The Community Development and Knowledge Management for the Satoyama Initiative Programme (COMDEKS) was launched in 2011 as the flagship programme of the International Partnership for the Satoyama Initiative (IPSI). It is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the Small Grants Programme (SGP).

The COMDEKS Programme aims to develop sound biodiversity management and sustainable livelihood actions with local communities and contributes to achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity. COMDEKS provides support to community organizations to maintain and rebuild socio-ecological production landscapes and seascapes (SEPLS) as well as to collect and disseminate knowledge and experiences from successful on-the-ground actions for replication and up-scaling in other parts of the world.

Between 2011 and 2018, Phases 1 and 2 were implemented in a wide variety of landscapes and seascapes in twenty participating countries around the world, and supported innovations identified by communities for biodiversity conservation, promotion of ecosystem services, agroecosystem management, and strengthening of governance systems at the landscape level. Throughout its implementation, the COMDEKS Programme placed great emphasis on knowledge management activities and the collection and dissemination of lessons learned to relevant audiences and policy makers from different sectors.

Building on Phases 1 and 2, Phase 3 of COMDEKS focused on financial sustainability and upscaling of the SEPLS conservation approach to the policy level. This included efforts to promote institutional and financial sustainability of these landscapes and seascapes and to explore the option for SEPLS to be recognized as Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs), designated areas outside of protected areas that contribute to sustained conservation benefits. Based on programmatic results and operational considerations arising from the two earlier phases, ten participating countries from Phases 1 and 2 were identified to participate in Phase 3 of the project (Bhutan, Cambodia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ghana, Fiji, Mongolia, Niger, and Turkey). The ten countries worked with different types and numbers of SEPLS with varying characteristics that were delineated based on legislation, socio-economical and biological characteristics as well as previous designations for conservation in each country.

The results and recommendations stemming from the national dialogues varied among countries according to the objectives and methodologies. Many countries continued the on-going efforts to institutionalize the SEPLS approach at the country level through national and sub-national policy as well as through strategy influence. Five of the ten countries that participated in Phase 3 engaged with the possibility of SEPLS to be recognized under the OECM framework of the SCBD. Some countries exhibited further advances by applying OECM criteria to selected SEPLS as a first approach and validation of the OECM context and identified the main challenges as well as opportunities for SEPLS recognition as OECMs. Overall, it was found that some SEPLS comply with OECM criteria and can be reported to the World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC).

Phase 3 of COMDEKS promoted further knowledge sharing and communication, including dissemination of best practices and lessons learned on SEPLS, the consolidation of COMDEKS’ activities, policy dialogues for sustainability, and valuable inputs to the development and agreement of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Lessons learned from the implementation of Phase 3 will be disseminated through the global SGP network of 125 Country Programmes, IPSI, and other partners worldwide.

For more information on the project, please visit the COMDEKS webpage