Wetlands and Poverty Eradication TWA 2, Task 2.6 STRP - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Wetlands and Poverty Eradication

TWA – 2, Task 2.6 STRP Inter-sessional workshop February 21-26, 2010 Ritesh Kumar (Lead), Sonali Senaratna, Randy Milton, Matthew McCartney, Pierre Horwitz, Rob McInnes, Seb Buckton, Dave Pritchard, Laurent Chazee,Rebecca D’Cruz,

Task Overview

• Resolution X.28 – Wetlands and Poverty

Eradication

• Resolution IX.14 – Wetlands and Poverty

Reduction

Task Overview (1)

• Development of an integrated framework for

linking wetland conservation and wise use with poverty eradication, including identification of the most appropriate scale at which each type of poverty eradication action should take place;

• Identification and development of indicators

relating wetland wise use with livelihoods and poverty eradication;

Task Overview (2)

• Development of practical structured ‘guide to the

available guidelines and tools’ for addressing poverty eradication in relation to wetlands; and

• Collation and review of examples how wetland

degradation affects people’s livelihoods and how maintenance or restoration of the ecological character of wetlands can contribute to poverty alleviation (??).

Task Overview (3)

Task 1:Framework and Indicators Task 2:Guide to Guidance Task 3:Case Studies

Task 1: Framework and Indicators

Understanding Poverty (1)

• Multi-dimensional, value laden, context-specific
• Commonly used terms:

– Income (or consumption)poverty – Human (under)development – Social exclusion – Ill being – (Lack of) capability and functioning – Vulnerability – Livelihood unsustainability – Lack of basic needs – Relative deprivation

Understanding Poverty (2)

• World Development Report (2001): Poverty is

pronounced deprivation of well-being

• Millennium Assessment (2005): Poverty and

well-being are two extremes of multi- dimensional continuum

Understanding Poverty (3)

Well-being includes:

• The necessary material for good life (including secure and adequate

livelihoods, income and assets, enough food at all times, shelter, furniture, clothing and access to goods)

• Health (including being strong, feeling well, and having a healthy

physical environment)

• Good social relations (including social cohesion, mutual respect,

good gender and family relations, and the ability to help others and provide for children)

• Security (including secure access to natural and other resources,

safety of person and possessions, and living in predictable and controllable environment with security from natural and human made disasters)

• Freedom and choice (including having control over what happens

and being able to achieve what a person values doing or being)

Understanding Poverty (4)

• Absolute (against a given benchmark) versus

relative deprivation (poverty within affluent societies)

• Poor in the long term (chronic poor) or in short

term / adverse shocks (transitory poor)

• Chronic

– destitute (need welfare support) – non-destitute (need access to assets and

• pportunities)
• Differential depths of poverty (Core and non-core poor)

Wetland and Poverty Interlinkages

‘The wetland side’

• Wise use – maintenance of ecological character
• Elements of ecological character are manifestations of

ways human societies are linked to wetlands

• State of wetland is influenced by social construct of

ecological character

• Poverty influences ecological character in number of

ways:

– Direct : nutrient discharge leading to eutrophication – Indirect: catchment agriculture leading to wetland sedimentation

Wetland and Poverty Interlinkages (1)

‘The livelihoods side’

• Poor base their livelihoods on ecosystem services
• Ecosystem services are flows parallel to other

forms of livelihood capital

• Poverty could result from the ways ecosystem

services are imported into livelihoods

• Role of social, economic and political contexts :

– Access, equity, benefit sharing, governance

• Need to appreciate both dimensions
• Interlinked
• Mutually reinforcing
• Need to be clear on the use of reduction/

eradication and the ‘MDG context’

Wetland and Poverty Interlinkages (2)

Framework Purpose

• Identify options for interventions to maintain sustainable links

between wetland ecosystem services and human livelihoods

• Identify the scale at which each type of intervention action should

take place

• Providing a structure (capable of being used by conservation and

development sectors ) for assessing the ultimate impacts of relevant actions on human well-being and ecological character through

• a conceptual model demonstrating wetland – poverty

eradication/alleviation interlinkages:

– Ways wetland ecosystem services support well-being of the poor – Characteristics of poverty alleviation/ eradications action which influence ecological character of wetlands and thereby its ecosystem services

Target Partners

• Complex, multiple levels
• Why and How
• Why

– Development Banks, UN Agencies, Development agencies (eg. CARE) – RAMSAR

• Why + How

– National level : Admin Authorities (Env.) + ministries having a poverty investment portfolio : Developmental Planning; Health; Water Resources; Agriculture) – National level: industries (eg. Mining, oil and gas)

• How

– Local government – Wetland Managers

• MFIs
• NGOs
• Indigenous communities

Existing Poverty-Environment Frameworks

• Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (DFID,1999)
• MDGs
• Poverty – Environment Partnership (DFID, WB, UNDP,

EC – 2002)

• Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005)
• Conservation and Poverty Reduction in Wetlands

(IWMI – WI, 2009)

• General Framework for analyzing sustainability of

socio-environmental systems (Ostrom, 2009)

Framework Principles (1)

• Broader nested socio-environmental systems

interacting at multiple spatial and temporal scales, mutually shaping and reinforcing

– ecosystem services (embedded within ecological character) – livelihood capitals

