Community-Based Natural Resource Management Network (CBNRM Net
Supras’ concern with networking activities centers around support to CBNRM Net. The rationale behind this is best explained by listing its mission statement. The logic of the connection between CBNRM and Supras is that this is a mutually beneficial collaboration. Supras covers most of the expenses for running CBNRM Net. In turn, Supras gets access to the global network of 500 plus people working on natural resource management in more than 100 countries on all continents, and can draw upon this network for its own work, be it intelligence, knowledge or people to staff its own work.
Literature on CBNRM is available on the CBNRM Net website. On the Supras site, documents on CBNRM (and CBNRM Net) are available in sections Library and Knowledge.
Background
The international situation with regard to CBNRM: Internationally, work on community-based approaches to identifying, addressing and solving local problems and issues in connection with natural resource management are increasing fast. At the same time there is little contact between these local peoples. Connected with this, there is little concerted effort at managing the growing body of knowledge and making it accessible. Likewise, the lack of contact between practitioners and other CBNRM stakeholders mean that valuable experiences are not shared. This means that the CBNRM agenda is not moving ahead as fast as otherwise might be possible, and a global CBNRM community of practice is only very slowly emerging.
CBNRM Net
The key product and focus is the Community-Based Natural Resource Management Network (CBNRM Net). This is a global and virtual network of CBNRM practitioners - as well as other CBNRM stakeholders - that communicate with each other through use of ICTs, specifically the Internet and email.
CBNRM Net will:
- Play a key role in implementing the recommendations in key CBNRM workshops and conferences, including the World Bank’s international CBNRM workshop (Washington DC, May 1998),
- Contribute to realize the potential inherent in civil society, participatory approaches, local social organization, culture and traditional knowledge in connection with managing local natural resources,
- Provide a broad and unified network interface for the use of the global CBNRM community of practice (CoP),
- Function as a gateway to, and clearinghouse for, all manner of CBNRM knowledge,
- Be a virtual meeting place for the growing CBNRM Community of Practice (CoP), thus making possible easy exchange of CBNRM knowledge, and through this support the increasing amount of practical work,
- Produce new CBNRM knowledge, and thus move the CBNRM agenda and CoP forward, and
- Advocate the importance of training and capacity building in CBNRM. Specifically, contribute to determine the role of Internet in training and capacity building in CBNRM, in combination with select CBNRM Net networking tools.
To reach the goals presented in the above mission statement, CBNRM Net is:
- Building relevant and adaptive knowledge management and knowledge sharing structures and processes, and, through this, contributes to developing a structured and globally networked approach to CBNRM knowledge management and knowledge sharing (see Page Knowledge management and knowledge sharing and Category Terminology),
- Supporting and utilizing the potential inherent in civil society, participatory approaches, local social organization, culture and traditional knowledge (this potential can be understood also as a goal),
- Recognizing the importance of involving CBNRM stakeholders and CBNRM Net users in managing the website,
- Giving equal emphasis to the use and production of CBNRM knowledge,
- Using the World Wide Web and email as primary means of communication, and as the backbone of its networking capabilities. It is important to be aware that they provide great opportunities and potentials, but also represent constraints and limitations that have to be taken into account, and
- Collaborating with relevant organizations, be they donors, funding agencies, the media, NGOs, or individuals. Such collaboration is essential in order to utilize existing knowledge and insight and to create synergies.
The CBNRM Net website is a means to: (1) manage the fast growing amount of CBNRM-related knowledge internationally, and (2) connects the members of CBNRM Net, both individuals and organizations, with each other (there are currently more than 500 members). The latter is done, among others, by means of the CBNRM Net Newsletter, which is sent to members regularly. To learn about membership visit the CBNRM Net website.
Regarding the output of work in the core service area of networking, it comprises different elements, and it is difficult to measure quantitatively. These are the different types of output:
- CBNRM Net Newsletter – published regularly,
- CBNRM Net Papers – published regularly,
- CBNRM Net website – regularly updated, and
- CBNRM Net members – increases, in terms of numbers and geographic location.