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SECTION I
DECIDING TO DEVELOP A
COMMUNITY PROTOCOL
Biocultural community protocols aim to support communities’ efforts to
secure their rights, responsibilities, territories, and areas. As the first part
of the practical guidance, this section of the Toolkit is intended to help
assess whether or not it may be appropriate to undertake a protocol
process within your local context. The rest of Part II suggests specific methods and tools from Part I:
Section IV and guiding questions to support the development and use of a community protocol. Consider
the questions contained in Figure 12 on the follow page and engage in focused discussions with
community leaders, catalysts, and other groups until an informed decision can be made.
KEY READING
Part I: Section II
Part I: Section III
Other important considerations that may affect the community’s decision include, among others:
Existence or potential for some sense of shared identity or common goal
General openness and agency to try new things and carry them through
Strong local leadership and presence of or potential for community catalysts
At least one person to serve as a confident facilitator and retain sensitivity to local timelines,
priorities, and decision-making processes
Some degree of access to communications infrastructure (for example, common language,
road, internet or phone)
A biocultural community protocol is highly context-dependent and is not necessarily appropriate for any
given community. It also does not guarantee any particular changes or improvements. As a facilitator, it is
your responsibility to appropriately manage expectations (see Part I: Section II/B3). The decision about
whether and how to undertake a protocol process should be taken by the community without pressure or
coercion from external actors or externally imposed timeframes or terms and conditions.
See www.community-protocols.org/community-protocols for a collection of protocols from Asia, the
Pacific, Africa, and the Americas