Working with private landowners

A Rocha owns very little land. Most of the field study centres have just a few hectares around the property. We work as closely as possible with the landowners in and around all our study sites, many of which are in private ownership.

The Aammiq Wetland in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, in winter

Since its inception A Rocha Lebanon has been working closely with the Skaff family, the major landowners of the Aammiq Wetland in the West Bekaa. When the project started in 1997 the marshes were severely degraded, emerging from the civil war years as a shadow of their former selves. An iconic moment, in the early days, was when Chris Naylor, A Rocha Lebanon Director, and landowner Michel Skaff put out fires in the few remaining trees, using whatever came to hand – jackets and soil mostly, in an emergency effort to save important habitats. Since these early days, by working together, we have achieved enormous success, but in a rather more planned and proactive way! Through a memorandum of understanding, the Skaff family has allowed the A Rocha team access and logistical support to carry out biodiversity and hydrological surveys and monitoring programmes. On the basis of this research a joint management plan has been written, ensuring sustainable use of the wetland by shepherds (grazing their sheep and goats), visitors and tenant farmers. One recommendation emerging from early studies was that certain tracts of marginal farm land were taken out of production and the drainage regime modified to increase the period of inundation. The landowners followed the advice and enlarged wildlife-rich wetland habitats by 20%. We have also developed environmental education and eco-tourist programmes, opening up the wetland to the general public while maintaining its unique character and respecting the private ownership of the site.

A Rocha UK is in partnership with Lee Abbey Christian Community which owns a conference, retreat and holiday centre on a stunningly beautiful coastal site of over one hundred hectares in Devon. The agreement ensures that a practical concern for the land is integrated into the Lee Abbey movement and brings their expertise on community living to A Rocha. Dave Bookless, the UK National Director, says “The partnership is now growing beyond Lee Abbey Devon: we’re working with the International Students’ Club in London where over 100 students stay each year – a fantastic way of influencing their thinking about creation before they return to leadership roles all over the world.”

Discussing wetland restoration opportunities with private landowners in France. Photo: Richard Mearns

Paul Jeanson (Director of A Rocha France) and Francois Tron (A Rocha France Scientific Officer) discussing wetland restoration opportunities with private landowners and public authority representatives

A Rocha France advises private landowners on how best to manage their property for the benefit of wildlife. Following an initial ecological assessment, the landowners decide what kind of conservation project they would like to develop, often with A Rocha’s practical support. Since 2006 this approach has led to a wide participatory development and conservation project on the Marais des Baux de Provence, led by A Rocha. Local landowners, farmers, schools, fishermen, hunters and hikers are all playing an important role in designing the future management of the former marshes. Nearly 100 hectares of land formerly exhausted in cereal cropping have been turned into wet meadows, reedbeds, ponds and riparian woodlands and more wetland restoration on private land is currently under consideration.

Originally published in the A Rocha International Review 2007-2008.