• Wetland ecosystem services form part of

natural capital, but contribute to other forms

• f livelihood capitals to varying degrees

Wetland Ecosystem Services and Livelihood Capitals Linkages

Ecosystem Services of Wetlands

Livelihood Capitals

Natural: land, soils, water, fisheries, etc. Physical: basic infrastructure, and producer’s goods Human: Skills, knowledge, health and ability to work Social: informal networks, formalized grps membership, relationships Financial: savings, credit, incomes , trade and remittances Provisioning Food and Water Security (subsistence) Drinking water for human and livestock; water for agriculture ; Food for humans and livestock Wetlands and Human Health: Medical products Products for trading: Food for humans; food for livestock; Water, reed, fiber and peat; Medicinal plants Regulating Water purification; flood control, flood storage; soil, sediment and nutrient retention; coastal shoreline stabilization; storm protection; carbon storage; climate buffering; Wetlands as Water Infrastructure Flood control, flood storage; coastal shoreline protection and storm protection Biological control agent for pest diseases Insurance values of wetlands coastal shoreline protection; Carbon storage Cultural Recreational hunting and fishing ; Cultural heritage; Contemporary cultural significance ; Spiritual and religious values; Water sports; Nature study pursuits; Educational values, Aesthetic and sense of place values , knowledge systems; Other recreation and tourism Wetlands and Human Health Water sports, nature study pursuits, Educational values, Aesthetic and sense

• f place values ,

knowledge systems Recreational hunting and fishing ; Cultural heritage; Contemporary cultural significance ; Spiritual and religious values Revenue generation

• pportunities

Other recreation and tourism Supporting Primary Production; Nutrient cycling

Work in progress..

• Livelihood system approach - individuals linked

together because of a common background or a shared aim, to acquire constituents for well-being (while recognizing heterogeneity)

• Dynamic systems wherein ecological, social, economic

and political contexts change – both due to natural and manmade factors

• Ultimate sustainability test in terms of achieving ‘well-

being’ (poverty being ill-being) and,

• Builds on ‘ most relevant elements’ of existing

environment – development frameworks

Framework Principles (3)

Conceptual Framework

Framework elements

• Vulnerability Contexts : External environment wherein critical trends, shocks and

seasonality influence assets and options for livelihoods

• Direct drivers of change
• Indirect drivers of change (social, economic and political settings - security)
• Livelihood capitals: assets which form the basis of livelihood choice (include physical,

financial, human, social, and natural). No single livelihood capital is capable of producing the diverse range of outcomes people seek.

• Wetland Ecosystem services (embedded within ecological character): benefits people

receive from wetlands. Ecological character is the combination of ecosystem components , processes and benefits that characterize the wetland at a given point of time.

• Livelihood strategies: range of activities and choices people make in order to achieve

their livelihood goals

• Livelihood outcomes: final reflection of livelihood strategies on the well-being

components

Mapping with MA framework; fills in the guidance req linking dir and indir drivers to well being and bringing in focus on poverty

Designing intervention

Framework element Intervention Basis Options for intervention Scale of intervention Vulnerability contexts Direct Drivers Land use change

Integrating wetlands in spatial planning – on the basis of their contributions to food and water security

• Land use planning level (regional /

local)

• (national/state –county/basin)
• Local development plans

Indirect Drivers Wetlands not recognized in PRSPs Seeking inclusion of wetlands - How wetlands contribute to PRSPs National policies Policies / programmes of developmental ag Livelihood Capitals Limited access to financial capital prevents equitable value realization Micro-finance ( conservation based) Local Weak community health Wetlands and WASH Local / Basin / Watershed Ecosystem Services Over-provisioning of prov at the cost of other serv. Multiple functional land use systems Local / Basin / Watershed Livelihood Strategies Tradeoffs within livelihood strategies Incentive systems River Basin level – Connecting upstream and downstream livelihood systems

Indicators

• Internal sustainability: ability to cope with and recover

from stresses and shocks and maintain or enhance its capabilities and assets now and in the future;

• Social sustainability: enhances or does not diminish the

livelihoods of others

• Ecological sustainability: does not deplete or disrupt

ecosystems to the prejudice of the livelihoods and well-being of others, now and in the future ( ecosystem health indicators – Link to TWA : Wetlands and Human Health + Wetlands and Urbanization)

Task 1 - Output

• Framework paper ( 10 page max. )

– Glossary – Define scope ‘eradication vs reduction’ – Understanding Poverty – Wetland-Poverty Interlinkages – Review of existing poverty-environment frameworks – Framework – Indicators

• Writing team (RK,PH,SS, SB, RM, LC) –Draft by Sep 2010
• Internal review team (MMc,Rob) – Oct 2010
• Final version – Nov /Dec 2010

Task 2:Guide to Guidance

Framework Elements Assessment Tools Response Strategies Best Practice Vulnerability Context National level River basin level Site level

Direct Drivers Indirect Drivers

Livelihood Capitals Ecosystem Services Livelihood Strategies Livelihood Outcomes

Task 2 - Output

• Structured Guide to Guidance – December

2010

• Team : RK,SS,LC, SB

Task 3 – Case Study

• Purpose :

– Communication tool between conservation-development sectors – Used to demonstrate framework application – influence decision-makers

• Method:

– Workshop : application of framework against existing wetland poverty projects ( existing pool + IOPs – WLP)

• Format

– Tech report + Paper + targeted communication products

• Cost

– 15 days

Workshop

• Pre-workshop (March – Sep 10)

– Framework – Criteria for selection of cases – Identification of case studies

• Workshop Timing : Oct / Nov’ 10 ( 4 days min)
• Purpose:

– Demonstrate application of framework to cases -> refinement

• Participants:

– Core TWA members + Livelihoods sp