African Biodiversity Network & 'Community Ecological Governance'

This is Heather...I just read this on African Biodiversity Network's website and found it inspiring, so i am sharing it here...

In May 2008 an African Biodiversity Network delegation will visit indigenous communities in the Colombian Amazon and participate in exchanges on the regeneration of traditional culture and indigenous governance systems. Representatives from Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana and South Africa will participate in the exchange. They will also observe negotiations between the traditional indigenous authorities of the Amazon region and the regional government on issues such as the decentralisation of governance, budgetary management, education and health. The Colombian Constitution has created a framework that recognises the cultural diversity of the Colombian peoples and enables indigenous communities to participate in the planning and management of their own health, education and development projects. The Amazon Regional Initiative is an intercultural alliance, woven over the last 20 years, resulting in an area larger than the UK being administered by indigenous communities, as local government, based on protecting the ecological and cultural identity of this system. Pioneered by Gaia Amazonas, Colombia, this initiative now provides a powerful learning experience for partners in the ABN and CEG-GA, to adapt and evolve the Community Ecological Governance approach in their own context.