Action Team on the Management of Natural Resources

Brief mission statement:

Natural resources support the livelihoods of the vast majority of the population in developing countries. The Millennium Development Goals (A/56/326, sect. III) and the World Summit on Sustainable Development have provided the framework for managing natural resources through the ecosystem approach, community participation and “Green governance”. The report of the Action Team harmonizes the recommendations of UNISPACE III on natural resource management in line with the perspectives of the Millennium Development Goals and the World Summit.

Findings:

(a) Earth observation technologies (remote sensing, geographic information systems and modelling) have increasingly been providing valuable information, in spatial and spectral domains, to improve understanding of social processes in relation to the complex interactions between human beings, natural resources and the environment. Examples include deforestation and regrowth in Brazil, population-environment interactions in Thailand, ancient and modern rural development in Guatemala and land use and land cover dynamics in developing countries;
(b) In recent years, Earth observation technologies have been used in some countries to put into context the ecosystem approach towards policy formulation and planning, working out suitable interventions and implementation mechanisms and supporting directly the basis of livelihoods for poor fishermen and farmers;
(c) Promoting large-scale operationalization of Earth observation technologies by Governments, private agencies and non-governmental organizations and at the community and stakeholder levels is of great significance. In order to achieve this and for information to be useful at all levels, it is essential to understand the exact needs that could be addressed through Earth observation technologies. The use of Earth observation technologies, however, must involve all stakeholders in order to become participatory in nature. One way of bringing together all stakeholders could be through pilot or demonstration projects. The results of such projects are more likely to be accepted if a “bottom-up” approach is followed. The involvement of non-governmental organizations helps in integrating concerns at the grass-roots level. The use of Earth observation technologies as information support for “Green governance” and for the implementation of international protocols and conventions holds considerable promise and its success has already been demonstrated in some of the developing countries in the region of Asia and the Pacific;
(d) The use of Earth observation technologies involves a considerable amount of expertise as well as institutional mechanisms to deliver the services and products to the end-users. Among the capacity-building mechanisms, specialized training and institutional partnerships are important. Considering the urgent need for specialized training in the use of Earth observation applications in natural resource management, it is important to promote specialized training opportunities and disseminate best practices through capacity-building activities.

Recommendations for further action:

(a) The use of Earth observation technologies in natural resource management is important for the success of UNISPACE III, as well as for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and the implementation of the recommendations of the World Summit on Sustainable Development. The Office for Outer Space Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat could play the role of a catalyst in promoting and advocating the operational use of Earth observation technologies in building the natural resources base, especially in the framework suggested by the World Summit. The Office is an ideal platform to promote such a concept by advocating the enabling policies among Member States. This should make it possible to conduct proof-of-concept projects aimed at stakeholders and to establish a framework for international cooperation to promote the operational use of Earth observation technologies;
(b) It is important to develop a compendium highlighting best practices in Earth observation applications in natural resource management in line with the recommendations of the World Summit on Sustainable Development. With the analysis of experience and lessons learned based on the success stories gathered from different parts of the world—representing the diversity of the context and variety of the applications—the compendium will provide insights on the various operational issues and demonstrate the benefits of using Earth observation technologies to the stakeholders. The Action Team should take up this assignment as soon as possible;
(c) Earth observation applications in the natural resource sector require an interdisciplinary approach, involving database technologies, modelling frameworks, a multiplicity of themes and development of a decision support system. The interdisciplinary nature of Earth observation applications calls for focused and specialized training, taking into account the new paradigms emanating from recommendations of the World Summit on Sustainable Development. The Office for Outer Space Affairs could take the initiative to organize specialized training courses, taking advantage of the expertise and infrastructure available in the regional centres for space science and technology education affiliated to the United Nations in different parts of the world.

Implementation already initiated:

The Action Team has initiated the process of compiling the compendium documenting best practices.

Indication of impediments to implementation:

The limited inputs from members of the Action Team on success stories, lessons learned and expert opinions representing the diversity of the context and variety of Earth observation applications on the subject hampered finalization of the report of the Action Team. Therefore, the report, in its present form, could not document the views and wisdom of all the members of the Team.

Benefits to be derived from implementation:

(a) In line with the recommendations of UNISPACE III, the implementation of recommendations contained in the report of the Action Team will lead to mobilization of public opinion in favour of using Earth observation technologies in natural resource management, especially in developing countries;
(b) Integration of Earth observation in natural resource management will strengthen ongoing efforts to reach the Millennium Development Goals and implement recommendations of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, besides supporting decisions of Governments and stakeholders worldwide on managing natural resources.

Progress made by the Action Team:

The Action Team is making efforts to compile a compendium documenting best practices drawn from different parts of the world in managing natural resources.