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Joint workshop onTransforming conflict into cooperation for water
and natural resources management
Community based adaptive learning in management of conflicts and
natural resources in Bangladesh and Nepal (CALCNR)
Lessons Learned & Recommendations
Parvin Sultana and Paul Thompson, Middlesex UniversityMujibor Rahman, Nice Foundation
(on behalf of CALCNR team)
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CALCNR research question
• How can collective action be enabled to reduce natural resource conflicts associated with climate change stresses and related responses?
• Based on action research in >70 sites and linkages between components, we identify 8 main factors enabling collective action that reduces NR conflict associated with climate change.
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Conflict sources – climate factors
• Conflicts tend to have multiple underlying factors –typically about 4 factors per case in the 53 cases studied.
• Climate trends and stresses are not the only or often main cause of conflict.
• Climate change triggers, intensifies or multiplies conflict including undermining existing cooperation around NR in three-quarters of the cases.
• For example, rising salinity in river water, increasing waterlogging, more erratic rainfall and drier dry seasons have aggravated local conflicts in Bangladesh.
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Factors (underlying and triggers) behind NR conflicts in PAR sites in Bangladesh (% cases) considering main issue
Chart1
Climate factorClimate factorClimate factor
NR declineNR declineNR decline
Access disputeAccess disputeAccess dispute
Users lost accessUsers lost accessUsers lost access
Landuse changeLanduse changeLanduse change
Actor changes NRActor changes NRActor changes NR
Elite capture of NRElite capture of NRElite capture of NR
Policy gapPolicy gapPolicy gap
Policy application biasPolicy application biasPolicy application bias
Local institution failureLocal institution failureLocal institution failure
CBO-CBOCBO-CBOCBO-CBO
Internal to CBOInternal to CBOInternal to CBO
Political interferencePolitical interferencePolitical interference
water
commons
other
77.7777777778
11.1111111111
25
48.1481481481
33.3333333333
12.5
55.5555555556
88.8888888889
37.5
25.9259259259
66.6666666667
50
29.6296296296
16.6666666667
0
48.1481481481
11.1111111111
0
29.6296296296
50
37.5
3.7037037037
50
12.5
22.2222222222
16.6666666667
62.5
18.5185185185
11.1111111111
0
11.1111111111
0
12.5
7.4074074074
11.1111111111
25
0
5.5555555556
0
Sheet1
Conflictsimple * conf-Cat Crosstabulation
last1st2nd
Countaccess NRPolBangladesh
conf-CatTotal
Access NRClimate changePolicy
ConflictsimpleCommons82818
Other2248
Water221427
Total12251653
Resolved * conf-Cat Crosstabulation
Count
conf-CatTotal
Access NRClimate changePolicy
ResolvedNo32712
Partly2305
Yes720936
Total12251653
Resolved * Conflictsimple Crosstabulation
Count
ConflictsimpleTotal
commonsotherwater
ResolvedNo72312
Partly2035
Yes962136
Total1882753
No of PAR sites in BD where factors were behind conflicts
Climate factorNR declineAccess disputeUsers lost accessLanduse changeActor changes NRElite capture of NRPolicy gapPolicy application biasLocal institution failureCBO-CBOInternal to CBOPolitical interference
27water21131578138165320
18commons261612329932021
8other2134003150120
Climate factorNR declineAccess disputeUsers lost accessLanduse changeActor changes NRElite capture of NRPolicy gapPolicy application biasLocal institution failureCBO-CBOInternal to CBOPolitical interference
water77.848.155.625.929.648.129.63.722.218.511.17.40.0
commons11.133.388.966.716.711.150.050.016.711.10.011.15.6
other25.012.537.550.00.00.037.512.562.50.012.525.00.0
Climate factorNR declineAccess disputeUsers lost accessLanduse changeActor changes NRElite capture of NRPolitical interferencePolicy gapPolicy application biasLocal institution failureCBO-CBOInternal to CBO
YYYYYYYYYYYYY
CountCountCountCountCountCountCountCountCountCountCountCountCountCountCountCountCountCount
conf-CatAccess NR0311521719311110211193
Climate change251513691190232223205223223
Policy0210120340106610160160160
Sheet1
Access NR
Climate change
Policy
Conflict issue and role of climate and policy factors in Bangladesh PAR sites
Sheet2
No
Partly
Yes
Conflict outcomes (whether resolved) by main issue in Bangladesh PAR sites
Sheet3
No
Partly
Yes
Numbers of conflicts resolved through PAR
water
commons
other
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Conflict sources - elite capture, inequity• Declining natural resources are a source of
competition and conflict, particularly over increasingly scarce surface water for dry season irrigation.
