Bio-diversity

Two major challenges are often associated with natural resources management and environment conservation activities. First is appropriate attitude toward ecological characteristics which simultaneously respects their functionalities and integration as well as their advantages for the beneficiaries, and second; is the social characteristic of the same environment which demands entering the local society respecting sensitivity and benefits of all stakeholders. These two issues form the principles of planning natural resources and environment conservation activities in Iran and around the world and different management policies have got different attitudes towards these factors. Serving interest of certain groups of the society without respecting to ecological characteristics has forced a lot of damage to the environment as a result of overexploitation. Policies which ignore integration of the ecology have also destroyed the ecological potentials in certain areas. On the other hand policies which solely focus on conservation and ignore interests and advantages for the whole beneficiaries have been faced with disobedience and social conflicts and destruction of the natural resources as a result. GEF Small Grants Programme in Iran during its 11 years of involvement in conservation activities has tried to encourage coordination of stakeholders at all levels including government, local and national NGOs and local communities to balance above mentioned attitudes among beneficiaries. Practical experiences, studies and policies of this programme regarding variety of climates, geographical and cultural characteristics of Iran, empowerment of the local communities, participatory approaches and capacity building for women and youth can be evaluated as a sustainable, practical model for natural resources and environment conservation management program. This project aims to document GEF Small Grants Programme model according to its projects and experiences. Project activities include: Forming project planning team (think tank) Reviewing similar experiences carried out in other countries and international literature Forming documentation team to collect and categorize experiences in Small Grants Programme in Iran within the primary model Comparative analysis of existing regulations in governmental body and its impacts on conservation activities and procedures followed by Small Grants Programme and its impacts Developing a multimedia source of SGP projects results and achievements Developing and finalizing primary model through participatory workshops with all stakeholders of all sectors (local community, local and national NGOs, governmental authorities ) Publishing the finalized model in form of a book in 1,000 copies together with multimedia source

Iran