Community and youth engagement for wetlands conservation in the Buna River Delta

Overview and objectives

Summary:

Situated in the Eastern Mediterranean, the Buna Delta is a high value wetland which supports crop and livestock production, fishing and tourism around the Buna River – a source of income for…

Situated in the Eastern Mediterranean, the Buna Delta is a high value wetland which supports crop and livestock production, fishing and tourism around the Buna River – a source of income for approximately 36,000 inhabitants. Although the Buna Delta is increasingly facing ecological pressures, projects supported by MAVA have enhanced the awareness of local communities and influenced key national authorities to facilitate governance structures where local people and CSOs can participate and influence decisions. 
The Buna Delta Protection Project created an effective and participatory process for engaging communities and local business enterprises with nature conservation. The ‘Action for Buna’ granting scheme helped materialise 15 small projects, focused on sustainable tourism practices, local sustainable agriculture and business transition to clean energy.
This project involves primarily engaging youth in wetland conservation, and empowering young people to educate and inspire their own communities about nature conservation. The activities are diverse, including events and the creation promotional materials, using various media.

Objective:

This Learning & Sharing project has two main objectives: (i) to consolidate the knowledge on creating equitable governance structures with the participation of local communities and business…

This Learning & Sharing project has two main objectives:
(i) to consolidate the knowledge on creating equitable governance structures with the participation of local communities and business enterprises phrasing PANORAMA solutions and
(ii) share successful experiences from Buna Delta to increase the engagement of local youth, including young talents and future leaders.
The objectives will be achieved through a combination of knowledge products, communication materials and workshops tailored to specific groups of stakeholders.
The project will directly contribute to the M3 Coastal Wetlands Outcome Action Plan Phase 2. The project outcomes will be linked to a set of overarching activities that aim to (i) promote replication and dissemination of the results and best practices; and (ii) foster exchanges and communication among the project partners and other actors involved in Mediterranean coastal wetlands conservation. Among these, the project will contribute to Strategy 3 by promoting knowledge on business sector sustainability and Strategy 4 by strengthen the storytelling approach with a focus on awareness and engagement from youth.