Good Practices in Participatory Mapping

"Participatory mapping focuses on providing the skills and expertise for community members to create the maps themselves, to represent the spatial knowledge of community members and to ensure that community members determine the ownership of the maps and how and to whom to communicate the information that the maps provide."

This 59-page report from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) explores the power of participatory mapping. Covering a range of techniques, intermediaries, tools, impacts, enabling environments, processes, and best practices reflective of democratic values, it emerges from a project carried out by IFAD in collaboration with the International Land Coalition (ILC). Launched in October 2006, the project Development of Decision Tools for Participatory Mapping in Specific Livelihoods Systems (Pastoralists, Indigenous Peoples, Forest Dwellers) explores how a systematic approach could contribute to addressing conflict-related issues and improving community ownership in sustainable environmental and natural resource management.

Though there are differences among participatory mapping initiatives in their methods, applications, and users, the common theme linking them - and the one that shapes the discussion in this document - "is that the process of map-making is undertaken by a group of non-experts who are associated with one another based on a shared interest....Participatory mapping is a map-making process that attempts to make visible the association between land and local communities by using the commonly understood and recognized language of cartography." Criteria used to recognise and denote community maps, as understood within this document, include the following:

• "Participatory mapping is defined by the process of production. Participatory maps are planned around a common goal and strategy for use and are often made with input from an entire community in an open and inclusive process. The higher the level of participation by all members of the community, the more beneficial the outcome because the final map will reflect the collective experience of the group producing the map.
• Participatory mapping is defined by a product that represents the agenda of the community. It is map production undertaken by communities to show information that is relevant and important to their needs and is for their use.
• Participatory mapping is defined by the content of the maps which depicts local knowledge and information. The maps contain a community's place names, symbols, scales and priority features and represent local knowledge systems.
• Participatory mapping is not defined by the level of compliance with formal cartographic conventions. Participatory maps are not confined by formal media; a community map may be a drawing in the sand or may be incorporated into a sophisticated computer-based GIS. Whereas regular maps seek conformity, community maps embrace diversity in presentation and content. That said, to be useful for outside groups, such as state authorities, the closer the maps follow recognized cartographic conventions, the greater the likelihood that they will be seen as effective communication tools."

The review of the participatory mapping process is not intended to be exhaustive, but, rather, intends to give the reader an appreciation of how this strategy has evolved from a relatively simplistic participatory rural appraisal (PRA) tool into a community of practice spanning a range of sophisticated technologies and processes, such as participatory 3-D models (P3DM) and geographic information systems (GIS).

In exploring these evolutions, the document draws on a number of examples from around the world, with special attention given to projects supported by IFAD and the ILC. Through these examples, the author explores the functions of participatory maps, including the way in which they offer a visual representation of what a community perceives as its place and the significant features within it. That is, they can empower marginalised groups by "making visible the association between land and local communities, highlighting important social, historical and cultural knowledge as well as presenting geographical feature information." As explained here, the participatory mapping process can influence the internal dynamics of a community. "This process can contribute to building community cohesion, help stimulate community members to engage in land-related decision-making, raise awareness about pressing land-related issues and ultimately contribute to empowering local communities and their members." As these examples highlight, "Participatory mapping projects can also take on an advocacy role and actively seek recognition for community spaces through identifying traditional lands and resources, demarcating ancestral domain and, in some cases, being used as a mechanism to secure tenure."

Specifically, the report reviews existing knowledge related to participatory mapping and recent developments:

• Section 1 defines the main features of participatory mapping;
• Section 2 discusses key applications of participatory mapping;
• Section 3 presents specific tools used in participatory mapping, including their strengths and weaknesses;
• Section 4 identifies good practices and explore the significance of process in participatory mapping initiatives;
• Annex A offers a matrix of participatory mapping tools;
• Annex B identifies IFAD-related projects and documents consulted in the writing of this review;
• Bibliography.

A concluding note on sustainability strategies (from page 28 of the document): "Maps represent a snapshot in history....Making and updating these maps is a long-term activity, regardless of the tools or technologies used. Successful participatory mapping initiatives are dependent on a long-term commitment by all stakeholders to the mapping process. This means that there is a need to support organizations that take responsibility to raise the capacity of community members and continue to provide long-term support (e.g. moral, financial and informational)."