‘Building Sustainable Governance’ (BSG) is a pilot project funded by the ESPA programme managed by the UK NERC (Natural Environment Research Council) and runs for one year between February 2009 and February 2010.
The purpose of the BSG is to bring together a range of scientific, policy and political actors involved in the fisheries sector in South Asia to explore the extent to which they are able, and interested, to participate in deliberative policy networks. It is intended that these networks will seek to generate and direct a future programme of research and capacity building in an effort to advance new forms of policy and management solution in fisheries which accommodate conflicts between ecosystem sustainability and poverty alleviation objectives.
The project involves three workshops to explore the feasibility of establishing deliberative policy networks in Sri Lanka and South India. The project draws from two emergent bodies of research experience: work on Wellbeing in developing countries (McGregor 2004, Gough and McGregor 2007) and Interactive Governance in fisheries (Kooiman and Bavinck et al 2005). During the project 3 workshops were held.
ESPA Workshop 1, Chennai, India April, 2009The workshop brought together a broad group of people from academic and NGO backgrounds who share a common interest in fisheries and fishers. Although there was a strong focus and bias to Southern India the representation of Sri Lanka and other non-Indian participants maintained a broader perspective to the discussions that kept a focus on the overall goal of the project.
At the end of the workshop there was a clear agreement and commitment for continued involvement of participants within the project with an understanding that the level of commitment would not necessarily be equal depending largely on availability to dedicate time to project activities.
- Workshop 1 Report Part 1, prepared by Martin le Tissier
- Workshop 1 Report Part 2, prepared by Martin le Tissier
ESPA Workshop 2, Ruhuna, Sri Lanka, August, 2009Report to follow
ESPA Workshop 3, Chennai, India November, 2009Report to follow