ABCG convened a conservation clinic on land-use planning with the objectives of: maximizing the use of the research and tools developed for land use planning across Africa; building land use planning capacity; promoting the land use planning training course to improve land-use planning skills across Africa, and lastly to build connections among land use planning stakeholder.
“ABCG identified land use planning as one of the most critical needs to address the forces behind habitat loss on the continent such as expansion of cultivation and infrastructure development”, said David Williams, Director of Conservation Geography, African Wildlife Foundation.
Land-use planning is critical for identifying sustainable, climate-smart, win-win development strategies that minimize encroachment on high conservation or ecological value land while meeting multiple land-use objectives. However, knowledge and capacity for land-use planning is insufficient to meet needs across Africa. At this clinic, ABCG shared the Land-Use Planning Training Methodology that ABCG experts have developed. Participants gained knowledge on the theory and practical starting points of biodiversity-sensitive land-use planning. Participants also heard the experiences of countries who have applied this framework and how the method is supporting sustainable development in those countries.
The tool is applicable to individuals, organizations, governments, and other stakeholders interested in applying land use planning. for more information contact: Kendall Jones (krjones (at) wcs.org)