CONTENTS:- 1. Introduction 2. Traditions of Participatory Natural Resource Management 3. Approaches for Participatory Natural Resource Management 4. Natural Resource Management Extension 5. Participatory Assessment and Planning 6. Participatory Appraisal Methods 7. Communication 8. Micro Plans 9. Process Monitoring 10. Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation 11. Institutions 12. Capacity Building 13. Gender Issues 14. Experiences
DESCRIPTION
Human beings depend heavily on natural resources for their survival. This includes land, water, forest and mineral resources. In the rural areas, natural resources play a dominant social, cultural and economic role in the lives of the local communities. Overuse of natural resources had led to their severe depletion, with the result that the productivity of the land has steadily declined, there is heavy soil loss, water shortages have assumed serious proportions and the condition of forests has deteriorated. This has caused major problems for the local residents, particularly the women folk who have to walk for long distances each day for fetching water, collecting fuelwood and arranging fodder for their livestock.
During the past decade or two, the evolution of participatory approaches involving local communities has proved that they are the most suited option for low cost sustainability on a long-term basis. This book deals with various aspects of participatory natural resource management, its approaches; participatory assessment and planning; PRA; communication; micro plans; strategies; process monitoring; participatory monitoring and evaluation; social institutions; capacity building; gender issues and success stories. The book will be very useful for project managers, planners, sociologists, NGOs, natural resource management specialists, development managers and members of the local communities.
