustainable Development - RECODES -
2.1 What is a RECODES?
The Conservation and Sustainable Development Regions (RECODES) are proposed as an additional mechanism to support the long-term conservation of Protected Natural Areas.
This concept is built from many and varied experiences developed in Latin America and other parts of the world, related to the conservation of biodiversity, the management of Protected Natural Areas, rural socio-economic development, and the active and permanent participation of the human communities, government institutions, local, national and international NGOs.
This approach starts from the thesis: That Protected Natural Areas can be conserved in perpetuity, as long as their zones of influence or transition have a positive harmonious social and economic development, linked to the capacity to use the land and the austerity of the use of its natural resources.
The hypothesis to validate this thesis is to group and connect two or more Protected Natural Areas (relatively close), legally established and managed, through their zones of influence and biological corridors, in a single geographic region of conservation and sustainable development. (RECODES); where the family units of agricultural production, the watersheds and micro-watersheds, the wooded patches (in different states of succession), the Private Protected Areas, and the populated centers involved make up a System, represented in a decentralized territorial unit, of concentration and agreement of efforts towards human well-being, sustainable development and the long-term viability and functionality of the Natural Protected Areas involved.
The two focal points of action for the sustainability of RECODES are the management of Protected Natural Areas and the development of Family or Community Economic Production Units (farms). In the former, the State establishes the norms and forms of management with the direct or indirect participation of all interested actors and neighboring communities. In the latter, the actors involved and therefore the communities and their organizations, establish the rules and forms of management with the direct or indirect participation of the State and local authorities.
The efforts and actions directed at Family Economic Units are based on "Family Security", which can be defined as the strengthening of production for family consumption and the improvement of family income and economic reserves, in such so that benefits are maximized and risks are minimized. Recognizing that family security also depends on the strength of the community to work together in solving collective and individual problems.
The RECODES concept is based primarily on the following philosophical approaches and management and development principles for:
1.) Biosphere Reserves (UNESCO); 2.) Conservation Areas of Costa Rica; 3.) Regional Autonomous Corporations of Colombia; 4.) Integrated Rural Development Programs (DRIs); 5.) Bioregions (K. Miller);
6.) Ecoregions (WWF); 7.) Ecosystem Management; 8.) Landscape Ecology; 9.) Regional Planning (OAS); 10.) Hydrographic Basins; 11.) Biological Corridors; 12.) Territorial Planning; 13.) Buffer Zones; 14.) Systems; 15.) Conservation Biology; Family Economic Units (L. Mairich). (The reader is urged to review the literature related to the above approaches.)
2.2 Basic components of a RECODES
For the purposes of this description, the basic components to be considered for the planning, establishment and development of a RECODES are proposed and characterized, namely:
1. General Considerations:
1.1 Social and Economic
Aspects 1.2 Ecological Aspects
1.3 Institutional - Political
Aspects 1.4 Aspects on Capacity to Use the Land
1.5 Aspects on Territorial Environmental Planning
1.6 Aspects on PHC Management
2. Characteristics and Structure of RECODES:
2.1 General aspects of the components of a RECODES
2.1.1 Protected Natural Areas; Buffer Zones; Zones of Influence
2.1.2 Biological - Ecological Corridors; River / stream channels and their
gallery forests; Private forested areas
2.1.3 Basins and Micro-basins
2.1.4 Economic Units of Agricultural-Forest Production
2.2 Organic-structural aspects for the management and development of a RECODES
2.2.1 How is the community organized and participated?
2.2.2 How does the local and national government participate?
2.2.3 Where does the financing for RECODES come from?
2.2.4 Who leads the actions to manage RECODES as a unit?
3. Scenario of a RECODES working
3.1 RECODES is managed as a System
3.2 There is connection and technical and market exchange (internal and external) between the
Economic Units of Production
3.3 There is a positive social connection between the ASPs and the communities
3.4 They have been adopted and are in different degrees Execution of Programs and
Actions for the development of a RECODES
3.5 The key points of cohesion, cooperation and action among the actors of a RECODES are working.
3.6 An evaluation and monitoring process and functionality of a RECODES are permanently maintained.
For the purposes of planning and managing RECODES, it should be borne in mind that the "follow-up", "contingency", "uncertainty", "error" and "time" are intrinsic constants present, which must be considered and respected in the relationships and actions in the development of a RECODES.
