An IUCN Natural Resource Governance Framework

What is the Natural Resource Governance Framework? 

The Natural Resource Governance Framework (NRGF) is an IUCN initiative created to provide a robust, inclusive and credible approach to assessing and strengthening natural resource governance, at multiple levels and in diverse contexts. Developed through a wide-ranging analytical and consultative process, the NRGF consists of a central framework of values, key principles and criteria for equitable and effective natural resource governance, linked to a set of participatory tools for assessing and enhancing governance. The NRGF and associated tools provide a basis for promoting wider and more robust attention to rights-based governance in the conservation and natural resource management sectors. 

The NRGF initiative is co-convened by the IUCN Global Programme on Governance and Rights (GPGR) and the IUCN Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy (CEESP). For questions, email GPGR and CEESP experts at NRGF[at]iucn.org. 

Why the NRGF?

The NRGF responds to the growing recognition of the critical roles that governance plays in realising equitable, effective and sustainable conservation, including for achieving local and global targets included in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). While there has been notable progress in recent years, capacity for understanding and improving natural resource governance remains limited. Meanwhile, inequalities, conflicts and exclusions continue to pervade many natural resource governance contexts.

Taking account of existing approaches, the NRGF provides an overarching Framework for assessing and improving governance in diverse contexts and levels. It helps to deliver the IUCN Programme and implement many of IUCN’s policies and resolutions. The NRGF can be applied in multiple ways, including to assess and enhance:

• Governance institutions, processes and outcomes in a particular context;

• The alignment among governance methodologies and approaches; and

• The integration of inclusive, equitable and rights-based governance in all phases of conservation programmes and projects.

The NRGF in Practice

In Tanzania, the SUSTAIN-AFRICA programme works to advance economic growth, ecosystem resilience and social prosperity, for example by establishing water management platforms, improving land tenure management and shaping equitable production and market chains. To support programme partners, two NRGF assessments were conducted, with findings to improve and sustain project achievements in Kilombero and Sumbawanga landscapes. Entry points will contribute to improved equity and natural resource governance in these landscapes, they include:  

• In the Kilombero landscape, the assessment improved the knowledge and capacities of implementers and stakeholders to improve inclusive governance, for example by developing a stakeholder engagement plan to identify, inform and consult around land tenure issues and risks, using the Land Act No.4 of 1999.

• In the Sumbawanga landscape, recommendations to enhance inclusive decision-making by encouraging the use of relevant platforms and processes, such as using interactive media – such as radio – will help inform the wider society about the project and solicit feedback. 

In Uganda, a participatory NRGF assessment and training is strengthening the capacities of local implementers of a Shared Resources, Joint Solutions project to achieve governance results: 

• Representatives from four civil society organisations (CSOs) trained to apply governance principles in their work have reported strengthened capacities to achieve more equitable and effective governance of natural resources, for example by increasing transparency and accountability and making decision-making platforms more inclusive. 

• Assessment-based recommendations are promoting the engagement of community CSOs to improve inclusive project management.

The History of the NRGF

Governance has been one of IUCN’s main global programme areas since 2013, and it is one of three global priority areas in the 2017–2020 Programme approved by IUCN Members at the 2016 World Conservation Congress. The NRGF was initially hosted by CEESP and its early development involved integrated reviews of relevant literature, regional scoping activities and application pilots. Since 2017, the NRGF has been co-convened between CEESP and the IUCN Secretariat Global Programme on Governance and Rights, with the involvement of other Commissions, IUCN Members, key experts, stakeholder and rights-holder groups. 

Activities in the first phase of NRGF’s work (2013-2016) included regional dialogues and scoping activities in Asia, East and Southern Africa, and Mesoamerica; preparation of an initial Framework for use in assessing natural resource governance, with an accompanying Assessment Guide and background papers; and a survey of governance-related work across IUCN programmes and Commissions. The results of these research and engagement processes were analysed, synthesised and structured into an initial design document, providing the basis for pilot assessments, including a field assessment in the United Republic of Tanzania in 2017 and an analysis of the alignment between the NRGF and other IUCN governance resources. Experiences from these pilots, and further reviews of literature published since 2016, fed into a meeting of the NRGF Technical Working Group, involving key governance experts, in October 2018. 

Since 2019, the focus has shifted from conceptual development to practical implementation, technical tools development and learning.