Advocating for sound conservation policies
  Location:  Programmes | Conservation Action, Planing & Policy
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Highlights of key Activities, Achievements and Plans


IV. Conservation Planning, Policy and Action (CAP)

Conservation planning is a strategic process of setting priorities and articulating specific goals, identifying important threats and opportunities, selecting appropriate activities that address these threats and opportunities and developing system to monitor impacts in a way that continually informs and improve management of natural resources. Priority-setting for conservation action must involve all stakeholders and be based on threat-based approach, with balance of direct threats, root causes and to foster the enabling conditions for longer term conservation. Conservation practitioners are increasingly recognizing that the most effective scale of conservation planning is large -at the scale of entire ecosystems, with the aim to conserve the full range of species, natural habitats and ecological processed of a large area while taking into account relevant cultural political and economic considerations.

With support from The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and in collaboration with a Core group of conservation organizations involved in the Albertine Rift region and working with governments and relevant government protected areas authorities, ARCOS has been facilitating a Framework for Albertine Rift Conservation Planning (First Phase from 2002-2005 and Second Phase 2006-2008). The first phase developed a framework plan at regional level with 6 Planning Units and the second phase aims to develop plans and implementation activities for specific units:
  Planning Unit 1: Toro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve- Murchison Falls National Park through Budongo and Bugoma Forest Reserves, Kagombe, Kitechura, Muhangi, Itwara forests to the Toro-Semliki wildlife Reserve;
  Planning Unit 2: Greater Virunga Landscape - includes Virunga National Park in DRC and all contiguous protected areas in Uganda and Rwanda
  Planning unit 3: Maiko-Itombwe landscape - includes the Maiko and Kahuzi Biega National Parks, Tayna Community reserve and the Itombwe massif;
  Planning Unit 4: Congo-Nile divide - includes Nyungwe National Park, Gishwati and Mukura Forest Reserves and Cyamudongo forest in Rwanda and Kibira and Ruzizi Parks and Bururi forest in Burundi;
  Planning Unit 5 - Gombe-Mahale-Southern Highlands- includes Mahale Mountains and Gombe Stream National parks as well as several forest reserves along Lake Tanganika and unprotected land; and
  Planning Unit 6- Kabobo-Marungu-Sumbu landscape that includes the Marungu massif and Mt Kabobo in DRC and Sumbu and Mweru-Wantipa parks in Zambia.

Conservation Action has focused in the past in promoting community-based programmes. ARCOS supported a community based feasibility study with funding from the WWF/World Bank Alliance for Forest Conservation and Sustainable Use and a small funding was provided to three local NGOs through small grants to undertake following projects:
  Awareness and community involvement in Monge Forest Reserve (by INECN) - Burundi.
  Integration of pygmies in the conservation of Mikeno sector in the Virunga (VONA) North-Kivu - D.R. C
  Community Involvement in Echuya Forest Reserve and Muchuya Swamp (NatureUganda) - Uganda.

Future plans on conservation policy, planning and delivery during the period 2006-2010 will focus on the following:
  Produce status of threats to the biodiversity in the region (i.e. development, mining, logging, oil, mineral extraction, etc)
  Lobby and advocate for mainstreaming environment into development strategies and practices
  Develop, facilitate and implement conservation planning and conservation initiatives in the region
  Organise fora to promote natural resource management and sustainable development in the region

Special emphasise will be put on the identification of poverty and environment linkages, developing, supporting and sharing pro-poor models to improve livelihoods, building capacity of civil society and empower community for better participation in natural resources management, policy, planning and advocacy, facilitation of integration of environment into district and national development plans and strategies and dissemination of best practices from the project and other initiatives in the region