Symposium on Securing Land for Conservation in Asia: Opportunities, Pitfalls & Alternatives

Transcription

1 IUCN Natinal Cmmittee f the Netherlands & Wrld Land Trust Sympsium n Securing Land fr Cnservatin in Asia: Opprtunities, Pitfalls & Alternatives Held at: Swire Marine Training Centre, Singapre (with site visit t Endau Rmpin Natinal Park, Malaysia) 23rd September 28th September 2012 Lwer Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, Sabah, Malaysia Rb Clgan

2 Sympsium Overview Land purchase as a tl fr habitat and wildlife cnservatin has always been a key fcus fr bth Wrld Land Trust (WLT) and IUCN Natinal Cmmittee f the Netherlands (IUCN NL) 'Small Grants fr the Purchase f Nature Prgramme'. Land purchase is a fairly cmmn instrument fr securing land in Latin America, where legislatin makes it relatively easy fr NGOs t purchase land utright, fr management as a private prtected area. It is widely recgnised that using this instrument in Asia is much mre difficult, and ther strategies need t be develped t prtect and secure threatened ecsystem. This sympsium was rganised t discuss this requirement, bringing tgether 17 cnservatin managers frm 12 cuntries in Asia, t enable an exchange f knwledge n develping and managing prjects that invlve securing land fr bidiversity cnservatin. The sympsium prvided valuable insight int the alternatives t land purchase, available within the Asian cntext. It shwed that a prper preparatry prcess, flexibility and mst f all, patience, are key t successfully securing land fr cnservatin. In turn, we learned that educatin f dnrs is desperately needed, especially t differentiate these types f prjects frm mre straight-frward land wnership case studies frm the Latin American cntext. Dnrs shuld be prepared fr lnger term prjects, and accept that flexibility and adaptive management is necessary. Often it is nt the mdel that determines if a prject is successful r nt, it is the capacity and determinatin f the peple n the grund. Lastly, when cmparing this sympsium t the five events previusly rganized by WLT and IUCN NL, it shwed that Latin American NGO s are a few steps ahead when it cmes t develping mechanisms fr sustainable funding f reserve management csts, and highlighted the ptential benefit f knwledge exchange between NGOs frm bth cntinents regarding this issue. Apprach 1: Outright Land Purchase In sme situatins it is pssible t acquire land titles directly frm wners, as shwn in cases presented frm India, Malaysia and Indnesia. In mst cases utright purchase f land was seen t be very expensive, due t high ppulatin pressure (demand fr land) and cmpetitin with industrial agriculture. A key aspect fr making this apprach wrk is a thrugh preparatry prcess, in rder t priritise the prperties t maximise cnservatin benefits, and develp trust and supprt frm lcal cmmunities. Wildlife Trust f India is using 3 different direct acquisitin mdels: Land acquired by NGO, then handed ver t gvernment fr gazetting as a prtected area. The advantage f this mdel is that it is simple and clean. Relcatin f peple living in, r adjacent t high bidiversity value areas, such as elephant crridrs. This is relatively expensive, time cnsuming and highly dependent n plitics and the will and mtivatin f peple. Relcatin is a very sensitive issue and needs the cnstant presence f NGO representatives in the cmmunity. Land acquired by gvernment with the help f the NGO. This is the mst time cnsuming, but (als fr the NGO) the cheapest ptin. It is hwever highly dependent n the plitical will f the gvernment. Case Study: ALTO - Sulawesi The Alliance fr Tmptika Cnservatin is purchasing 200 hectares frm many small landwners. This is a time cnsuming prcess with negtiatins dne n a ne-tne basis. Althugh seemingly inefficient, this prcess ensures that relatinships are built between all landwners in the area and a strng basis fr supprt is created. Patience is key! Case Study: Hutan - Malaysia HUTAN has put cnsiderable effrt int prducing high quality maps t shw the wnership status f land parcels adjacent t the Lwer Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary (LKWS), verlapped with infrmatin n flagship species ppulatins in rder t priritise which parcels f land t secure first. Land surrunding LKWS represents a msaic f land wnership with different titles, as well as different sizes. HUTAN aims t purchase small parcels f land (i.e. 3, 5, 15 hectares) aiming at first t blck land develpers access t the river (riparian buffer) & then fill in the gaps later.

