APAMO's 1st PA Management Symposium

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The Association of Protected Areas Management Organizations (APAMO) Call for Papers

Protected Areas Management Symposium:

Communities and Resource Managers: Bridging the Gap – Engaging Communities in Integrated Resource Management

23rd September, 2011

(Final Date and Venue TBA)

Belize City, Belize

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1. Background The Association of Protected Areas Management Organizations (APAMO), Belize’s leading network of non-governmental conservation organizations, announces its 1st Protected Areas Management Symposium being held in celebration of World Environment Day held on June 5th under the theme – Forests: Nature at Your Service. The symposium scheduled for September, 2011 is being held under the theme, “Communities and Resource Managers: Bridging the Gap – Engaging Communities in Integrated Resource Management.” The overarching goal of the symposium is to assess how communities, whose livelihoods depend on the sustainability of natural resources, can become better engaged in the management of these resources through people-centred management approaches. This symposium will highlight recent and current scientific research and projects conducted in Belize and neighbouring its countries such as Mexico.

Since humans play an integral role in creating changes in their environment, their participation in generating decisions concerning the governing of their natural resources is essential. APAMO recognises that the inclusion and integration of people in the management of natural resources is vital in order to ensure environmental planning and management processes are effective. People-centred approaches to natural resource management provide the mechanism through which societies become empowered to collectively govern their natural resources in a sustainable manner. As resource managers, it is vital to recognize that if natural resource management and sustainable development is meant to fulfil peoples’ needs and conserve natural resources, it cannot be imposed from above and transplanted from outside (Devkota, 2000).

The Protected Areas Management symposium seeks to highlight current and recent projects and scientific research conducted in Belize and its neighbouring countries which focus on facilitating community participation in natural resource management, particularly as it relates to space-use planning and sectoral resource management. The symposium provides an environment where groups interested in facilitating improved people-centred management practices such as: natural resource dependent communities; natural resource managers; protected areas managers; government regulating agencies; conservation based funding agencies; conservation focussed CBOs and NGOs, universities – both academia and students; and civil society can collectively meet and share lessons learnt.

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Papers are invited on research concerning establishing linkages between resource dependent communities and resource managers through the integration of these communities in natural resource management.

2. Call for Papers Paper/Oral Presentations

Researchers/Students/Resource Managers are invited to submit and present papers related to the two sub-themes listed below:

1. Spatially Defined Resource Management: Competing visions for the use of resources in spatially defined areas has propelled considerable conflict between resource users and resource managers. Papers are invited that will discuss the use of participatory space-use planning processes for the coastal zone, watershed, forested and marine protected areas.

2. Sectoral Resource Management: Like many developing countries, the country of Belize possesses a natural resource based economy. Local income generating sectors such as fisheries, timber, agriculture and tourism depend on the sustainable use of natural resources. Papers are invited that discuss the participatory management of fisheries resources, timber and the tourism sector among others.

3. Call for Posters If you would like to present a poster at the symposium proceedings please submit your edited 300 words abstract which should outline the main idea of the research and indicate the methodology used and results obtained. Poster Size: No larger than 3 feet (height) X 4 feet (width). APAMO will supply poster boards, tape and pushpins.

4. Guidelines for Contribution Papers are invited on any of the sub-themes of the symposium. Contributions can be in the form of a paper for presentation or a paper for poster presentation/display. Authors are requested to submit their abstracts fulfilling the following requirements:

1. Papers should be saved in pdf format and submitted electronically to: [email protected].

mailto:[email protected]�

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2. Submitted abstracts should outline the main idea of the research and indicate the methodology used and should be no more than 300 words.

3. Please ensure the paper is relevant to the symposium theme. Please include the name, address and institutional affiliation of the author/s.

5. Deadlines • Abstracts should be submitted by 12 August 2011.

• Notice of acceptance of abstracts by 19 August 2011.

6. Symposium Support Paper and poster presenters will be provided meals and refreshments during the symposium.

7. If any Queries Please contact:

• Ms. Ralna Lamb, Project Officer APAMO at [email protected] or 223-7266

• Ms. Yvette Alonzo, Executive Director APAMO at [email protected] or 223-7266

The Association of Protected Areas Management Organizations (APAMO) looks forward to your attendance and participation in its 1st Protected Areas Management Symposium being held under the theme, “Communities and Resource Managers: Bridging the Gap – Engaging Communities in Integrated Resource Management.”



APAMO's 1st PA Management Symposium

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