Board games, role-playing and 3D maps: Facilitating forestry research uptake in Indonesia

Board games, role-playing and 3D maps: Facilitating forestry research uptake in Indonesia

Michelle Kovacevic Forests News Editor and Social Media Coordinator

A story: Learning from my first game

Today

Why do we need good communication of forestry research?

Two case studies

• Forests home to 40-65 million people

• Demands on Indonesia's forests have grown -- industrial development, climate change

• Communities facing tough choices (e.g. sell vs preserve?)

Indonesia: A forest home

The need for good communication

• Future of forests depends on their actions

• Three C’s – Complexity, confusion and conflict

“In the end, we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand,

and we will understand only what we are taught.”

Baba Dioum, Ministry of Agriculture, Senegal

The need for good communication

Game theory as a communication tool

Build on the idea of a

“landscape approach”

Landscape game: A virtual reality?

3D mapping and role playing games

Meetings

Create a 3D model

Role playing game

Paint the 3D model

7 days of negotiation: End up with a Land Use Plan

7 days of negotiation: Lessons learnt

• Taught villagers to read maps

• Better understanding of how land is used

• Felt empowered by their newly acquired knowledge • Better negotiators

Conclusion• Two-way interaction (games, role playing) good communication

tool• Linked to reality• Fun and educational to avoid “communication fatigue”

Contact me:

m.kovacevic@cgiar.orgTwitter: @kovamic