3 Apprach 2: Lease frm Cmmunities In situatins where large parts f natinal territry are wned by lcal cmmunities r cllectives (like in China), these are the main stakehlders t apprach. Getting them engaged and building trust is likely t be a lng prcess, but is crucial t making the interventin wrk in the lng term. Again, patience is key and the actual benefits frm cnservatin t the cmmunity must be made clear frm the start. Rushed and rigid appraches which d nt shw actual benefits, can lead t mistrust and resentment, and ultimately prject failure. In mst cases, cnservatin measures n cmmunity land are agreed upn by the cmmunity in exchange fr smething else, such as infrastructure develpment r prvisin f better amenities fr the cmmunity. A clear and transparent mdel f benefit sharing is critical. Case Study: FPWC - Armenia The 30,000 hectare Khsrv Reserve is an area f high bidiversity value lcated within the Caucasus Bidiversity Htspt and has becme the last pssible retreat fr many critically endangered animal species such as the Caucasian Lepard, Bezar Gat and Armenian Mufln. The Fundatin fr the Preservatin f Wildlife and Cultural Assets (FPWC) is securing land in the buffer zne f the Khsrv Reserve, thrugh leasing 839 hectares f cmmunity land adjacent t the reserve. Invlving the lcal cmmunity has been a majr cmpnent f the prject, and envirnmental educatin activities have been prvided (in additinal t nrmal state schl curriculum), creating a platfrm f supprt fr cnservatin activities. Case Study: Burung Indnesia The lwland rainfrests f Sumatra are being decimated as a result f timber extractin, cnversin fr il palm and pulp-wd plantatins, and ther develpment activities. In respnse t cncerns, a BirdLife Internatinal Partnership embarked upn the innvative Harapan Rainfrest Initiative, set up as a new mdel in prductin frestry, utilising frest cncessins fr habitat restratin. Previusly, prductin frest culd nly be utilised fr lgging cncessins and plantatins, hwever it was apparent that changes t the Indnesian frestry laws were needed in rder fr it t be pssible t manage degraded frests such as exlgging cncessin fr ecsystem restratin. This materialised thrugh the creatin f Ecsystem Restratin Cncessin (ERC) Permits. The first license was granted fr a ttal f 100,000 hectares, nw making up the Harapan Rainfrest Ecsystem Restratin cncessin. Since then, five ERC licenses have been granted thrughut the cuntry whilst a further 40 applicatins are underging the prcess f licensing. Apprach 3: Lease frm gvernments Previusly, land management had been the dmain f the gvernment, with stakehlders utilising the land i.e. fr lgging r plantatins. Cnventinal prtected area systems have limited supprt, are in sme cases failing, and can be expected t shrink. Minimum gvernment investment is nt enugh t manage prtected areas adequately, and in Las and Cambdia, the gvernment have been granting cncessins within prtected areas. In Vietnam, the Quang Binh Prvincial Frest Prtectin Department prpsed 20,000 hectares f Annamese lwland rainfrest t declare as a Nature Reserve. As the prvincial authrities were hesitant t take n additinal respnsibility, this will prvide an pprtunity fr Birdlife Vietnam t lease r c-manage the site. C-management agreements can be cnsidered where decentralisatin f gvernment is ccurring, and where lcal authrities d nt have resurces r capacity t manage prtected areas. These agreements shuld be apprached with cautin, with clear expectatins and understanding n cntributins required, as well as prir agreement n hw benefits shuld be shared. The Harapan Case Study in Indnesia has shwn that their gvernment has been pen t changing land-use management systems, and refrms t frestry law have als recently been seen in Vietnam and Cambdia t. Althugh highly depending n the plitical will f the authrities, this change prvides pprtunities fr cnservatinists t mve frward.

