What is Participatory Action Plan Development?
Participatory Action Plan Development (PAPD) is a consensus building tool that
seeks to identify and then solve environmental or livelihoods problems with
community support and input. PAPD draws from several participatory techniques
and principles. Its key features are: 1) recognising the wide range of stakeholders
and their diverse interests in natural resource management and; 2) engaging these
stakeholders fully. Over the last nine years the approach has been used in
Bangladesh, India, Cambodia and Vietnam to help local people plan in floodplains,
forests, coastal areas and cities.
Planning and discussion within
PAPD is intended to increase the
level of understanding of all
stakeholders and to help reach
consensus on proposed new
activities.
These agreed activities can
sometimes be modest but they
will be well thought through,
with broad support, and will
benefit most local people. In
turn, this planning can provide the foundations to address more complex issues
such as long-term disputes or conflict.
There are numerous stakeholders with an interest in natural resources and associated
livelihoods. In any form of planning, it is important to include the full range of
relevant stakeholders and appreciate their roles and interests (Box 1).
Incorporating the diversity of
interests in local planning is
not easy but it makes proposed
initiatives much more realistic
and it can help overcome local
disputes or obstacles to
development opportunities. At
local level, PAPD can achieve
agreement for action on simple
initiatives and increase mutual
understanding and respect. The
same principles may also apply
to the regional level to path the way for initiatives that might benefit wider areas
and larger numbers of people.
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