What is community mapping? Community mapping focuses on the social and agro-forestry practices of the people, out of which zones of activity emerge, including boundaries with other communities.

It is important to encourage all sections of the community to draw the map, for they all have different experiences with the land. One has to elicit their concerns, acknowledge their work experience and to get them to sketch these on sheets of plastic with marker pens as they explore every stream, ridge or cove. When a group participates freely and openly in such an activity the individuals unconsciously organize their thoughts and their actions as a community. The map gives them something to hold, to show others and say: this is where and how we live.

The approach is to borrow this community map and digitize it so that in more technical surroundings, cartographers may relate it to topographical maps of NAMRIA (National Mapping and Resource Information Agency). The objective is to retain the value of both maps so that government can appreciate that government can appreciate that community's understanding, as well as their potential responsibility for managing the area.

Neighbouring communities are then more easily encouraged to draw their own maps and relate them to the initial community involved. All this helps document the resources and establish the different areas of responsibility by which the different groups can be granted management rights under appropriate management programs.

Understanding the map

The community map usually has at its center the village, from which the map spreads out towards higher lands. The community may initially give greater space to their location of their houses or basic crops, places where they spend most of their time. Marginal activities and associated areas are given little map space, though extensive in land area. Community's sense of distance is often a matter of time, frequency of visits and activity and not that of purely distance. If rattan collection is an activity, estimates of getting to the area may then reflect the activity of collecting itself, or may reflect the seasonal accessibility and nature of the terrain.

Roads linking the barangay to the municipality proper are an important line of direction as are old logging roads through the area. Equally important are the rivers and streams as most life and daily activity is tied to them.

Community mapping potentials

The main concern is participation. It is hoped that through the process, a sense of ownership, accountability and empowerment is established. The use of a community mapping approach supplies a process for dialogue and discussion, which is vital in establishing the socio-cultural context conducive for doing sustainable resource management.