The increasing shift towards co-management has prompted managers to reflect upon their new roles and reconsider information requirements. This technical paper, in two parts, is aimed to meet the growing need among co-managers for guidelines to help design and implement appropriate and cost-effective data collection programmes or systems. Part 1: Practical guide has been written specifically for co-managers and facilitators working in the field and offers simple and practical advice on helping stakeholders identify their information needs in relation to their management objectives and responsibilities, and developing collaborative ways of collecting and sharing the information in the most effective way. (Part 2 is ISBN 92-5-105410-X)