Participatory Mapping as a Tool for Empowerment: Experiences and Lessons Learned from the ILC Network

Abstract

"Participatory mapping is well established as a tool of development intervention. The mapping elements of Participatory Rural Appraisal, for example, have gained increasing prominence since the late 1980s. They have allowed for improved information exchange between community members and outsiders (e.g. researchers, NGOs, government) in the design and implementation of development projects. Today, however, community-based mapping approaches have also become important tools for many land stakeholders. They are no longer confined to exchanges of information for project design and implementation. Mapping can be a powerful tool for communities and for the civil society groups that collaborate with them. Mapping processes can be used to help secure access to land and natural resources, to facilitate the management of these resources and to support community advocacy on land-related issues. In other words, mapping is increasingly playing a role in the empowerment of people and communities. This paper seeks to give an overview of the different roles participatory and community mapping can play in helping communities improve their control over their land and natural resources."