As a general assumption, it can be established, for the benefit of the RECODES scheme, that: “It is more efficient, ecologically and administratively, to manage regionally protected wild areas than individually”
2.3 How is a RECODES established?
For the delimitation and establishment of a RECODES, the starting point is:
1) The location on a map (1: 150,000) of two or more relatively close protected areas (between 5 and 30 km apart, one from the other);
2) The limits of the Regions of Influence of the protected areas involved are defined on the map, in such a way that they are internally connected between the protected areas, forming a single block;
3) The external limits of the Regions of Influence, make up a first approximation of the limits of RECODES;
4) This first approximation is analyzed to redefine it based on existing important basins, sub-basins or micro-basins, in such a way that they are not out of bounds; This means that the limits of the first approximation can be extended or reduced;
5) The limits resulting from point 4 above are also analyzed, based on areas with continuous forest coverage or large blocks (more than 100 hectares), medium (between 100 and 20 hectares) and small (between 20 and 5 hectares), which can be primary, secondary and gallery forests: which can eventually serve as biological corridors between the protected areas involved and / or eventually create private protected areas. This also means that, as in the previous case, the limits defined in step 4 can be extended but not reduced;
6) The limits resulting from the previous step are analyzed, based on the complete coverage of the smallest geopolitical divisions used in the country (canton, district, comarca, etc.) and the limit is redefined in such a way that the minor geopolitical divisions Complete limits are within RECODES, which may mean an expansion of the limits, which would remain as final limits.
Note: A protected area includes three geographic scopes: the same protected area; its buffer zone and its region of influence. The latter is defined as the region that mainly influences the social, economic, institutional aspects, important centers for the market and collection of products, important centers from where the main communication channels radiate and therefore national and international tourism, centers where regional government offices are usually located. All of the above has influences that can facilitate or condition the management of the protected area. The zone of influence may have a radius of several kilometers (5-20 km) from the protected area.
3. Methodological guidelines to develop an Environmental Strategy.
3.1 Preparation of the process
This stage includes all those actions necessary to enable the effectiveness of the planning process of the RECODES Environmental Strategy. It is characterized by three fundamental elements: 1. The participation, consensus and commitment of regional, public and private actors. 2. The purposeful sense, expressed in projects and / or concrete actions, aimed at solving problems and / or satisfying environmental and sustainable development needs.
It seeks the induction of a process in which the State and other national or international cooperation entities are only facilitators and inducers of a debate on the environment and sustainable development and the ways to promote it. The steps to follow are:
3.2 Definition of an institutional agreement with regional authorities.
Before undertaking a strategic planning process, there must be an agreement with the regional authorities, responsible for the socio-economic development of the region. This agreement must be based on an official requirement from the authorities in order to intervene with the required institutional support.
3.3 Articulation at the national level
At the national level, it is desirable to articulate this initiative with the ministries and their different departments with representations in the region in order to achieve inter-institutional coordination and cooperation in the development of the Strategy.
3.4 Participation of a Technical Committee
It is absolutely necessary that a technical group takes responsibility for the process and the results. This group should be made up mainly of professionals from the different institutions and under the leadership of an Inter-institutional Committee specifically formed for that purpose.
Whenever circumstances permit, it is desirable to seek technical support from an international cooperation project present in the region.
3.5 Information and permanent coordination
During the process of formulating the Strategy, it is necessary to hold information and coordination meetings with the Technical Committee. These work meetings should be held at least every fifteen days.
3.6 Definition of conceptual elements
In accordance with the Technical Committee, the regional authorities and citizens define the conceptual elements and methodological guidelines.
3.6.1 Operational Framework
It specifically refers to the part of execution of the actions to achieve the
expected Results and can be divided into two parts:
3.6.1.1 Definition of areas or components
The Environmental Strategy has the purpose of combating the misuse of natural resources. For this reason, it should focus on the productive area and the environment, around which conservation projects, social development, infrastructure and basic support services should be promoted, complementing it with actions and projects aimed at protected areas, their zones of buffering and biological corridors.
a) Production and environment
agriculture
livestock
water
forests
tourism
financial sector
industry
agribusiness
land tenure
b) Social development
education
health
housing
women and family
public safety
citizen participation
c) Production support infrastructure
energy
telephony
road axes
airports
urban markets
collection centers
Industrial parks
3.6.1.2 Content of the Strategy
a) Diagnosis
The diagnosis of the region must be concrete, incorporating those basic indicators that characterize the current situation of the different sectors. In this case, available information from local or national sources and other information are used to synthesize in a minimum space, a basic profile of the region. For this diagnosis it is also important to resort to the knowledge of the regional development actors themselves.
