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Abstract:
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"Bangladesh floodplains are complex commons in terms of property rights (private lands when flooded form seasonal commons for aquatic resources, and public waterbodies), scale, multiple uses, overlapping initiatives and institutions. Community based co-management started in fisheries and water management in the mid-1990s. This expanded to over 500 floodplain community based organisations (CBOs), most initiated by projects but with some self-organised. Individually there is evidence of improved access to natural resources for the poor, restoration of ecosystems and wild fish catches, and continued operation of local water management. This paper investigates the attributes and dynamics of networking among CBOs, its influence on poverty reduction and sustaining ecosystem services, and how CBOs and networks address risks and uncertainties surrounding commons. Since 2007 we have facilitated networking among about 270 CBOs. Case studies indicate structured adaptive learning between CBO peers has brought multiplier benefits compared with the practices of isolated CBOs. Networking has diversified natural resource management, improved governance, encouraged CBOs to be more inclusive (for example of women), and enabled CBOs to overcome local conflicts and strengthen their ability to negotiate with multiple governance levels. CBOs reported undertaking 51 types of collective action: many improve resilience and productivity by diversifying and enhancing crop-fishery-water management systems; some improve capacity to cope with risks (such as maintaining infrastructure or rescuing people); and the rest support cooperation and livelihood development. Through the learning process many CBOs have innovated practices that, without having that explicit objective, enhance adaptation to climate changes and stresses by taking a more integrated approach for example promoting dry season crops that require little irrigation enhances drought resilience and helps sustain native fish stocks. These benefits remain threatened by conflicting policies regarding continued tenure, but federating has enabled CBOs to collectively raise these issues through legal processes and policy debate."
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