4 Take hme Messages: Several cmmn themes interlace the case studies presented during the Sympsium, principally biling dwn t the hw s, what s and wh s f securing land fr cnservatin in Asia. The methds f ding this nt nly vary accrding t different cuntries, but als within a mre lcalised cntext, and s the situatin f each prject needs t be carefully evaluated in rder t determine the best apprach. Key messages frm the wrkshps include: The need fr a prper preparatry prcess, nt nly invlving technical aspects such as bidiversity surveys, site priritizatin, grund truthing and map preparatin, but mst imprtantly, sensitisatin f cmmunity stakehlders t get lcal supprt. The balance f this initial time investment against the urgency f the situatin must f curse be taken int cnsideratin, as must the strategic psitining f the prject site in rder t maximise the impact f the planned interventin activities, as well as the funding available. New appraches are needed, especially as the Natinal Prtected Areas systems in many Asian cuntries are n lnger adequate fr the changing landscape and ecnmy. Celebrate innvatin, but dn t shy away frm lder appraches if they are still valid. Flexibility is an imprtant aspect f prject design, as the invlvement f cmmunities and gvernment can intrduce many uncertainties in the management f the prject. It is key that dnrs be made t understand the risk levels invlved, and be cmfrtable with the ptential f delays t the prject timeline. Invlvement f cmmunities, and building trust, is likely t be a lng prcess, but is crucial t making the interventin wrk in the lng term. Rushed, insensitive and rigid appraches which d nt shw actual benefits fr the cmmunity, can lead t mistrust and resentment, and ultimately prject failure. There is a need t adjust perceptins against prjects f a shrter time-span. Shrt-term leases shuld still be cnsidered if that is the nly ptin fr securing land at that mment, and in the rapidly changing plitical landscapes ften prevalent within Asia, a perid f just ten years may be enugh time fr plicy refrm t take place, r anther pprtunity t materialise. The verall prject cst shuld always be cnsidered, as althugh appraches such as land purchase may represent a large capital investment, a lnger term leasing r c-management apprach may have a significant annual cst, which can add up in a shrt space f time. Making a prject financially sustainable is an imprtant issue, and shuld be addressed frm the start. The ptin t establish a REDD+ prject is becming mre cmmn, hwever the time, mney and effrt needed t establish these large-scale prjects shuld nt be underestimated. Prvisin f carbn credits is a ptential methd f securing lng-term funding. Hwever their cst will be much higher than credits btained frm nnfrestry ffsetting schemes s REDD+ credits must be marketed as a premium prduct t buyers wh are interested in the cnservatin stry as well. Scaling up and replicating the prject t achieve landscape-scale cnservatin is undubtedly imprtant, but scaling up withut flexibility and the capacity t mix-and-match appraches will inevitable weaken the verall mdel. NGOs shuld als assess whether scaling up a prject will significantly increase the bidiversity gains. A plicy framewrk is crucial t make securing f land fr cnservatin pssible. This is smetimes already in place, but ccasinally a lt f effrt is needed frm NGOs t persuade the gvernment int creating an apprpriate legal/plicy framewrk, under which land can be cnserved. In sme cases, NGOs d nt have the luxury f waiting fr plicy refrms t be finalised, but shuld prceed with prjects while refrm is happening. C-management shuld be apprached with cautin, with clear expectatins and understanding n cntributins required, as well as prir agreement n hw benefits shuld be shared. It is a gd ptin where decentralisatin f gvernment is ccurring, and where lcal authrities d nt have the resurces r capacity t manage prtected areas. The best way fr it t wrk, is fr c-management t be implemented backwards with the NGO assuming respnsibility, and then gradually invlving the cmmunity r lcal authrity nce the prject has been established, and building their capacity t manage the area in the lng-term.