The diagnosis, in any case, although brief, should not sacrifice comprehensiveness. In other words, it must include all the basic indicators that reflect the main problems and development potential of the region.
This diagnosis must also contain the analysis of the obstacles, conflicts and potentialities that prevent or support the approach to the vision of sustainable development.
b) Development vision
This vision constitutes the ideas and wishes of the regional actors and is formulated on the basis of the diagnosis. This vision of the future has a horizon of 5 or 10 years, a period for which development strategies will be proposed.
c) Axes and Development Strategies
These axes and strategies are represented by those great courses of action that must be followed and that allow regional actors to overcome obstacles, eliminate problems and use the potential of RECODES.
d) Strategic Actions and Projects
The identification and prioritization of strategic projects have high priority in the process of preparing the Environmental Strategy, because the methodology seeks above all the propositional part of the regional actors in terms of solving problems in the long term.
It is recommended to design a simple file to collect the basic information of each identified strategic project. This file must contain the necessary data to have an idea of the magnitude and impact of the investments.
The “Impact Projects” refer to those larger-scale regional works that are financed with resources from the national budget, through the sector ministries or other governmental organizations, sometimes with partial financing from international entities.
4. Preparation of the Environmental Strategy
4.1 Formulation of the work plan
This activity must be carried out taking into account the opinions of the team members regarding conceptual and operational issues, activities, times and the definition of those responsible.
It is necessary and convenient to appoint among the team members, coordinators of the thematic area and / or sectors, responsible for conducting the corresponding activities in each of the thematic areas described in section 5.2.1.
It is estimated that the formulation of an Environmental Strategy under the coordination of a duly integrated technical team working full time and with an effective coordination of the Technical Committee, should not take more than 2 months.
4.2 Induction of technical equipment
It is recommended that the technical team receive an induction to know the process and be clear about the purpose of the work. It is necessary to precisely define the expected result and the approach that supports it.
The characteristics of the Environmental Strategy and the principles that support its formulation should be discussed. Some of these principles are:
1) It is a process in which the relevant regional actors (public and private) must participate;
2) The process is based on transparency. This means that actors must be informed of how the work is done, what it is done for and for whom the benefits are expected;
3) The work is based on the consultation of the main regional actors, for the search for consensus and commitment to continue promoting the actions that make it possible to specify agreements to achieve sustainable development; and, 4) Priority is given to strategies for the conservation of natural resources and sustainable development and to the impact projects that the consulted stakeholders propose to solve the environmental problems that hinder the sustainable development of the region.
4.3 Operational stages
4.3.1 Collection and updating of information
The first action that the team responsible for coordinating the preparation of the Environmental Strategy must take is to obtain the “technical inputs” made up of information on the main problems and potential of RECODES and impact projects already identified.
4.3.2 Identification of regional actors to consult
Having defined the expected result, its characteristics, and the pertinent information on the different sectors or areas, the technical team proceeds to identify the actors that must be consulted, both governmental and private.
For the identification of the actors it is pertinent to pay special attention that they must be representatives of organizations, institutions, projects, municipalities, municipal associations and other associations with a presence in the region or individuals with knowledge of their respective sectors and with the capacity to propose solutions..
4.4 Queries
According to the work plan and having compiled the information, the consultations of the identified actors are initiated. For these consultations, it is recommended to have a guide that guides the activity in the direction of knowing the opinion of regional actors in relation to:
1) How they see the current situation of development in the region (diagnosis);
2) Where the development of RECODES should be oriented in the next 5 or 10 years (development vision);
3) What do they suggest should be done to achieve this development (strategies); d) what project ideas do you recommend (impact projects); These consultations can be carried out through individual work meetings (previously arranged) or in properly planned micro-workshops. Both modalities are explained below.
4.4.1 Individual business meetings
4.4.1.1 gubernamenta Sector l
Visits are scheduled and made to directors, managers, representatives of government sector agencies, with whom consultation and reflection meetings are held on the fundamental problems faced at the regional level, current development policies, and projects. in execution and planned.
In these working meetings, the contribution of the officials is sought, not so much on the basis of their routine operating programs, but on those long-term proposals that may exist and whose inclusion in the Environmental Strategy is pertinent.
4.4.1.2 Municipal sector
Municipal authorities are consulted to determine priority demands and translate them into strategic projects of regional interest.
4.4.1.3 Private Sector
The private sector actors to be consulted should be selected according to their experience in their respective fields of action. They can be local NGOs, groups organized at the community level, and individuals.
