Since January 2011, the Whakatane Mechanism has been piloted in three places: at Mount Elgon in Western Kenya, in Ob Luang National Park in northern Thailand, and in Kahuzi Biega National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The structure of these pilot Assessments was similar: a first roundtable that brought together the different institutions involved in the protected area to explain the concept of the Whakatane Mechanism and plan ahead. This was followed by a scoping study of several days in the protected area to meet with communities and local officials. A second roundtable followed to present and agree on the findings and recommendations of the Assessment. You can read more about the pilot Assessments below.