IUCN – the World Conservation Union is a global partnership involving over 1000 members in 150 countries. It also brings together some 10,000 conservationists ‘to influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable’.

Although based in Switzerland, IUCN’s activities are worldwide. In 1995, IUCN’s Council decided that regionalising its programme would offer numerous advantages, especially in improving the capacity of its members to contribute to sustainable development. But first IUCN would have to build its own staff capacity in the regions. Each of IUCN’s eight regional programmes has followed a slightly different path, but Asia posed a particular challenge because of its size and its political, cultural and ecological diversity.

Key lessons

In the process of developing the Asia regional programme, several key lessons were learned.

Identifying the skills required.

IUCN is above all a networking organisation, so that building a strong regional network was seen as essential. In cooperation with various partners, IUCN therefore designed regional projects to start building capacities in a number of fields. These involved carrying out taxonomic work (with BioNET International and the Convention on Biological Diversity), supporting the preparation of national biodiversity strategies and action plans, designing environmental legislation (with the Asian Development Bank and the National University of Singapore), and implementing the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (with the Global Environment Facility).

Hiring staff at various levels.

IUCN in Asia has provided opportunities for many young professionals and interns, who are supported by senior staff. Young professionals may be hired for a fixed term, and are able to stay on if they find the right niche. Interns work for IUCN for up to a year, before returning to their studies or former positions, often with an IUCN member. Some may return to IUCN after gaining experience, while others will go on to work for their government, or for another conservation organisation. For IUCN, building capacity for conservation is more important than simply building staff capacity for itself.

Enabling staff to learn by doing.

Many of the regional staff already possessed considerable skills from their work at the national level, but adapting those skills to address the greater challenges at the regional level would not happen overnight. IUCN staff from outside the region, but who had long worked in Asia, were able to provide mentoring for the new regional staff. Today, over 90% of the staff of IUCN in Asia are from the region.

Knowing when to call in outside expertise.

The Capacity Building for Environmental Law Project brought in some 30 experts from the IUCN network who worked on a pro bono basis to provide training for 63 law professors from 15 Asian countries. These professors then became part of the IUCN network, and in turn helped build national capacity in environmental law. IUCN in Asia employs only one environmental lawyer, but she is able to draw on the IUCN Environmental Law Centre in Bonn, Germany, when required, and is supported by her strong network in the region.

Building capacity is a never-ending pursuit. Environmental management is a knowledge-intensive field, and both socio-economic and political conditions are constantly changing, as are the environmental conditions and the networks of people working on conservation issues. Working to help others helps IUCN to continue building its own capacity. For example, following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, IUCN worked with the Sri Lankan government to build capacity for integrating environmental aspects into their reconstruction plans. This work also helped IUCN staff to address such issues in other countries, including Thailand, Indonesia and India.

So while IUCN will never be fully satisfied that it has all the capacity it needs, it will continue to support its member organisations to ensure that the environmental future of Asia is a productive one.

Links

IUCN in Asia.

Asian Development Bank.

BioNet International.

Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety.

Convention on Biological Diversity.

Global Environment Facility (GEF).

Further reading

A. Rademacher (2005) The Growth of Capacity in IUCN in Asia. ECDPM Discussion Paper 57M.

E. Delamonica and S. Mehotra (2005) A Capability Centred Approach to Environmental Sustainability. Working Paper 13, UNDP International Poverty Centre.

S. Yachkaschi (2005) Capacity Building at the Grassroots. Praxis Note 18, INTRAC.