• Physical changes associated with climate change tend to provide opportunities for elite capture which undermines cooperation.
• Biases in the interpretation and application of policies, usually in favour of the more powerful, are a source of perceived injustices and conflict.
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Findings: Collaboration
• Community based organisations cooperating with one another and with other agencies can reduce conflict and improve water management.
• Members of policy learning forums taking findings and approaches they are exposed to back to projects they have influence over.
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Collaboration
• Coordination amongst stakeholders and agencies is critical at all stages of development. This includes the need for participatory planning involving all stakeholders, which can mitigate conflict.
• Linking with other projects and agencies to share findings is a challenge – other projects and agencies have their own approaches and agendas.
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Findings: Adapted water management
• Changing land use e.g. from crop agriculture or wetland to aquaculture is a widespread source of conflict.
• In half of cases locally powerful persons deliberately changed natural resource characteristics – not just land uses, but also for example blocking and occupying waterways for fishing, aquaculture or crops.
• Water management has focused on technical / structural measures, but is often compromised by local conflicts e.g. over sluice operation, encroachment of waterways.
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• Dialogue and negotiation is necessary but not sufficient
• Incentives of different types play an important role, e.g. • restoring waterways to
overcome water conflicts associated with worsening drought and enable irrigation in dry season
Lessons related to conditions that enable CBOs
to overcome local water conflicts
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Other incentives include the benefits from crops - when once dry fields become green. This has encouraged continued cooperation in managing water, farmers paying for operation and maintenance, and coordinated growing of water efficient crops.
Lessons continued
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Lessons continuedOther factors contributing to transformation of local conflicts. Innovations:• Technical, e.g. renovating silted
up springs in the northeast; and • Governance, e.g. including
disadvantaged communities in sluice operating decision making in Narail.
Knowledge, e.g. local elders knew where springs had been.Factors complement one another, e.g. developing local institutional arrangements and incentives.
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Approaches used in 41 PAR cases where conflicts were resolved or part resolved in Bangladesh
Chart1
Dialogue-NegotiateDialogue-NegotiateDialogue-Negotiate
IncentivesIncentivesIncentives
LearningNetworkLearningNetworkLearningNetwork
OtherFacilitatorsOtherFacilitatorsOtherFacilitators
KnowledgeKnowledgeKnowledge
Innovation-govncInnovation-govncInnovation-govnc
Innovation-NR/techInnovation-NR/techInnovation-NR/tech
Policy applicationPolicy applicationPolicy application
MultistakeholderForumMultistakeholderForumMultistakeholderForum
water
commons
other
91.6666666667
90.9090909091
100
54.1666666667
63.6363636364
100
45.8333333333
72.7272727273
66.6666666667
50
45.4545454545
66.6666666667
50
27.2727272727
50
45.8333333333
54.5454545455
33.3333333333
45.8333333333
0
0
25
81.8181818182
66.6666666667
16.6666666667
9.0909090909
0
Sheet1
Conflictsimple * conf-Cat Crosstabulation
last1st2nd
Countaccess NRPolBangladesh
conf-CatTotal
Access NRClimate changePolicy
ConflictsimpleCommons82818
Other2248
Water221427
Total12251653
Resolved * conf-Cat Crosstabulation
Count
conf-CatTotal
Access NRClimate changePolicy
ResolvedNo32712
Partly2305
Yes720936
Total12251653
Resolved * Conflictsimple Crosstabulation
Count
ConflictsimpleTotal
commonsotherwater
ResolvedNo72312
Partly2035
Yes962136
Total1882753
No of PAR sites in BD where factors were behind conflicts
Climate factorNR declineAccess disputeUsers lost accessLanduse changeActor changes NRElite capture of NRPolicy gapPolicy application biasLocal institution failureCBO-CBOInternal to CBOPolitical interference
27water21131578138165320
18commons261612329932021
8other2134003150120
Climate factorNR declineAccess disputeUsers lost accessLanduse changeActor changes NRElite capture of NRPolicy gapPolicy application biasLocal institution failureCBO-CBOInternal to CBOPolitical interference
water77.848.155.625.929.648.129.63.722.218.511.17.40.0
commons11.133.388.966.716.711.150.050.016.711.10.011.15.6
other25.012.537.550.00.00.037.512.562.50.012.525.00.0
No of PAR sites in BD where factors were behind conflicts
Climate factorNR declineAccess disputeUsers lost accessLanduse changeActor changes NRElite capture of NRPolicy gapPolicy application biasLocal institution failureCBO-CBOInternal to CBOPolitical interference
25Climate change25151369119235330
16Policy0210120346100000
12Access NR03115217312131
Climate factorNR declineAccess disputeUsers lost accessLanduse changeActor changes NRElite capture of NRPolicy gapPolicy application biasLocal institution failureCBO-CBOInternal to CBOPolitical interference
Climate change100.060.052.024.036.044.036.08.012.020.012.012.00.0
Policy0.012.562.575.00.018.825.037.562.50.00.00.00.0
Access NR0.025.091.741.716.78.358.325.08.316.78.325.08.3
Banglash al or part resolved by factors
Dialogue-NegotiateIncentivesLearningNetworkOtherFacilitatorsKnowledgeInnovation-govncInnovation-NR/techPolicy applicationMultistakeholderForum
24water2213111212111164
11commons1078536091
6other664432040
Dialogue-NegotiateIncentivesLearningNetworkOtherFacilitatorsKnowledgeInnovation-govncInnovation-NR/techPolicy applicationMultistakeholderForum
water91.754.245.850.050.045.845.825.016.7
commons90.963.672.745.527.354.50.081.89.1
other100.0100.066.766.750.033.30.066.70.0
Sheet1
Access NR
Climate change
Policy
Conflict issue and role of climate and policy factors in Bangladesh PAR sites
Sheet2
No
Partly
Yes
Conflict outcomes (whether resolved) by main issue in Bangladesh PAR sites
Sheet3
No
Partly
Yes
Numbers of conflicts resolved through PAR
water
commons
other
Climate change
Policy
Access NR
water
commons
other
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Adaptation and transformation in water management
• Understand local natural resource conflicts• Build in flexibility to adopt enabling practices• Respond to natural resource diversity, local needs and
opportunities• Encourage coordination, negotiation and joint actions
between existing institutions and CBOs• Recognise that not all adaptation responses are win-win.• Ensure that losers (often disadvantaged poor in conflicts
and/or climate change) are not disadvantaged by adaptation interventions.
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Thank you
Slide Number 1CALCNR research questionConflict sources – climate factorsSlide Number 4Conflict sources - elite capture, inequityFindings: CollaborationCollaborationFindings: Adapted water managementSlide Number 9Other incentives include the benefits from crops - when once dry fields become green. This has encouraged continued cooperation in managing water, farmers paying for operation and maintenance, and coordinated growing of water efficient crops.Slide Number 11Slide Number 12Adaptation and transformation in �water managementThank you