Charters have facilitated the involvement of key
stakeholders, including policy- and community
decision-makers and helped find better ways
to manage a natural resource sustainably. This
brief has described the charter process with the
example of Shea trees in Burkina Faso.
The charters reinforce the involvement of
the customary management in the overall
management of Shea trees and all stakeholders
take part in the execution of the actions
identified in the charters. Furthermore, the
existing charters are taken into account in the
drafting of municipal development plans for
how to manage natural resources, resulting in
the local communities’ automatic involvement
in the process. The participatory process has
brought the departments for natural resource
management and other local actors closer
together.