Peoples Landscape Approach (PLA)

Project Overview:

In the past, communities’ people have their access and control over their resources within their or nearby watershed in ad hoc basis. The concept of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) emerged and applied to minimize challenges to increase access and control over resources to local communities. It is also believed that bottom up planning approach of resource management was somehow practiced by application of IWRM. However, it has not been able to understand complex relationship between human and resources available including economic, social, cultural and spiritual aspects in the watershed/landscape.

Realizing the changing complex relations of human and natural resources, the study conducted on current and past projects implemented by Oxfam indicated the need to broaden its current approach and move beyond its combined approach of technical production support and advocacy for water and rights. Oxfam in Nepal and its partners (CSRC, LIBIRD, NEEDS and ICIMOD) and Oxfam Novib team with the support of Wageningen Centre for Development Innovation (WCDI) developed People’s Landscape Approach (PLA) Framework. The framework provides new opportunities to conceptualize the complex relations between humans and nature, calling for more integrated forms of conservation and natural resources management, with the aim to reconcile conservation and development objectives within a single space.

In the fiscal year 2022-2023, Oxfam in Nepal and its partners have planned to pilot the PLA framework in KhallaMussiti and Rangoon watersheds (landscape) of Mahakali River basin in Kanchanpur and Dadeldhura districts of Nepal respectively.

Project Objectives 

• To identify PLA stakeholders, allies and conduct consultation meetings (process and outputs)
• To develop and validate participatory landscape assessment tools
• To identify entry points for PLA implementation
• To develop joint proposal for the implementation of PLA (output)
• To update PLA Framework

Key Project Outcomes:

The project validated the PLA framework identifying the PLA stakeholders/alliance, developing PLA tools and joint action PLA for the PLA.