Why a Mobile Workshop in MMSEA?

Historically the caravans served as market structures and formed a socio-cultural network among mountain and lowland communities for more than 1,000 years in Southwest China, Mainland Southeast Asia as well as in South Asia. Today the caravan trade has been replaced by modern transportation systems. The economic corridors have evolved into transnational highways, river ways and railway links.

The idea for a ‘mobile workshop’ focusing on key elements of land use history within the Montane Mountain Southeast Asia (MMSEA) eco-cultural region emerged from the MMSEA Symposium III held in Lijiang, Yunnan, China, in 2002. Symposium participants from Laos, Thailand and China suggested organizing an event that would transect portions of the three countries within MMSEA to enable better understanding of regional land use dynamics and transboundary issues.

Emerging issues of common concern include:

• Rapid pace of economic development

• Cross-border trade and regionalization

• Maintaining cultural and biological diversity

• Poverty alleviation and alternative livelihoods for upland communities

Organizers and Sponsor

In response to this innovative idea, a group of partner organizations decided to work together to organize this mobile workshop. The key partners include: Kunming Institute of Botany (KIB), Center for Biodiversity and Indigenous Knowledge (CBIK), National University of Laos (NUoL), National Agricultural and Forestry Research Institute (NAFRI), Chiang Mai University (CMU), World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), and East-West Center (EWC)

On behalf of this group, CBIK assisted in the development and submission of a proposal to Rockefeller Foundation, who kindly agreed to sponsor the workshop.

What does the Workshop Hope to Achieve?

Objectives

From the perspective of the organizers, the main objectives of the mobile workshop were to:

1. Better understand the land use dynamics and drivers of change within MMSEA.
2. Assess the impacts of development, particularly road infrastructure, as well as linkages among transportation corridors, marketing networks and trade policies.
3. Build capacity of younger researchers to conduct interdisciplinary research related to land use in MMSEA.
4. Provide a forum to facilitate policy dialogue and recommendations.

Expected Outcomes

Through the mobile workshop interactions, diverse contributions from the participants and various learning processes, multiple outcomes were expected to emerge from the workshop, including:
 

• A useful benchmark of current eco-regional and country perspectives on land use history and dynamics within MMSEA
• Enhanced capacity and cross-learning among participants, especially younger colleagues who are contributing to the critical mass of research and leadership within the region
• Research questions and future agenda for land use and sustainable development in MMSEA
• Policy recommendations for the region and for each country on specific issues
• Concrete ideas for follow-up actions, collaborative work and networking
• Workshop report
• Book based on selected workshop case studies, papers and outputs

Workshop Process

The mobile workshop was held during 15-27 January 2005 in three areas – Xishuangbanna in southern Yunnan Province of China; Oudomxay and Luang Prabang Provinces of northern Laos; and Chiang Mai Province of northern Thailand. Participants traveled overland from Xishuangbanna to Luang Prabang, then flew to Chiang Mai for the final leg of the workshop

Overarching Framework

From an overarching perspective similar to the one adopted for the Millennium Assessment work, the workshop attempted to address the continuum of conditions-drivers-responses regarding land use dynamics in MMSEA.

Thus, the three major segments of the mobile workshop included:
 

• Thematic working groups and field visits in Xishuangbanna to probe the current land use ‘conditions’ in various MMSEA countries

• Science-policy interface workshop and field visits in Luang Prabang to examine the ‘drivers’ of change, such as land use policies

• Field visits and synthesis work in Chiang Mai to highlight some of the ‘responses’ of communities and local actors, e.g., with regard to livelihoods and cross-border trade

Capacity Building Process

By targeting younger researchers and policy makers for the workshop, and bringing them together with more senior colleagues, capacity building was a strong underlying current during the workshop. Moreover, this would continue well into the future in terms of collaborative work, networking and mentoring. Contributions made by younger colleagues, such as case studies and other materials, could also be scaled up into the policy dialogue and recommendations process.

Themes

Building on earlier MMSEA symposia outcomes and assessment of needs, as well as the interests of prospective participants, the mobile workshop emphasized on three major themes:

                                                            Land use change

                                                            Local livelihoods/markets and trade

                                                            Resource governance

Based on their particular interests as well as other considerations, the participants were divided into three thematic working groups along the above lines. Each group was guided by two thematic coordinators.

During the field visits, participants worked in groups, but each field group had mixed membership from among the three thematic groups to enable greater cross-fertilization of ideas and experiences.

The workshop process and program was designed to provide significant time for thematic working group interactions, reflections, synthesis, sharing and feedback, as well as for immediate post-workshop work, specifically linked to the following events:

        17 January, Xishuangbanna: The three thematic working groups met during morning to review participants’ contributions for
        workshop, share experiences and expectations, and identify key issues/questions to probe during workshop. There was a
        panel presentation of group outcomes in plenary during afternoon for feedback and discussion

       21 January, Luang Prabang: During afternoon of mini-workshop, each thematic group presented preliminary synthesis of findings
       and outcomes, to stimulate further discussion, feedback and enrichment

       25 January, Chiang Mai: Thematic groups did the final synthesis of workshop outcomes and learning in morning, then presented
       to plenary for feedback in afternoon.

       26 January, Chiang Mai: As one immediate post-workshop event, thematic group coordinators spent with authors of draft
       case studies that have been selected for publication to improve their papers.

Framework

The following matrix was suggested as a possible framework or tool for analyzing and synthesizing the major conditions, drivers and responses under each of the three major themes, as well as any cross-cutting themes such as indigenous knowledge, within a regional or country context.