Options for governance and decision-making across scales and sectors

Sustaining nature and nature’s contributions to people (NCP) in the Asia-Pacific region is hinged on a multi-scale, multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder governance regime (well established). The expert driven and centralised governance systems that still exist in varying intensities in almost all parts of the region, are insufficient for promoting a network-based governance linking sub-national and national political hierarchies to regional and global frameworks and adaptive co-management with various local stakeholders from communities, the private sector and civil society. Good environmental governance, which enables integration of regional and global BES frameworks to national sectoral policies and mainstreaming of BES policies into sub-national and local development plans, programs and actions, is crucial for achieving a positive future for BES. Moreover, mainstreaming will entail efforts from the government to enhance acceptance by and participation of various stakeholders. While some countries have responded to these needs, others, in particular Western Asia, have been slow to respond, mainly because of limited institutional capacity in formulating and implementing BES policies and devising innovative mechanisms for generating and mobilising finance. An important step towards this will be the assessment and, wherever necessary, restructuring policy instruments in light of the policy options {6.2.2, 6.2.2.1, 6.2.2.2, 6.4.1, 6.4.2}..