How NatuReS supports the management of Natural Resources
With its proven expertise, tools and approaches, NatuReS empowers stakeholders to collaborate in mitigating risks and realising opportunities. This inclusive approach that includes all groups of society (including women and marginalized groups) supports a more socially and environmentally sustainable development, whilst also strengthening participatory governance.
Stewardship is about taking care of something that we do not own.
Natural resource stewardship is defined as “a use of natural resources that is socially and culturally equitable, environmentally sustainable, and economically beneficial”. To achieve this, public, private and civil society actors work together in an inclusive process to develop solutions for joint challenges.
NatuReS implementation focus are economic zones or areas with extreme resource use pressure, including zones with water and soil scarcity and/or very resource-intensive production processes (value chains). These economic areas can be any part of a city or rural area with a significant concentration of economic activity. Examples are:
Contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals
NatuReS partnerships are aligned to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and engage in several activities that contribute to key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Enabling and empowering women to participate in decision-making processes (UN Sustainable Development Goal 5)
Enabling the efficient management and security of water for businesses, communities and governments (UN Sustainable Development Goal 6)
Including marginalized groups of society in decision making process, fostering a Just Transition process where no one is left behind (UN Sustainbale Development Goal 10)
Ensuring the availability of the world’s economic- and life-sustaining natural resources for future generations (UN Sustainable Development Goal 12)
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems (UN Sustainable Development Goal 15)
Realising the potential of collaboration between the private sector, governments and civil society to address natural resource risks (UN Sustainable Development Goal 17)
Targets
Together with its donors, NatuReS has set 13 ambitious targets. Their purpose is to measure the programme’s contribution to its overarching goal: economic growth through natural resource stewardship. The targets are divided into two groups: Outcome targets aim to reduce social and economic risks due to natural resources shortages in the programme areas. Output targets contribute to the outcome targets. The achievement of the targets is measured through key performance indicators (KPIs).
Outcome: Stewardship multi-stakeholder partnerships are established as an instrument of consensus-building processes on Just Transition in selected economic zones with extreme resource use pressure in Ethiopia, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia
Output 1: The institutional, human and financial prerequisites for the functioning of stewardship multi-actor partnerships are met in economic zones with extreme resource use pressures.
Output 2: Human and technical capacities for resource efficiency in selected economic zones with extreme resource use pressure are improved.
Output 3: Knowledge transfer for the institutionalisation of stewardship multi-stakeholder partnerships is intensified.
Output 4: Knowledge about the roles, rights and needs of women and marginalised groups in Just Transition processes is increased.
The Natural Resources Risk and Action Framework (NRAF): NatuReS’ Guide to Sustainable Partnerships
NatuReS’ work relies on the effectiveness of its private-public-civil society partnerships. The idea is that those relying on the same natural resources can only address risks through collaboration. By working together and finding mutually beneficial solutions, partnerships lead to sustainable economic growth. This secures the use of natural resources for generations to come.
A five-step guide for sustainable partnerships
NatuReS developed the Natural Resources Risk and Action Framework (NRAF) to tackle shared environmental risks together with stakeholders from affected businesses, communities, and governments.
Arranged in five steps, the NRAF guides stewardship practitioners through
1) Preparing,
2) Assessing,
3) Committing,
4) Acting and
5) Scaling/Exiting
a partnership.
The Natural Resources Risk and Action Framework User Manual
Further Information
Download this factsheet for further information.
Or take this free, self-paced online training on stewardship and the Natural Resources Risk and Action Framework to learn more about how to bring together stakeholders from across sectors to jointly tackle risks emerging from the scarcity or endangerment of natural resources:
The training is available on atingi, a free digital learning platform commissioned and funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by GIZ.