Individuals must be entrepreneurs with extensive knowledge of the region with stable businesses and who will be consulted to know their opinions on the main problems that, in their opinion, hinder the conservation and sustainable development of the region, and above all, to know their proposed solutions. This is an element of great value because it involves combining the development proposals of the public sector, with those of the private sector and municipalities.
4.4.2 Micro-workshops
To enrich the consultation process, it is necessary to hold some workshops with representatives of areas and / or sectors, such as: a) productive area, b) environment, c) health sector, d) education sector, e) universities, f) organizations non-governmental and international cooperation projects with a presence in the region, g) gender
4.5 Formulation of vision, development axes and strategies and impact projects
4.5.1 Previews by area
At the conclusion of the consultations with the regional actors, each thematic area manager analyzes the information collected and based on it formulates a vision and strategies for conservation and sustainable development of the area. This first version is the one that serves as input for the micro-workshops. Subsequently, the recommendations made in said events are incorporated and preliminary versions are formulated with the following fully linked aspects:
a) a rapid diagnosis of the area, b) a vision of conservation and sustainable development, which constitutes the desired and feasible scenario for the next 5-10 years, c) the axes and strategies of conservation and sustainable development, which constitute the how, the regional actors are going to make this vision a reality, d) the strategic impact projects to be executed in the next 5-10 years and that allow the goals to be specified.
4.5.2 Validation workshops
Representatives of the sectors are invited to these workshops to learn about the vision, strategy and project proposals of each area. In these events, an analysis of the entire document of the corresponding subject area is made and the necessary changes and adjustments are made. It is done with few people (7-10), preferably in a place away from their work offices and with sufficient time availability.
4.5.3 Analysis of coherence between thematic areas, diagnosis, vision and environmental strategies
At the end of formulating the versions of vision and strategies for conservation and sustainable development and the identification of strategic impact projects for all thematic areas, an analysis is carried out in order to determine the congruence between these areas, strategies, projects and eventually the diagnoses..
This work is carried out jointly by the Technical Committee government representatives, the municipalities and those responsible for the areas and, if feasible, the pertinent modifications, additions or deletions are made. From this exercise the regional diagnosis, the vision of regional conservation and sustainable development, the axes and strategies of the Environmental Strategy for RECODES are formulated.
4.6 Preparation and editing of the document
After the coherence analysis, it is possible to prepare the first version of the document that will contain the diagnosis, vision and strategies for regional conservation and sustainable development and strategic impact projects. For this, a content guide is included. It is recommended that this document is not bulky.
After having the final version of the document, it is edited, prior to the call for a multisectoral information workshop.
4.7 Multisectoral information meeting.
Once the validated version of the document has been edited, the Technical Committee calls a multisectoral meeting, in order to report on the proposal of the Environmental Strategy prepared in a participatory manner.
This event has the following characteristics: a) the representatives of the sectors consulted and other instances that could attend as observers must be summoned, b) it should not take more than 2 hours,
c) the guests will be informed by appropriate means (audiovisual and other) on the main features of the Environmental Strategy proposal, d) the expected result is a final version of the agenda to be submitted to the approval of the municipality or municipalities inserted in RECODES.
4.8 Disclosure
The dissemination of the RECODES Environmental Strategy constitutes an essential action to promote the adoption of this instrument by conservation and sustainable development agents.
There are several non-exclusive options for this purpose, but the most common are:
1) Distribution of the document to municipalities, private, governmental, non-governmental entities, organizations and sources of bilateral and multilateral international cooperation, 2) Mass distribution of a summary popular version (trifoliar) among the population of RECODES, c) broadcast by radio, written and television media.
5. Recommendations
1) The preparation of the Environmental Strategy for RECODES is based on the real needs to conserve the natural resources of the region and for sustainable development.
2) The formulation of the Environmental Strategy requires the full-time participation of a technical team.
3) Each subject area must be worked on by a technical team, preferably coordinated by a specialist.
4) The process for the formulation of the Environmental Strategy must be carried out in a period not exceeding 2 months.
5) It is essential to define and implement a dissemination strategy for the Environmental Strategy, to promote its adoption by regional conservation and sustainable development agents.
6) The preparation of the Environmental Strategy should be understood as a process, therefore, it should be reviewed periodically and make the adjustments that practice indicates in its execution.
7) The Environmental Strategy must be reviewed and updated every two years, with the participation of regional actors.
8) The participation of the municipalities in the preparation of the Environmental Strategy for RECODES guarantees to a great extent its operationalization, as a base instrument for making decisions relevant to regional development.
