Scientists Demonstrate Tools for Integrated Landscape Management

Scientists, policy experts, landscape and agroforestry experts at the Landscape for People, Food and Nature in Africa Conference had an opportunity to learn about more than 20 tools submitted by conference participants, which these experts say are extremely useful for Integrated Landscape Management.

Annet Kandole explains how the Community Based Monitoring tool works. Photo by Isaiah Esipisu.

“Integrated Landscape Management involves different processes running all the way from planning, implementation and monitoring and evaluation. Yet each stage requires different tools that are tested and proven,” said Chris Planicka, a program associate at EcoAgriculture Partners – one of the organizers of the conference.

In Uganda for example, Care International in collaboration with the Anti-corruption Coalition of Uganda and the Joint Effort to Save the Environment have developed a community-based monitoring tool that community members can use to report criminals encroaching on the forests in the country, anybody felling a tree, or anything threatening the forest ecosystem.

“It is a platform based on Information Communication Technology, where community members can easily send an SMS from their phones to a common server through code 6006. The server can then be accessed by different designated authorities including the National Forests Authority, Police, selected politicians and specific civil society organizations among others for action,” said Annet Kandole, during presentation of the tool at the conference.

So far, the tool has successfully assisted in arresting several criminals encroaching on forests in Uganda.

Another example is that of a tool developed by the IUCN, which helps pastoralist communities plan for the future depending on predictions and the current situation.

“This is a dialogue-based tool where communities in the rangeland meet in a forum to discuss the prevailing situation, or what is likely to happen in the near future. Depending on the outcome of the discussions, and action plan is then developed to enable them plan on how to face the future,” said Akshay Vishwanath while presenting the tool.

In the recent past, pastoralists have lost their animals to droughts because of lack of preparedness. “This is what the tool seeks to address, because then the pastoralists lose their animals, they lose their livelihoods,” said Vishwanath.

Other tools presented at the conference include the Policy dialogue tool, the Corporate Ecosystem Services Review, Land use planning for low emission development strategy, Biodiversity risk and opportunity assessment among several others.

“All these tools will be available on the conference website for people to use for integrated landscape management,” said Planicka.