Factsheet: The Natural Resources Stewardship Programme (NatuReS) II

The Natural Resources Stewardship Programme (NatuReS) enables private-public-civil society partnerships to sustainably manage natural resources using the stewardship approach. Natural resources stewardship means that all stakeholders take responsibility for the shared resources nobody owns but everybody relies on and work together to find solutions for their sustainable management. Stewardship is based on the understanding that natural resource challenges cannot be resolved by individuals, but must be addressed through concerted, collaborative action. Through this participatory approach, the stewardship multi-stakeholder partnerships (SMSPs) especially include women and marginalised groups into decision-making processes and thus contribute to a Just Transition.

An active supporter of governments and civil societies in protecting vital natural resources from environmental threats, the programme also focuses on the added benefits of strong private-sector collaboration. This approach of collective action helps stakeholders to jointly address key environmental and economic risks.

The programme is commissioned by the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), a trusted partner within the international community of natural resource stewardship practitioners. NatuReS is currently active in Ethiopia, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia