1st negotiation co-management meeting in Cu Lao Dung

 

The meeting started with reviewing on 4 steps of co-management, what we have done and where we are in the process (we have already finished the 1^st step of consultation and organisation). Next step will be negotiation and the result of this step is a set of regulations jointly created by resource users and authorities. Some key points were made to show what negotiation is for and how to successfully negotiate among stakeholders such as:

• All stakeholders in the negotiation meetings have their interests, concerns and difficulties in management and use of natural resource at Vo Thanh Van Village and therefore we need to collaborate and talk to each other about our concerns/difficulties to deal with the common issues.
• Each of the negotiation meeting’s participants will have his/her right to contribute into the decision making process since the resource group was formally established under Decree 151.
• High level of participation is important. Members of the resource user group should be timely asked for their ideas for any decision made regarding the results of negotiation meetings. This can be achieved by assuring after each of the negotiation meeting, stakeholders inform their interest groups.
  

Other issues:

• CLD DARD will help with the printing of maps for future meetings.
• Beside representatives in the meeting today, commune police and commune women’s union were suggested to be involved into negotiation meetings.
• At least more than half of the 10 key stakeholders should be presented for a meeting to start and the decision will be made by the rest of group if some important stakeholders are absent.
• The venue for negotiation meetings will be in An Thanh Nam Commune People Committee.
• To assure more effective discussion, project staff will play a role of a facilitator.
• Minutes of the meeting will be taken by project staff and emailed to Kiem Lam, Sub-DECAFIREP, CLD DARD, Border Post and project coordinator. It will also be sent by CLD DARD to women’s union and An Thanh Nam Commune People Committee (ATN CPC) and from ATN CPC to 2 sub-group leaders, village head and commune police.

Besides, some issues for future negotiation meetings were also noted:

• Sub-DECAFIREP was interested in number of households using fishing tools, types of tools and total number of fishing boats in the co-management group
• The hardest and most difficult issue, as perceived by resource users, is how to prevent outsiders to come and use destructive fishing methods in An Thanh Nam
• It was suggested that the co-management forest area will be marked clearly.
• It was expected by some local authorities that people need to be more active in informing other people about environment protection, sustainable resource use, etc. They should be very clear about their responsibilities together of all benefits they will get to join co-management.
• What kind of resources can members collect?