From the Satoyama conference last week I've been looking through the resources on their website
I came across this 'Toolkit for the Indicators of Resilience'
It raises some really interesting questions about what we should be measuring and how. We get very focussed on carbon counting but the toolkit is helpful for anyone involved in policymaking to step back and think about the whole landscape.
If we had to score Northern Ireland on a scale of 1 (low) to 5 (high) - how would we do?
1. The landscape or seascape is composed of a diversity/mosaic of natural ecosystems (terrestrial and aquatic) and land uses.
2. Areas within the landscape or seascape are protected for their ecological and/or cultural importance
3. Ecological interactions between different components of landscape or seascape are taken into consideration in natural resource management. (e.g. planting forests where they can protect waterways)
4. The landscape or seascape has the ability to recover and regenerate from environmental shocks and stresses.
5. Foods consumed in the landscape or seascape include food locally grown, gathered from local forests and/or fished from local waters.
6. Households and/or community groups maintain a diversity of local crop varieties and animal breeds.
7. Common resources are managed sustainably in order to avoid overexploitation and depletion.
8. New practices in agriculture, fisheries and forestry are developed, adopted and improved and/or traditional practices are revitalized.
9. Local knowledge and cultural traditions related to biodiversity are transmitted from elders and parents to young people in the community.
10. The biodiversity in the landscape or seascape, including agricultural biodiversity, and knowledge associated with it is documented, stored and made available to community members.
11. Women’s knowledge, experiences and skills are recognized and respected in the community. Women often have specific knowledge, experience and skills about biodiversity, its use and management, which are different from those of men.
12. Rights over land/water and other natural resources are clearly defined and recognized by relevant groups and institutions, for example governments and development agencies. Recognition can be formalized by policy, law and/or through customary practices
13. The landscape or seascape has capable, accountable and transparent local institutions in place for the effective governance of its resources and the local biodiversity
14. Individuals within and between communities are connected and coordinated through networks that manage resources and exchange materials, skills and knowledge.
15. Rights and access to resources and opportunities for education, information and decision-making are fair and equitable for all community members, including women, at household, community and landscape levels