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Submission |
ID |
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4791 |
Government |
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Saint Lucia |
Submitted for |
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Sixth Ordinary Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 6) |
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Main Information |
Title |
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Benefit Sharing Arrangements in the Mankote Mangrove, Saint Lucia |
Description |
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The Mankote Mangrove had been used for charcoal production from 1960. When Mankote was declared a protected area in 1986 as the largest contiguous tract of mangrove, an initiative was launched to save the mangrove and maintain the incomes of charcoal producers. A management plan for the mangrove was adopted which attempts to respect existing popular uses and attitudes, while fully involving users in the decision–making process. As a result of an extensive dialogue, a set of rules for the sustainable use of the mangrove have been agreed upon by the informal cooperative of the charcoal producers and the relevant governmental agencies. The presence of the cooperative has allowed authorities to manage the area cost-effectively through a strategy of user participation rather than direct involvement. The group’s participation in the project has been directly linked to the benefits they have been able to reap as individuals through their involvement, including an increased and more secure supply of wood for charcoal. Due to this collaborative effort, by the 1980s the overall trend of degradation of the tree cover had been reversed. The conditions behind this reversal are ascribed to the shift from an open-access policy to a communal property regime. Indeed, the management plan represents a recognition of the stakeholder rights of subsistence users, even those without legal rights to the resources being exploited. The major lesson from the case-study is that integrated conservation-development projects have good potential to be effective if they can lead to the avoidance of open-access conditions, and to specification of property rights. |
Web Link |
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/doc/case-studies/inc/cs-inc-lc-01-en.pdf |
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Additional Information |
Countries |
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Saint Lucia |
Ecosystems |
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Forest Biodiversity Island Biodiversity Marine and Coastal Biodiversity |
Regions |
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Latin America and the Caribbean |
Incentive Measures |
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Environmental Funds / Investments Indirect Incentives (property rights, market creation) Regulations / Access Restrictions |
Keywords |
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Community participation Infrastructure provision Market creation (organic production, tourism, ...) Revenue sharing with communities Strengthening property rights (land tenure, ...) Tradable permits/use rights |
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