5 Dnr educatin is vital, as there is a need t explain the differences between the mre straight-frward land wnership case studies frm the Latin American cntext. Dnrs shuld be made aware f the likely lnger term prject perids, and understand that flexibility and adaptive management is necessary. Prject bjectives shuld nt be ver-ambitius, r unnecessarily bureaucratic ften it is nt the mdel that determines if a prject is successful r nt, it is the capacity and determinatin f the peple n the grund. Gd cmmunicatin is vital and an NGO shuld make sure that there are n bad surprises. Lastly, it is smetimes necessary t engage with uneasy stakehlders, such as the drivers f defrestatin. When all stakehlders are kept rund the table, NGO s can witness and understand their activities and nce part f the system will be in a better place t influence r challenge these. Engagement des nt necessarily need t be friendly all the time demands shuld be made t ensure that legislatin in enfrced, and by shwing that the NGO has strength, it will be treated with mre respect. Cnservatin is an emtinal respnse, driven by passin, and at times it is nt helpful t be t ratinal yu need t have faith in a prject fr it t wrk. Wrld Land Trust & IUCN NL wuld like t thank Swire Pacific Offshre fr their supprt and cntributin twards this Sympsium, and fr their nging cmmitment twards wildlife cnservatin. Special thanks g t Simn Bennett, Lydia Pavlva and Mariah Abdullah f SPO fr their assistance in rganising this meeting and helping t make it a success. Many thanks als g t Andrew Sebastian and his team at Malaysian Nature Sciety fr rganising and hsting the site visit t Endau Rmpin Natinal Park. (left-right) Andrew Sebastian (Malaysian Nature Sciety); Bu Vrsak (Birdlife Cambdia); Jnathan Eames (Birdlife Indchina); Li Shengzhi (Shanshui Cnservatin Centre - China); Rman Kaskarv (Uzbekistan Sciety fr the Prtectin f Birds); Myint Aung (Friends f Wildlife Myanmar); Quyen Vu (Educatin fr Nature - Vietnam); Rger Wilsn (Wrld Land Trust); Mary Tibbett (Wrld Land Trust); Kirsty Burgess (Wrld Land Trust); Marc Hgeslag (IUCN Natinal Cmmittee f the Netherlands); Olga Klimanva (Assciatin fr the Cnservatin f Bidiversity f Kazakhstan); Vivek Menn (Wildlife Trust f India); Cynthia Ong (Land Empwerment Animals Peple Malaysian Brne); Pham Tuan Anh (Birdlife Vietnam); Grigr Janyan (Fundatin fr the Preservatin f Wildlife and Cultural Assets Armenia); Marcy Summers (Alliance fr Tmptika - Sulawesi); Dian Agista (Burung Indnesia); Balu Perumal (Malaysian Nature Sciety). Participants nt pictured abve: Isabelle Lackman (HUTAN Malaysian Brne); Belinda de la Paz (Haribn Fundatin Philippines); Vinayagan Dharmarajah (Nature Sciety Singapre / Birdlife Asia). [Matrix shwing Land Acquisitin & Prtectin Optins: verleaf /]

6 Annex 1 : Matrix shwing Land Acquisitin & Prtectin Optins *Please nte that whilst based n specific case studies, this matrix aims t demnstrate the spectrum f land acquisitin/prtectin ptins seen, and t give an idea f the factrs relating t each prject type. Prject Preparatin Time Size f Area Prtected Cst /Resurce Distributin Stakehlders (additinal t the Presence f plicy Framewrk Ptential Risks NGO invlved) Land Purchase Malaysian Brne Land Swap / Relcatin f Cmmunities India NGO supprt f land acquisitin by Gvernment India Lease