This is our 100th post. Special thanks to all of our passionate readers, keen followers and avid "enviroboys" fans for continuing to read this blog. We appreciate the comments and input that you have provided to us to make this blog more exciting and more fun to read.
Among many of the aims of this blog, one is to maintain an on-going dialogue on several issues that pertain to the environment. Chris and I blog a lot about some of the contemporary environmental issues within North America and feel that providing some insight and analysis into issues from different parts of the world would be useful for our readers. This entry is about the successes of community based natural resource management in Namibia.
Wildlife management is always tricky business. As I alluded to with India, tigers are becoming more scarce and the state government wants to protect them by relocating people who are living within the park. An effective tactic, but not the most equitable. When it comes to actually preserving wildlife in national parks or game reserves, numerous challenges arise. Mostly due to the fact that wildlife is an open access resource meaning no one owns it and therefore there are little incentives to conserve them. Consequently, a lot of wildlife is lost due to excessive poaching.
Namibia is an exception however. The government principally relies on community based natural resource management (CBNRM), which is premised on the management of natural resources and wildlife through development that is economically viable, socially beneficial, and ecologically sustainable. There has been this push because the locals have witnessed uncontrolled poaching of wildlife. The locals also have cultural and spiritual connection to wildlife and the land. They do not control it, but they highly value it. With the starting of CBNRM policy approach in 1980, wildlife has been better protected and valued across the country. It has brought about a system that gives locals a chance to identify poachers and bring them to justice. These locals are like traditional authorities serving the interests of the common good. The country is slowly seeing a shift towards giving the local people land rights to manage natural resources and wildlife in game reserves.
In addition, they have established “conservation conservancies” which are land titles held by the government but give the locals the opportunity to manage wildlife through ensuring adequate protection of these species. Conservancies disallow poaching on these lands which makes it easier to control and monitor hunting. With a population of about 2 million people, 220,000 (10%) are living on these conservancies. The people are very connected so much that there are annual general meetings so that people can vote on the future course of action for wildlife preservation. Folks this is a democratic process for wildlife protection and preservation, something we are not accustomed to in North America. Tourism has also been on the rise in Namibia employing the locals with jobs that they are generally content with because they know that they are contributing to the betterment of their natural environment. Moreover, they are getting trained through these jobs and many go on to start their own local businesses (developing human capital).
Through a CBNRM approach, and with the implementation of conservation conservancies, the people have been given appropriate incentives to protect wildlife and this has avoided the tragedy of the commons. The country understands that you do not need PhD wildlife biologists to manage these game reserves and conservancies. The locals can manage them just as well given the right incentives, rights and laws that permit them to do so. CBNRM has also given women a chance to get closer with land rights ultimately providing them with an avenue to look after endangered species and not worry about being forcefully relocated by the government.
Key message: CBNRM provides incentives to conserve natural resources and protect wildlife. Legislation that gives communities the power to create their own conservancies is very progressive and equitable. Allowing local communities to create conservancies to manage and benefit from wildlife on communal land is a step in the right direction.
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