From bhaskar.vira@mansfield.oxford.ac.uk Fri Nov 14 02:06:10 1997 Received: from mx2.u.washington.edu (mx2.u.washington.edu [140.142.32.7]) by lists.u.washington.edu (8.8.4+UW97.07/8.8.4+UW97.05) with ESMTP id CAA34042 for ; Fri, 14 Nov 1997 02:06:09 -0800 Received: from oxmail4.ox.ac.uk (oxmail4.ox.ac.uk [163.1.2.33]) by mx2.u.washington.edu (8.8.4+UW97.07/8.8.4+UW97.09) with SMTP id CAA11392 for ; Fri, 14 Nov 1997 02:06:06 -0800 Received: from ermine.ox.ac.uk by oxmail4 with SMTP (PP) with ESMTP; Fri, 14 Nov 1997 10:05:54 +0000 Received: from Unknown (ocees1.prm.ox.ac.uk [163.1.54.201]) by ermine.ox.ac.uk (1.1/8.8.3) with SMTP id KAA23333 for ; Fri, 14 Nov 1997 10:05:50 GMT Message-Id: <199711141005.KAA23333@ermine.ox.ac.uk> From: Bhaskar Vira To: indknow@u.washington.edu Date: Fri, 14 Nov 1997 10:23:31 +0100 Subject: Workshop on Participatory Natural Resource Management Reply-to: bhaskar.vira@mansfield.oxford.ac.uk X-mailer: Pegasus Mail for Windows (v2.52) First Notice of Workshop and Call for Papers (Please forward to relevant mailing lists. Apologies for multiple receipts.) Workshop on Participatory Natural Resource Management in Developing Countries Mansfield College, Oxford, April 6th-7th, 1998 The participatory perspective has informed a number of policy initiatives in natural resource management over the past twenty years, especially in the developing world. Participatory natural resource management projects attempt to foster collaboration between governmental agencies and local populations, so that traditional knowledge of the resource and existing social structures can be utilised to develop more effective strategies for resource use. One aim of such projects is to break the barrier of mistrust that divides state agencies from user groups. Disillusionment with decades of intrusive and centralised resource management strategies has forced recognition of the possibility that community may be a critical hinge to meet ecological goals. Community has become the focus of thinking on a range of issues, including the devolution of power, meaningful participation, as well as cultural autonomy. This workshop provides a useful opportunity to take stock of how successful some of these initiatives have been, and of emerging lessons for programme design and implementation. It is being jointly sponsored by the Centre for South Asian Studies, University of Edinburgh, and the Oxford Centre for Environment, Ethics and Society (OCEES) at Mansfield College, University of Oxford. The workshop organisers are Roger Jeffery (Edinburgh) and Bhaskar Vira (OCEES). We welcome offers of papers and registration for attendance. The provisional sub-themes of the workshop are as follows: 1. Defining communities. What are the main issues in selectinglevels of social organisation for interventions? How can socialcapital be maintained and reinforced rather than undermined? Does social capital emerge spontaneously, or can it be constructed? 2. Multiple goals and assessing project success. Are multiple goalsinevitable and desirable? If so, can these goals be made mutuallycompatible? Can we rank goals? Are there simple criteria for project success? Should we go about constructing an index? 3. Livelihood issues. Do the projects deliver improvements in livelihood choices for the poorest of the poor? Do they enhance the processes of exclusion and marginalisation, directly or indirectly? 4. Gender issues. What are the roles of women in planning and management? Have the projects achieved any changes in gender relations? Should such changes be explicit objectives of such projects? The workshop will be of particular interest to academics involved in research and teaching on these issues; consultants and others active in advising on natural resource programmes; and staff from donor agencies in the public, multilateral and NGO sectors supporting such programmes. Offers of papers (abstracts should be between 500 and 1000 words) should be sent to Roger Jeffery (R.Jeffery@ed.ac.uk); with a copy to Bhaskar Vira (bhaskar.vira@mansfield.oxford.ac.uk) by 15 December 1997. Please indicate which of the four sub-themes the paper is best suited for. Full contact details should be provided to facilitate an early response. Roger Jeffery Centre for South Asian Studies C/o Department of Sociology University of Edinburgh 18 Buccleuch Place Edinburgh EH8 9LN Phone: +44 (0)131 650 3992 or 3976 Fax: +44 131 (0)650 3989 or 6637 Bhaskar Vira WMI Research Fellow Oxford Centre for the Environment, Ethics and Society Mansfield College Oxford OX1 3TF Phone: +44 - (0)1865 - 284660 Fax: +44 - (0)1865 - 270886 Expressions of interest have so far been received from researchers at the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE); a team led by Dr J Sousson and including Cate Turton (ODI) and Pari Baumann (Leeds University); Gill Shepherd, (ODI forestry programme); members of staff at the Natural Resources Institute; and Camilla Toulmin and Thea Hilhorst of IIED. The organisers intend to co-ordinate the publication of a selection of edited papers from the workshop, depending on the quality and coherence of papers given. Those who are interested in submitting papers for consideration for publication are reminded that papers must be original and should not be under review elsewhere. Overnight accommodation is available at Mansfield College. Bookings are being co-ordinated by Ms Anne Maclachlan, Project Administrator, OCEES, Mansfield College, Oxford OX1 3TF. Phone/Fax: +44 1865 270886; email: ocees@mansfield.oxford.ac.uk There will be a workshop fee of stlg20 per day (stlg10 concessions). Overnight accommodation and meals will carry an additional charge. Funding to support the attendance of speakers from overseas is being sought from the Global Environmental Change Programme of the ESRC, and from British Council sources. Bhaskar Vira WMI Research Fellow Oxford Centre for the Environment, Ethics and Society Mansfield College Oxford OX1 3TF Phone: +44 - (0)1865 - 284660 Fax: +44 - (0)1865 - 270886 e-mail: bhaskar.vira@mansfield.oxford.ac.uk www: http://users.ox.ac.uk/~mans0040 .