Who Pays for Water? a case study of action learning in the islands of the Caribbean

Abstract

This paper documents a case study of knowledge management and sharing in the Caribbean. The case study documents an action learning project on payments for watershed services (PWS) and their potential to enhance rural livelihoods, which is more fully described in the final project report (McIntosh and Leotaud 2007). The paper considers how action learning contributed to knowledge sharing about economic instruments for watershed management and their potential to contribute to improved rural livelihoods. It documents the approach taken to action learning in a region comprising many small islands with differing institutions. It also examines the value of the partnership between a southern and a northern non-governmental organisation (respectively the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute and the International Institute for Environment and Development) and compares the Caribbean process with those in the other project countries. Finally, it identifies ways in which the action learning process could be further enhanced and adapted to the region, and how these are being incorporated into a new action learning programme on Forests and Livelihoods.