(introduction...)

The need for a sourcebook on participatory methods for community-based coastal resource management (CBCRM) arose from the absence of practical field-tested reference materials that merge the participatory nature of CBCRM with the unique conditions of the coastal zone. Field workers from government, non-government, community-based and even research organizations are increasingly applying participatory and community-based approaches (developed primarily in terrestrial settings) to work in the coastal zone.

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While the general principles of participatory methods for conservation and development apply equally well to coastal conditions, the specific tools and their applications will differ. Practitioners of CBCRM have been developing and adapting participatory tools to their unique environments for many years now.

There is no one way to do community-based coastal resource management. Its concepts and processes continue to evolve as field practitioners relentlessly explore, innovate and generate new ideas and techniques in managing the coastal environment. This sourcebook is an attempt to document the various tools and methods developed in the course of doing CBCRM as actually and effectively employed by field practitioners in countries like the Philippines, Indonesia, India and other Asian countries.

The sourcebook is heavily biased towards participatory methods because the authors believe that such processes not only intend to empower, but do empower. Participatory approaches also generate relevant information from local and indigenous knowledge that is crucial to community-based coastal resource management.

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The sourcebook is designed for use by people working directly with coastal communities to help strengthen their capability to manage, protect and develop their local resources. These include community organizers, community leaders, researchers, other field workers who may come from NGOs, GOs or research and training institutions. The tools are meant to guide users and not to be taken as rigid formulas. The tools can generally be applied or adapted to all types of coastal settings with a little resourcefulness and creativity.