Using the Delphi Technique to Identify Topics for a Protected Area Co-Management Capacity Building Programme

Abstract

Co-management and co-administration are increasingly being promoted as protected area governance tools to encourage local involvement in protected area management in the Mesoamerican region. This increase has exposed the need to strengthen co-management capacities of institutions and organizations. We contend that creating capacity building programmes in co-management should reflect the wisdom of experts and practising co-managers from around the world. This study used the Delphi Technique and the Internet to assemble information from such experts. The purpose of this study was to better understand co-management capacity building needs. The panel of experts comprised of 30 professionals with vast experience in co-management in developing countries. Three rounds of questionnaires were sent to the experts. Twelve topic categories were identified and rated in terms of their importance. Power sharing, negotiating co-management agreements, financing co-management, and understanding the co-management idea were rated as the most important categories. Scoring of final topic categories were analysed using the Wilcoxon, Median, and Kruskall-Wallis non-parametric statistical tests. These results are being used to refine the development of a dynamic re-source web-based database to support co-management capacity building programmes. Results are also informing the development, implementation, and evaluation of a co-administration capacity building programme in Guatemala.