LESSONs LEARNED
With CEPF support, WWF-Turkey worked to promote sustainable resource use through Integrated River Basin Management in the Firtina Valley and the Turkish part of the West Lesser Caucasus Corridor by strengthening participatory mechanisms and increasing awareness on biodiversity conservation.
Sedat Kalem, Conservation Director, WWF-Turkey
What was the most important lesson learned?
Like every revolution, the implementation of Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM) at a new geographic context would require an evolutionary process.
Describe how you learned this and whether / how you have adapted your approach or specific project elements as a result.
Together with Firtina, completion of two more local IRBM initiatives in the other valleys of the Turkish West Lesser Caucasus was foreseen by the end of the project in 2008. While it has been brought to a certain level in the Firtina Valley by completing the IRBM Plan, getting it endorsed by local stakeholders and the setting up of a mechanism to monitor its implementation, replication of the same experience in other valleys has been modest compared to the target set at the beginning. We have realized that -given the local circumstances- the target was formulated in an overly ambitious manner, probably with the assumption that the “magical tool” of IRBM could immediately be grasped and implemented with the existing local capacity.
Through our planning and experimentation however, we have come to understand that, like every revolution, this can be a challenging process that requires evolution. It needs to be erected upon the shoulders of local stakeholders, because their capacity, willingness, and commitment are critical. WWF-Turkey has been able to work hand-in-hand with the Provincial Directorate of Environment and other stakeholders in the Firtina Valley, while our involvement in the other valleys of the region was limited to simply sharing our 
experience at local events/meetings and encouraging the stakeholders to follow in our footsteps and do the same.
Obviously, the progress at the other sites has been insignificant due to lack of capacity, resources and committed champions. The process-oriented targets that heavily rely on others may not work as precisely as they were initially predicted.
The Firtina case was a learning process for all the parties involved. Clarification of the legal basis of the IRBM Council, its official recognition, as well as effective implementation of participatory decision-making with a bureaucracy which still maintains its traditional power and lead role, have been the major challenges in this process.
An adaptive approach was needed in the management of the process, including more participatory meetings, more consultation, and fine tuning of the plan and other documents, etc. Therefore, the process of IRBM implementation needs to be maturated as much as possible, in order to ensure the satisfaction and recognition of stakeholders. Finally, implementation of these kinds of innovative approaches may require a longer time-frame, more patience, and resources, especially within the unique social, economic, and political context of the area. WWF-Turkey will maintain its presence with new and similar projects in the region to demonstrate effectively operating IRBM models and advocate its dissemination.
- July 14, 2009
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