Key Messages National Riparian Lands Research & Development Program Assessing Community Capacity for Riparian Restoration

Overview of Presentation Overview of the Research Project What is capacity Rethinking capacity What capacity means in practice Overview of a capacity assessment tool

The Research Project Aim: to identify the critical success and failure issues affecting community participation in riparian restoration. Qualitative research based on the experiences of 5 regions involved in demonstration & evaluation projects May June 2003

Method 5 case-studies visited around Australia On-site discussions with landholders, managers,etc.. Focus groups Feedback from a national capacity workshop Feedback on a draft capacity assessment tool'

What is capacity? Norms and values Shared values, norms, attitudes Shared vision Trust, reciprocity Identification with a social group Knowledge Knowledge and skills Knowledge about access to resources Skills in working together Leadership Self-efficacy Decision-making & problem solving Conflict resolution, negotiation Interactional infrastructure Networks Social brokers Events Procedures Source: Cocklin et al 2001:106 An ability to act towards a shared vision

A linear approach… 1. Set a target or goal 2.Assume others share this goal 3. Identify barriers to getting there 4. Educate or train people and/or provide assistance, to overcome barriers (Capacity Building) 5.Hope for broader adoption By this time the target has often shifted because the context has changed…

Different frequencies and intensities of PROCESSES: - social and human capital - drought, flood - boom-bust economic cycles Positive Outcomes Negative Outcomes TIME CONDITION of DIMENSIONS of Capacity A process-oriented approach to capacity

Rethinking capacity Social, economic and biophysical components Complex, time and space dependent

A new definition of capacity the capability of individuals, groups and institutions to understand and respond to the enabling and constraining elements, dimensions and issues that drive the process of capital accumulation and decline (in all its forms) to produce desirable outcomes.

A new definition of capacity Key principles that underpin this definition: –Participation & engagement –Adaptive management learn, understand, respond appropriately –Acknowledge existing capacity: Capacity enhancement

What does capacity mean in practice?

Results of our research 35 dimensions of capacity identified –at individual, community and institutional levels Each dimension can have a positive (enabling) and negative (constraining) influence The dimensions remained similar across Australia –but each region responded differently Responses are time- and place- dependent

Johnstone River Catchment

Mary River Catchment

Goulburn-Broken Catchment

Blackwood Catchment

Far South Coast

Key dimensions of capacity Context –Economic conditions –Community support –Awareness of water quality/quantity issues –Climatic events –Community networks –Community negotiation structures –Cost of works Values and Perceptions –Values –Shared vision –Extension skills –Awareness –Open mindedness –Perceptions of solutions –Ownership of problems and solutions

Key dimensions of capacity Communications and empowerment –Data availability –Communications – targeting –Communications – mechanisms –Consistency of communications –Cooperation –Empowerment –Inclusiveness Program design –Roles and responsibilities, –Financial security –Program consistency –Institutional consistency –Flexibility –Forward planning –Transparency

Key dimensions of capacity Program delivery –Decision-making –Consistency of key people –Personality of key people –Skills and experience of key people –Community champions –Monitoring and evaluation –Institutional capacity

Results of our research… Limitations on one dimension are overcome by investing in that dimension, or making compensatory investments in other dimensions –This is not often done explicitly We need a better understanding of how the underlying processes interact to produce different outcomes

Implications Due to the diversity within and between regions, there is no single approach to capacity building In designing policies and programs, we need to understand: –the most important dimensions of capacity in the region, at the moment –How the dimensions/processes interact –How the processes can be influenced to achieve desired outcomes

A Capacity Assessment Tool Helping people think through and monitor capacity

A Capacity Assessment Tool Background –to enable various analyses, over time, place, stakeholders Assessment –5 themes, 7 dimensions Importance weighting (for region) Project life-stage importance weighting Priority setting (optional) Results Implications report

Background

Navigation

Assessment

Summary Results

Full Results

Implications Report

Weighting - Importance, Life-stage,

Priority Setting

Using the tool Assessment tool not a measurement tool It is the process of working through the tool that is important, the results or outputs of the tool should really only be seen as record of the process

How can it be used Checklist of issues in relation to capacity Reporting change over time Diagnostic tool (strengths and weaknesses) Participatory research and decision making

Further Information: RipRap Edition 24 – Building capacity for river and riparian restoration hard copy or Assessing community capacity to undertake riparian restoration: tool & discussion paper