Towards a land zoning negotiation-support platform Tips and tricks of participatory land-use planning in Lao PDR

Transcription

1 Towards a land zoning negotiation-support platform Tips and tricks of participatory land-use planning in Lao PDR Jeremy Bourgoin, J-C Castella, D. Pullar, G. Lestrelin, B. Bouahom Towards a land zoning negotiation-support platform: Tips and tricks of participatory land-use planning in Lao PDR Outline Introduction Background and policy terrain Objectives Case study Action Research Village boundary delineation Data collection and processing Land use zoning Discussion 1

2 INTRODUCTION - 'Tips and tricks of participatory land-use planning in Lao PDR Evolution of Land use planning (LUP) Key instrument for achieving sustainable development Objective has shifted from assessing land capability/suitability to creating a territorial balance between development and conservation LUP system in Laos is representative of this global evolution: Poor and rural country, yet ecologically wealthy > Strong international support for improving NRM through LUP > But weaknesses in implementation; coercive instrument: principles lost in translation? Lestrelin G., Castella J.-C., and Bourgoin J. (2011) Territorialising sustainable development: The politics of land-use planning in the Lao People s Democratic Republic. Journal of Contemporary Asia INTRODUCTION - 'Tips and tricks of participatory land-use planning in Lao PDR National guidelines principles for LUP implementation Participation for improved legitimacy of the process outcomes Integration scale (rationalizing land use plans across scales), knowledge (conservation development trade offs) multiple stakeholders perspectives BUT lack of methodological support > inappropriate on the ground practices Lestrelin G., Bourgoin J., Bouahom B., Castella J.-C. (2011) Measuring participation: Case studies on village land-use planning in northern Lao PDR. Applied Geography 31:

3 INTRODUCTION - 'Tips and tricks of participatory land-use planning in Lao PDR Research objective Engage with local communities by developing a boundaryspanning framework for PLUP INTRODUCTION - 'Tips and tricks of participatory land-use planning in Lao PDR Case study site Predominance of subsistence farming with shifting cultivation Low accessibility to roads and markets Low level of education Cash income from sale of NTFPs and livestock 3

4 Who was involved? Adaptive co management, participatory learning and action Village communities Provincial and district authorities: PAFO, DAFO National scientists: NAFRI International scientists (support): UQ, CIFOR, IRD STEP 1. Village boundary delineation the tool Observation: difficult to understand topo maps / satellite images. Process usually led by the district (top down) How to? involve several villages in discussing and negotiating boundaries raise common understanding of the landscape Visual tool: Participatory 3D Model 4

5 STEP 1. Village boundary delineation From cluster to individual villages Village cluster representatives Boundary discussions Field measurements Village workshop STEP 1. Village boundary delineation Result 5

6 STEP 2. Village zoning/planning Objective: involve villagers with limited planning knowledge Who is involved? Setting up of a Village Land Management Committee (12 people) avoid the process to be dictated by local elite and provide a common knowledge raise understanding about the issues at stake (e.g. Livelihood) when the spatial organisation of the landscape changes train villagers to become members of the land management committee How to? open the black box of landscape planning Learning tool: PLUP Fiction Bourgoin J. and Castella J-C., (2011) PLUP Fiction : Landscape simulation for participatory land-use planning in northern Lao PDR. Mountain Research and Development 31:11 Landscape simulation: Board: 100 cells of 1 ha Different roles / different zoning objectives Aim: negotiate until an agreement is reached Assess impacts on environment: biodiversity, carbon indexes livelihoods: household economics (4 household types) People manipulate simple figures: Data on land use and socio economics elicited by villagers Environmental indicators elicited by experts Zoning on the board and calculations by the whole group 6

7 STEP 2. Village zoning/planning village landscape Objective: engage villagers in iterative zoning negotiations This part is computer assisted Village socioeconomic data in relation to land use Planning on P3DM Zones Capture camera Digitize GIS > Areas Iterations 1 2 n Cost/benefit assessment Final Consensual plan STEP 3. Village cluster planning visualize results, negotiate changes 7

8 DISCUSSION - 'Tips and tricks of participatory land-use planning in Lao PDR Crossing boundaries and building bridges Engaging with local communities Landscape boundary objects: from mere attendance to co management and negotiation Landscape visualization and learning tools Knowledge sharing and integration: link socio economic and spatial arrangement usually exclusive territory of district planners Empowerment process through scenario planning: enable local views and ownership of outputs Negotiation platform: increased local relevance DISCUSSION - 'Tips and tricks of participatory land-use planning in Lao PDR Challenge of scientific credibility Managing trade offs between local relevance (accessibility) and scientific credibility (incorporate scientific concepts) Importance of political legitimacy (relevance to national policies) Anchored in governmental strategies to engage with communities and seek long lasting mechanisms of co management In Laos, PLUP is perceived as the first step for extension services, land registration and payments for ecosystem services (REDD) initiatives 8