r Purchase f Land Rights China SHORT (under 1 yr) Hwever, funding required fr the purchase must first be available prir t negtiatin. (3-5 years) Adequate time needed fr sensitisatin & negtiatin with cmmunities. Alternative land must als be secured, and new husing built. (2-5 years) On-ging negtiatin needed with lcal & federal gvernment. (2-5 years) Initial sensitisatin and negtiatin with cmmunity cllectives needed, prir t purchase f land rights. Length f Prtectin / Tenure PERMANENT Depends n lcal land tenure. PERMANENT Prject invlves a straight landfr-land swap. PERMANENT Land t be gazetted under natinal Prtected Areas netwrk. SHORT MEDIUM TERM (30-60 years) Maximum lease n land rights is 60 years, after which the land reverts t the cmmunity again. SMALL (under 100 ha) Generally small due t land csts, purchase is strategic i.e. crridrs. SMALL (under 100 ha) Generally small, as relcatin f a village wuld be t secure a very strategic piece f land. SMALL-MEDIUM ( ha) Gvernment wuld be lbbied t gazette an area f specific bidiversity imprtance. LARGE (>1000 ha) New gvernment plicy has been established t prtect 340km 2 f land in Western China. Tw recent land acquisitins by anther Chinese fundatin fr the creatin f panda crridrs have been 11,000 ha & 1,900 ha. HIGH CAPITAL Land cst in Malaysian Brne i.r.. US$ 4,000 - $14,000. HIGH CAPITAL & STAFFING COSTS Permanent presence f field staff needed during preparatry phase; cst f husing and purchase f alternative land needed upfrnt (unless allcated by gvernment) LOW - STAFFING COSTS ONLY Althugh this wuld be a lengthy prcess, n capital csts r n- ging management csts wuld be needed. LOW CAPITAL Cst f buying management rights relatively lw (US$80-120/ha) land with high bidiversity has lw market value csts due t tighter harvesting cntrl. LANDOWNERS LOCAL COMMUNITY Purchasing land allws NGO t be seen as an equal in lcal cmmunity. LOCAL COMMUNITY, LOCAL AUTHORITIES & LANDOWNERS LOCAL & FEDERAL GOVERNMENT LOCAL COLLECTIVE GROUPS & LOCAL GOVERNMENT Gvernment granted management rights t lcal cllectives, which can sell t NGO s (r crpratins) LOW IMPORTANCE Ideally NGO s shuld be able t purchase/wn land, but if nt, can be bught by individual n behalf f NGO. LOW-MEDIUM IMPORTANCE Legal framewrk needed fr NGO s t transfer land title t/frm cmmunity. Necessity t fit int the plitical agenda with this scial welfare style prject. HIGH IMPORTANCE Often necessary t establish a plitical angle fr this mdel t be taken up by lcal/natinal gvernment. HIGH IMPORTANCE Gvernment prgramme established 2011 with lcal cllectives given rights t manage land fr cnservatin, althugh legislatin needs t be clarified. Subsidies available fr managing land, but n lcal knwledge n applying fr funds. LOW Unexpected increase in cst f land, unregulated and subject t speculatin. LOW-MEDIUM Negative human rights pinins frm the utside wrld; nt getting agreement frm whle cmmunity; unexpected increase in cst f land; delays caused by plitical invlvement. MEDIUM Change in gvmt. fficials can severely delay negtiatin; prtectin prvided by Prtected Areas system may nt be adequate; de-gazetting. MEDIUM-HIGH Very new prgramme therefre little knwledge f ptential prblems. Plicies are nt yet clear i.e. a liquidatin right exists which enables farmers t sell land rights t frestry cmpanies.

