Purpose of the GMP
The primary purpose of the new GMP is to lay out the vision and philosophy for the 10-year development and management of BMNP. In addition to its primary purpose, this GMP has other functions.
Primary purpose:
- To lay out the vision and philosophy for the 10-year development and management of BMNP
Secondary purposes:
- To outline strategies by which the vision can be achieved
- To lay out the roles and responsibilities for implementers
- To function as a public relations document by providing a written description of BMNP’s management philosophy
- To solicit donor funding by clearly laying out the management framework, priorities and input requirements
- To provide continuity in management as managers, policy makers or partner projects change
- To provide a framework for the participation of and coordination among all stakeholders, including local communities, government, projects and donors
The following principles guide the implementation of this GMP and are fundamental to management of BMNP.
- Conservation of the ERVs takes precedence in all actions
- Partnerships with stakeholders, particularly park-associated communities, are a key component of GMP implementation
- Environmental and socio-cultural impacts of developments and park users will be minimised
- Management systems will be responsive and adaptive to changing circumstances and knowledge
This GMP has adopted the “Logical Framework Approach”, which is proven to be the most effective approach for development and conservation project planning. This approach ensures explicit and logical linkages are established between all components of the GMP. This provides an efficient, accountable and logical rationale for planning and facilitates GMP implementation, monitoring and evaluation. Until recently, general management plans typically adopted 10-year planning horizons. However, lessons learnt from implementing this approach suggest that 10-year actions may become redundant as the ecological, political and socio-economic contexts change. This GMP incorporates both 10-year strategic objectives and 3-year action planning to ensure that the GMP retains a long-term strategic vision while providing the required flexibility and responsiveness to changing needs and situations. The 3-year action plan also lays out roles and responsibilities, identifies external support required and potential partners, and prioritises actions for implementation. Each management action also includes specific activities to guide day-to-day implementation. Ultimately, there should be a strong link between the actions and activities prescribed by this GMP and the Annual Operations Plans (AOPs) and associated budgets developed by park management.
The GMP is structured by management programmes that break down overall park management into coherent themes (adapted from best practice elsewhere in East Africa region). Management departments within BMNP will mirror this management programme structure and thus primary responsibility for implementing each programme will fall to the Experts of a given department. This allocation of responsibility helps to build a sense of ownership and accountability for GMP implementation and success among all park staff. Each management programme follows the Logical Framework Approach adopted throughout the GMP.
The five management programmes for BMNP are:
- Ecological Management
- Sustainable Natural Resource Management
- Tourism Provision and Management
- Park Operations
- Outreach