VIRTUAL CONSERVATION HUB
Human rights in conservation and development projects: setting up grievance-redress mechanisms
On September 30th, NaturAfrica West Africa and OBAPAO organized a webinar on Grievance Redress Mechanisms (GRMs), with Margit Bertalan, WCS Regional Rights & Communities Technical Director for Central Africa and Gulf of Guinea, and Melaine Kermarc, Specialist in integrating human rights into protected area management.
GRMs represent a transparent, safe and confidential space for communities to share any grievances, complaints, ideas, or recommendations they would like to bring to the attention of the Protected Areas’ management teams.
Photo: GRM preparatory meetings © Christ Nzouzi / WCS Congo
Photo: GRM preparatory meetings © Christ Nzouzi / WCS Congo
In addition to its global GRM, WCS has developed site-specific GRMs in nine of its country programmes in Africa, as well as in five additional regions around the world. Drawing on her experience leading the development and implementation of these critical mechanisms, WCS’s Regional Rights & Communities Technical Director for Central Africa and Gulf of Guinea, Margit Bertalan, shared several key messages:
1. Why it matters: Conservation can affect people’s rights, livelihoods, and access to natural resources. A GRM gives people a way to raise concerns and seek a response. It helps WCS identify and address harm and is a practical part of a human rights-based approach to conservation.
2. How WCS’s system works: People can submit concerns through several channels at the site level. WCS uses a standardized process to record, assess, investigate, resolve, and follow up on each grievance. Submissions move automatically into a central system, with notifications that bring serious cases to the attention of the appropriate country, regional, and global staff.
3. How it supports adaptation: WCS analyzes grievances and other feedback to identify recurring concerns and gaps in its work. Teams can use what they learn to adjust activities, strengthen safeguards, and respond to community priorities over time.
The European Union supports the GRMs in conservation initiatives across Africa, through the NaturAfrica initiative.
