A distillation of practical field experiences

The sourcebook - like most of IIRR publications - is a distillation of practical field experiences of a committed group of conservation and development practitioners. There is no cutting edge science or even knowledge. The strength of the sourcebook is its ability and communicate ideas clearly to a particular audience.

There is, however, an inherent contradiction in such undertakings. It is often difficult to balance the site-specific nature of field-tested experiences with the need to provide useful information to a wider audience. Authors were encouraged to be specific in describing the tools and methods they used. At the same time, they were reminded to avoid or explain local terms, norms or institutions. In general, the steps or the suggested approaches are written in generic terms and selected examples are used to illustrate the specific experiences from which the method was derived. Ultimately, it is the reader that will determine the local relevance of the methods.

The success of the publication will be measured by the creases on the binding and the amount of salt spray that forms on its cover as practitioners regularly turn to it in the field.

The creativity and ingenuity of the users will determine the life-span of the sourcebook. Improvements and adaptations are welcome and expected. Indeed, we look forward to working again with the original contributors as well as future users of the sourcebook to continually provide relevant and practical materials in support of CBCRM.