ECO-ILHAS: Rural Resources Management Committies have been created

One of main attended results of Eco-Ilhas project (founded by Italian Agency for International Cooperation (AICS) and realized by ICEI in partnership with WWF Italy and ORAM- Associacao Rural da Ajuda Mutua) and FORESTS AGAINST POVERTY (founded by Otto per Mille 2018, Waldesian Church, Union of Methodist and Waldesian Churches) is the creation of Natural Resources Plans.

“In rural villages, local population needs to raise its awarness and actively take part in a proper natural resources management use because this is the only way there could be a relevant improvement about these people living standard . To achieve this important goal, we’ve created 3 Natural Resources Management Committies!” says Marcos Assane, ICEI trainer currently dealing with this process. “Local ccommunities Participation went beyond expectation!”, he adds proudly.

In the Puzugu, Pele Pele and Cutale communities, 540 inhabitants (417 men an 123 women) have been involved in activities to raise their awarness about the importance of Committies for the preservation, control and correct management of Natural Resources, also comparing similar successful case studies implemented in other areas of Mozambique or in other African countries. During this initial phase local population realized that Committies creation could have a positive impact on the problems they’re facing in their district, as fishing shortage and low soil productivity.

To improve local participation and communities perception about their pivotal role in being involved in this phase, for one week an oper air cinema has been organised and more than 700 partcipants join these activities!
The communities themselves have selected the members of the 3 Natural Resources Management Committies, as stated in the Flora and Fauna Mozambican Law and its National and Local Agencies of Law, which rules Communitaries Participation proceeding in Mozambique.

Committies staff is composed of 61 people and they’ve just finished 3 traing courses (1 in each village) about the following themes:

1. Associative principles
2. Leadership to promote participating proceeding
3. Basic concepts of Natural Resources Management Committies (NRMC)
4. The importance of NRMCs
5. How to create a NRMC
6. NRMC members and social authorities main tasks
7. NRMC operation and its role in communitary projects development
8. Coordination with communities leaders and other actors
9. Legal nature of a NRMC and its legalization process
10. Links among NRMC activities and other aspects of Eco-Ilhas project
11. Micro-projects and communities participation
12. Communitarian projects examples concerning natural resources in Mozambique

After social authorities members election, the committies have been created officially.
The quickness of committies definition went beyond expectation: as a matter of fact, rignt after the first meeting, all the communities leaders agreed about the importance of their creation!