ABSTRACT
Negotiating among social actors is the heart of the co-management process. It is wise to invest as much energy as possible in it, as the co-management agreements and organisations are generally as good as the process that generated them. Typically, the social actors involved in the negotiation face two main challenges. The first one is process-related and concerns “communication” in its richest sense. How can a partnership be developed among people who, besides having different interests and concerns, often do not share the same values, attitudes, capacities, ways of working, reference systems and languages—in a word, people who belong to different “cultures”? This implies overcoming serious communication difficulties, both verbal (co-management meetings have been known to need to accommodate five or more languages!) and non-verbal. And yet, communication difficulties are not insurmountable, and plenty of examples exist of collaborative agreements among groups that, at the beginning, appeared very distant or even incompatible (see Box 6.1). The secret, if one is there, seems to be a combination of determination, time, resources and an encouraging social environment. Bicultural co-management in New Zealand
Collaboration between Maori and Pakeha (non-Maori, predominantly of European origin) is a fundamental constitutional requirement of the Treaty of Waitangi. A number of initiatives to involve Maori and Pakeha in co-management have emerged on the west coast of the North Island. Their principles embrace both traditional ecological knowledge and relationships with nature (expressed in Maori tradition as kaitiakitanga) and modern scientific understanding of interconnectedness and interdependence (expressed through the concept of ecosystem, concerns for the conservation of biodiversity and assumption of stewardship responsibilities). The agreements developed under these arrangements recognise the mana (a fundamental Maori concept meaning influence, prestige, power, authority and control) of each iwi (tribe) and give effect to their status as a Treaty partner and traditional kaitiaki (environmental guardians ensuring the mauri or life force) of their resources. The agreements also recognise the responsibilities of statutory agencies that have specialised knowledge in the areas of interest.
One of the innovative steps of these agreements is that they had their first meetings in the local marae (the courtyard in front of the Maori meeting house). These marae-based gatherings, open to the whole community, helped to create a basis for mutual understanding, trust and dialogue. The kawa (traditional protocols followed by each iwi) have much to contribute to the development of effective NRM agreements, starting from putting to use the tradition of dynamic debate and decision making by consensus, and the building of a common spirit through the sharing of meals and spiritual invocations. For instance, such discussions have taken place regarding the traditional harvest of the titi bird, which is locally very important, both as food and for local cultural practices. A joint research project on titi ecology and the impact of its harvesting practices has been developed, including “cultural safety” rules. The contract foresees that Maori people guide the research in consultation with a university research team. The data gathered will be published, but with a delay clause, so that the Maori could meet and formulate their collective view on the research and specific responses, if need be.
(adapted from Taiepa et al., 1996)