7 Lease f Hunting Cncessins frm Gvernment Kazakhstan Lease f Frestry Cncessins frm Gvernment Indnesia Lease f Land frm Cmmunities Armenia (2-5 years) Prject set-up is cmplex, incl. prducing a management plan; acquiring hunting cncessins; and getting agreement with land users (farmers) thrugh a tw-tiered tenancy system. LONG (>5-10 years) Lng-term prcess lbbying gvernment fr plicy refrm in rder t utilise frestry cncessins fr habitat restratin. (2-5 years) Initial sensitisatin and negtiatin with cmmunity cllectives needed, prir t leasing land. SHORT TERM (10 years) Lease f hunting cncessins are fr ten years, after which the NGO will submit a prpsal t have it gazetted as a prtected area. TERM (60-95 years) Cncessin permits at Harapan are fr 60 (+35) years t 100 years. SHORT- MEDIUM TERM (>10-30 years) Land can be leased t a max. f 30 years r purchased frm the cmmunity fr 99 years. VERY LARGE (>100,000 ha) In Kazakhstan, hunting cncessins are available fr 190 millin hectares f land, with an example prject area cvering a 400,000 ha area. LARGE (>1000 ha) Cncessins ttalling 100,000 ha granted. LARGE (>1000 ha) As supprt has been made available, the prject area nw under lease exceeds 1,000 ha. The reserve buffers a 30,000 ha existing prtected area. MEDIUM CAPITAL Cst f a 10-year lease f hunting cncessins csts apprx. US$1,000/ha with nging prtectin & management csts f US$5,000/ mnth minimum. HIGH CAPITAL AND SET- UP COSTS The cst f licensing fees is US$4/ha/20yr (US$ 1.2 millin fr 100,000ha ver 60 years) with an estimated USD 3-4 millin fr the initial 5-10 year set up perid. LOW-MEDIUM CAPITAL Cst f leasing a 500 ha parcel f land is US$1,000/ year plus US$2,000 tax. Cst f purchasing the land wuld be US$400/ha. Management csts are relatively lw. LOCAL COMMUNITY & LOCAL GOVERNMENT Under current systems, stakehlder cnsultancy is lw agreement needed frm gvernment in rder t acquire hunting leases, as well as farmers t establish agreements regarding land use. LOCAL & FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, AND LOCAL COMMUNITY With a crpratin established as the cncessin hlder, it is taken seriusly by migrant cmmunities respnsible fr encrachment. LOCAL COMMUNITY Land is leased frm the lcal cmmunity thrugh negtiatin with lcal mayr. Envirnmental educatin is als prvided as nt represented in natinal curriculum. HIGH IMPORTANCE Plicy refrm needed t maximise bidiversity prtectin, address gvernment pririties and blster supprt fr rganisatins wrking t cnserve bidiversity. Plus there is n adequate system fr prsecutin f pachers. HIGH IMPORTANCE Plicy refrm was critical t establishing this prject, and has led t the establishment f ther similar prjects in Indnesia (with ther NGO s). LOW IMPORTANCE Legal framewrk in place fr NGOs t lease/purchase land, hwever greater supprt needed frm natinal gvernment t prgress bidiversity cnservatin bjectives. MEDIUM-HIGH Land tenancy is cmplex and culd lead t cnflict. Little supprt is given frm lcal gvernment fr priritising bidiversity cnservatin. Lease is nly a shrt term slutin, and there is n guarantee that land will be gazetted. MEDIUM Plitical abut turn; inability t raise management csts year n year. But, with plicy changes in place, gvernment have recgnised the benefit f these prjects. LOW Organisatin maintains gd relatinship with cmmunity. Risk f paching (and vandalism) is apparent n the reserve due t limited resurces fr patrlling the area. Cmanagement f Prtected Areas Vietnam LONG (>5-10 years) Negtiatins taken place with lcal gvernment fr a c-management apprach fr prject area (prpsed as a Natinal Reserve). TERM Prject aims t lease land fr a perid f at least years. LARGE (>1000 ha) First prject bjective is t secure frested area f 10,000 ha. HIGH CAPITAL Lease csts are apprx. US$10-25/ ha/year with a minimum management cst f US$10/ha/year. LOCAL GOVERNMENT & COMMUNITIES Gd wrking relatinship needed with gvernment lcal cmmunity. Expectatins must be carefully managed. LOW-MEDIUM IMPORTANCE Lcal gvernment d nt have resurces t fulfil cnservatin bligatins, therefre pprtunity fr NGO t establish a c-management agreement with them. LOW-MEDIUM C-management appraches t wildlife prtectin is a new cncept, therefre NGO has little knwledge n ptential prblems.

8 Images taken during site visit t Endau Rmpin Natinal Park 24 th /25 th September 2012 (all phts cpyright f Wrld Land Trust)