IPSI Collaborative Activities

IWRM for Sustainable Communities

Lead organization: Hydrology for the Environment, Life and Policy (HELP) Davao Network

Other participating organizations: Islands Knowledge Institute (IKI)


IWRM for Sustainable Communities:
Piloting the use of use of IWRM tools to help sustain resilient socio-ecological production landscapes

Introduction

The HELP Davao Network is a network of individuals and organizations committed to work collectively for management of water for all. Since 2004, the Network has focused on assisting stakeholders to have access to sound science that can be used for guiding complex decisions and hard choices related to the wise management of water. These efforts have been recognised by international bodies including UNESCO, ADB and the IUCN.

In order to progress the management of water resources a Davao Water Partnership (DWP) was forged in late 2010 through the signing of MOU. This MOU severs a framework for collaborative action for better and land and water management. The HELP Davao Network now proposes a IPSI Collaboration Activity (CA) as based on the Paris Declaration on the Satoyama Initiative. The aim of this CA is to: pilot the use of use of IWRM tools to help sustain resilient socio-ecological production landscapes in the upper watersheds of the Davao Region. The CA will be entitled “IWRM for Sustainable Communities.”

This CA will be achieved through collaboration with existing members of the DWP who have established relationship and ongoing programs with indigenous communities in the upper watersheds of the Davao Region. This CA will be implemented as a component under the existing HELP Davao Network program focused on the customisation of IWRM at the River Basin level. The “IWRM for Sustainable Communities” CA will focus on delivering the following objectives:

  1. To assess how IWRM policy’s has effected two key socio-ecological production systems in Davao;
  2. To document how indigenous traditions and customs effect use of land and water resources
  3. To uses IWRM tools to present appropriate land use planning tools at the sub basin level;

This project will build upon existing resources, such as the UNESCO IWRM Guidelines, to develop locally appropriate tools and approaches that provoke and stimulate local actors to help existing systems work more effectively and identify components of the system where change, or harmonization, is required. This will be achieved through the development of local guidelines in a multi disciplinary approach, and will include documentation of social learning’s, development of locally specific modules for IWRM, and the delivery of trainings to a range of local actors including local government agencies, civil societies, academe, businesses, farmers and schools. The integration of online social learning will also be piloted for selected case studies.

Project implementation

The Collaboration Activity is envisaged to be a cross cutting activity with four of the five clusters as based on the Paris Declaration on the Satoyama Initiative. The identified clusters are: Cluster 1. Knowledge Facilitation; Cluster 2. Policy Research: Cluster 4: Capacity Building and Cluster 5. On-the-ground Activities. An Implementation Plan highlighting the key process step required to develop the local training Manual and delivery the associated workshop trainings has been developed. The plan also highlights management concerns and the steps that will be taken to ensure the outputs true reflect local context, experiences
and needs.

Documenting local case studies Developing localized training modules for IWRM Publish of training Manual and host a International training workshop


Figure 1: Key Milestone for project delivery.

The project will build upon existing resources (Davao based plans, frameworks, projects etc) with the aim of developing locally appropriate tools and approaches that provoke and stimulate local actors to help the existing systems work more effectively and identify components of the system where change, or harmonization, is required.

Linkage and institutional collaboration

Project activities will target local government at the City and Regional levels in an effort to build their capacities to support the efforts by communities, academe, civil society and business towards developing and delivering IWRM that enhances or support the development of socio ecological production landscapes. A proactive strategy of collaboration and engagement of end users beyond the current ‘reactive issues based engagements’ will be used for delivery of the project.

This project is considered to be a capacity building exercise that is enhanced with innovative approaches from social learning theory. The project will be realized by developing and delivering the training tools through a social learning process, where the outputs are not seen as an ends, but milestone along the Davao Water Journey. The posting of the case studies online is a critical step to encourage continued learning and open access to the knowledge generate in the project.

Funding

The project is funded in accordance with the UNESCO major programme II, Main line of Action II.2.1. “Promoting the Sustainable Management and Conservation of Freshwater, Terrestrial Resources and Biodiversity.” The project shall take specific reference to the IHP VII (2008-2013) focus area on “Capacity Development for Improved Governance: enhanced legislation for wise stewardship of water resources.”

Appendix 1: Project Goal, Outcome and Output

Goal: To pilot the use of use of IWRM tools to help sustain resilient socio-ecological production landscapes in the upper watersheds of the Davao Region.

Outcome: Knowledge and awareness of socio-ecological production landscapes – theory, tools, and Practices are enhanced in the Davao River Basins

Output 1: To assess how IWRM policy’s have effected two key socio-ecological production systems in Davao;

  • DWP Meeting are used a key venue for steering project activities and tracking progress of project delivery
  • Review of policies in the Philippines that guide water management
  • Review of existing land & water related programs in Davao River Basins
  • Identify priority issues to be included in the case study
  • Interviews are conducted to gain first insights in to effects of current IP customs and policies
  • 2 local Case Studies are drafted

Output 2: To document how indigenous traditions and customs affect use of land and water resources

  • With partners identify and develop local case studies and modules
  • Draft Training modules and case studies are made available online in local media print
  • A suitable platform is identified for hosting the modules
  • A suitable host is identified to manage the online modules

Output 3: To uses IWRM tools to present appropriate land use planning tools at the sub basin level;

  • DWP Meetings are used a key venue for steering project activities and tracking progress of project delivery
  • Appropriate local tools are identified to be adapted for IWRM as training tools
  • Local and international HELP actors are tapped as resources persons for the delivery of a training in Davao
  • The Training Manual is formal launched at a international training