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Natural resource management in the mountain regions of Asia : community-led research requirements

Final Report Summary - NORMA (Natural resource management in the mountain regions of Asia: Community-led research requirements)

The objective of the NORMA project was to identify critical research requirements for natural resource management in order to support existing policies for sustainable integrated mountain development in the semi-arid areas of the Karakoram-Hindu Kush-Himalayan (KHKH) region.

A key element of the proposal was the incorporation of the concerns and aspirations of local communities into the identification of research requirements. This was achieved through the production of four films, which were used as a communication tool between locals, officers and researchers. Non-governmental organisations were also involved in the process. In addition, the relevance of any proposed research to local communities and the improvement of the likelihood of sustainable implementation of the research findings were ensured through the application of an assessment of existing local knowledge. Furthermore, a regional research workshop was held to identify the primary research questions in natural resource management.

The principal output was intended to be a research proposal, based on NORMA findings, to be submitted to the European Union. Nevertheless, the anticipated impact was also relevant to other areas and the potential for knowledge dissemination was significant. Firstly, NORMA established a communication path between local communities and development organisations, authorities and donors. This interrelation was further stimulated by the organised workshops. Secondly, the obtained results were likely to have applicability to other mountainous areas in the world, even though they initially addressed the KHKH region.

The undertaken dissemination activities included, apart from the videos and workshops, publications and press releases. The films were also presented to a greater audience through screening events and participation in film festivals.