Principle, Strategy and Approach

In order to realize the main outcomes and creating impact to the forest and river as well as the wellbeing of the local community of Dumaring Village, in the form of sustainable protection of forest and river and the increase of community welfare from the community enterprise-based on sustainable use of natural resources and ecosystem services, the Dumaring Forest and River Collaborative Conservation Program is implemented based on a set of principle, strategy and approaches as follows:

● Local community is the key actor in a long term, sustainable forest and river conservation.

Since the beginning, and continues along the course of the program implementation, the Collaborative Conservation Program put the local community of Dumaring Village not merely as the beneficiary of the forest and river management and conservation and/or the Collaborative Conservation Program, but, moreover, as the key actor.

The local community and village government are two key parties with the highest rights as well as responsibility to the conservation and sustainable use of forest and river in their village. Therefore, they are the key actors in conserving and securing the existence of forest and river in their village with their intrinsic high values for community welfare as well as village development.

● Conservation is about give first, take later.

Nature should give something tangible to the local community first and it can expect and ask the local community to give back later by protecting it.

The development and management of the community enterprise based on the sustainable use of natural resources and ecosystem services has been initiated since the beginning of the Collaborative Conservation Program implementation, and continues to be carried out throughout the implementation of the program. It aims at providing strong evidence to the local community that protecting, conserving and properly managing forest and river with various intangible values provide tangible (economic) benefit to their livelihood as well as village development.

This situation will increase the local community's commitment to securing the existence of natural resources and ecosystem services (i.e. forest and river) in their village in the long run.

It has happened in Dumaring, where the number of community members involved in community enterprise and, therefore, in forest and river conservation, increased from time to time. It also created positive relations of the Collaborative Conservation Program with wider local community groups.

● Community capacity building is a critical part in securing the existence of forest and river in the long run.

Capacity building of the local community in forest and river conservation as well as community enterprise development based on sustainable use of natural resources and ecosystem services has been carried out since the beginning of the Collaborative Conservation Program implementation, and continues to be carried out throughout the course of the program implementation. It is conducted through various methods (e.g. training, participatory workshop, study visit, learning by doing and experiencing, open discussion) in order to equip the local community with the required knowledge and skills.

The goal of this element of the program is to equip the local community with the capability and confidence to spearhead the forest and river conservation and community enterprise development in their own village.