Lastly, using a participatory approach was fundamental as the community are more likely to
feel empowered and develop a sense of ownership of the project.
They concluded by reiterating the considerable need for legal support, specifically in this area of the
law.
6. Interactive Discussion on BCPs
Introduction
Following the first round of presentations, participants were invited to explore in more detail the
different and potential role of BCPs. The discussion concentrated on the various elements and value1
of a BCP, as well as the ways to advance the legal recognition of BCPs within national and
international laws.
Elements of a BCP
Elements and Value Addition of BCPs
As a result of the presentations on the
various BCPs, participants noted that the
development of a BCP leads to community
empowerment. It is a participatory process
that
assists
communities
to
define
themselves and that can be utilised as a
capacity building tool.
Developing a BCP helped the traditional
healers of Bushbuckridge, though from
different communities in the locality, to
define themselves as a ‘community of
healers’ that shares the same resources,
values, a common cause and common
concerns. Similarly, the various indigenous
communities of Lamu have defined
themselves as one community in their BCP
for the purposes of making collective
demands to their government.
Participants felt that it was important that
their BCP began with a declaration or charter that tells their story, defined who they are, indicated
their traditional lands, highlighted the challenges they are encountering, described their
governance systems, customary laws, values and traditional knowledge and asserted their rights
and stewardship roles and duties in the conservation and the sustainable use of natural resources.
The adoption of an endogenous and holistic approach was seen as critical. Using such an
approach will not only work towards realising a state of community well-being but also enable
communities to revitalise their indigenous knowledge while fostering community cohesion, selfactualisation and self-determination.
It was generally agreed that the reasons for developing a BCP were usually aspirational or defensive
in nature. A BCP could result from either an aspiration towards a bio-cultural goal such as engaging
The term ‘value’ should be understood as the ‘quality of being important and useful’ (Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary
[on line]). During the discussion, ‘value’ also referred to in the context of ‘value-addition’, being the value that a BCP may
bring to a certain process.
1
11