Lessons Learned: Case Studies in Sustainable Use by Ahmed, J. et al. 2001. Published by IUCN
Reviewed by Dr Grahame Webb

This question is provoked by the publication of 'Lessons Learned: Case Studies in Sustainable Use', a 200 page IUCN Report, in A4 size and spring-bound, deriving from papers presented at a NORAGRIC-funded workshop in March 2000. It contains six detailed case histories of wild plants and animals being used by people, in situations where issues related to the sustainability of those uses are known or suspected. The case histories are diverse: Makhor and Afghan Urial in Pakistan (Ahmed, Tareen and Khan); indicators of sustainability for wildlife uses in Zambia (Bergstrom and Child); Ron Palm in Niger (Price and Ousmane); marine resources in Tanzania (Francis and Bryceson); Chaguar (Bromelia hieronymi) in Argentina (van Dam); and, a comparison of multiple resource use in Marine Protected Areas in Australia, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Vietnam (Senaratna). The workshop evaluation resulted in eight general and sixteen specific 'common patterns and lessons' which are presented as a conclusion. This is one of the most useful products so far of IUCN's Sustainable Use Initiative and Sustainable Use Specialist Group (SUSG).

What makes this volume particularly interesting, is that the chapters have been compiled with reference to a series of key factors already identified as being potentially important to sustainability. These factors are summarised in the IUCN Policy Statement on Sustainable Use, adopted at the 2nd World Conservation Congress (Amman, Jordan) in 2000, and are discussed in the SUSG paper: 'An Analytic Framework for Assessing Factors that Influence Sustainability of Uses of Wild Living Natural Resources' (Zaccagnini et al.), which is an Annex to the report. This means that the context of each case history is described comprehensively, from historical, social, cultural, political, economic and biological perspectives. The reader is not left wondering about how the programs evolved, and is told, often frankly and bluntly, about the real costs, benefits and constraints.

Given the authors contributed to the SUSG's identification of key factors, it is perhaps not surprising that there is little that is new in conclusions. But they do serve to reinforce the view that sustainable use is the end result of complex and often unpredictable interactions between many, many variables.

One striking conclusion from the case histories was that most of the described programs owe their existence or success to a very small number of 'key people' committed to enhancing the success of the various projects: lateral thinkers, with a strong sense of social equity and justice that matches their commitment to enhancing conservation. Perhaps this is an additional important lesson.

The case histories raise so many insights into sustainable use that it is difficult to encapsulate them in a few words. Even the footnotes contain a wealth of important information! But Francis and Bryceson identify a general problem in relation to the approach to sustainable use taken by many authors, versus the IUCN Policy Statement's approach: "...the question whether to put biological diversity or people first in the analysis differs". The case histories provide compelling evidence that conservation goals can be achieved with a blatant anthropocentric approach, that hits at the root causes of habitat and species loss in marine and terrestrial environments - poverty.

That sustainable use programs need to be designed and tailored to the human context in which they are expected to operate is now well accepted in most conservation circles. The 'old approach' of implementing programs aimed at replicating situations in different and often distant nations is losing vogue. But there is a twist in 'Lessons Learned' best exemplified by Child and Bergstrom's contribution. A series of social, cultural and political factors are proving to be real constraints on sustainability. Some tailoring of the human dimension, as has occurred with CAMPFIRE in Zimbabwe, CBNRM in Zambia and PAIGLR in Niger, is improving the sustainability of uses. That this realisation comes from a sound understanding of the social, cultural and economic constraints, is refreshing, positive and informative.

When bold conservation initiatives do achieve success, such as Sulaiman Markhor and Afghan Urial use by Tribesmen in the Torghar region of Pakistan, it does not automatically follow that this success is welcomed nationally. Ahmed, Tareen and Khan reveal a series of problems and indeed threats to the program, simply because it was different. We live in times when innovation is widely accepted as a desirable trait in many fields, but not necessarily in conservation. Another 'lesson learned' is perhaps that regulatory authorities should recognise and promote innovation in conservation, and be prepared to judge new approaches on the results they achieve. The current rates of biodiversity loss around the world suggest many conventional approaches to conservation are dismal failures.

The history of Ron Palm utilisation in Niger, described by Price and Ousmane, is a wonderful example of management swinging like a pendulum. A major swing towards unsustainable use, caused a backlash of sufficient strength to change the direction back towards sustainability. It has consolidated sustainability elements, and with the benefit of hindsight, reduced the risk of unsustainable use in the future.

Chaguar use by the indigenous Wichi Community of the Argentine Chaco, described by van Dam, highlights the importance of chance events and key individuals, in adapting a traditional use to an economic use. But the chapter also highlights the complexities created by the Wichi viewing and valuing this plant and its use from a different perspective to those from outside the community, keen to promote sustainability and enhance economic development based on the Chaguar.

Factors affecting the sustainable use of marine resources in Tanzania described by Francis and Bryceson, and the comparison of resources use in national marine protected areas in four countries by Senaratna, both serve to highlight the inability of all nations to pursue conservation and sustainable use in an equivalent way. Management in Australia, where per capita GNP is estimated at $US20,300, is very different to management in Tanzania, Vietnam and Sri Lanka, where per capita GNP is estimated as $US210, $US330 and $US810 respectively. One cannot help sympathising with the relatively small percentage of 'grants-in-aid' that ultimately gets spent on local personnel (6%) in Tanzania relative to the percentage spent on foreign technical advisers and project management (51%).

The IUCN/SUSG analytic framework for assessing the sustainability of uses (Zaccagnini et al.) identifies many key issues, but a number of authors point to limitations and suggest alternative approaches. The degree to which any matrix can account for all key factors and the potential interactions between them is unclear. Leaving wildlife aside, could such a matrix ever be developed for predicting accurately whether a grocery shop could be sustained indefinitely in all corners of the globe! Predicting the future is fraught with problems of risk and uncertainty.

In overview, 'Lessons Learned' is a valuable set of case histories on sustainable use, and all authors deserve congratulations for their efforts, in gaining and communicating such in-depth analyses of 'sustainability' in a field context. From a presentational viewpoint, it could be improved by some strategic editing, and the general reader might appreciate photographs in all chapters. However, it remains a valuable and thought-provoking report.

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