In  South  Africa  Community-­based  Natural  Resource  Management  (CBNRM)  has   recently  gained  popularity  as  the  dominant  approach  to  conservation  due  to  its  perceived   environmental  and  social  benefits  and  as  a  form  of  restitution  for  communities  that  were   forcibly  evicted  from  their  land  during  apartheid.  This  dissertation  investigates  the   disconnect  between  the  rhetoric  and  reality  of  CBNRM  in  South  Africa,  by  focusing  on   the  case  of  Ndumo  Game  Reserve.    It  aims  to  critically  evaluate  the  social  justice  and   economic  impacts  of  CBNRM  on  the  neighbouring  Mbangweni  and  Mathenjwa   communities.  It  argues  that  there  are  significant  tensions  between  the  community  focused   rhetoric  of  CBNRM,  the  predominantly  fortress-­style  of  conservation,  and  the  neo-­liberal   eco-­tourism  venture  at  Ndumo  Game  Reserve.  I  conclude  that  CBNRM  at  Ndumo  is   largely  guided  by  western  conservation  and  economic  ideologies  and  driven  by  the   support  of  state  and  private  interests  while  alienating  local  people  from  their  land  and  its   management.

This thesis seeks to understand the development and implementation of the community-based pasture management policy in Kyrgyzstan, which transferred the responsibility for pasture-use planning from state administrative organs to local community-based organizations. Using document analysis, this thesis contextualizes the emergence and evolution of the policy’s key premises, including the advantages of community-based management compared to state-centered management. Using interviews and observations, this thesis draws out individual experiences of herders, forestry service officials and the members of pasture committees with the implementation of the policy in the Kadamzhai district of Kyrgyzstan. Findings suggest that historical continuities in pasture governance play an important role in the functioning of such policies. On the national level, the reliance of the state on the Soviet administrative and territorial division has reinforced pasture-use fragmentation, where different institutional actors struggle for authority over pastures. These struggles can be observed on the local level, where the implementation of policy is often challenged by forestry officials believing in the advantages of the Soviet fortress conservation, rather than community-based management. Second, the local outcomes of policy depend on the compliant or resistant subject positions of individuals involved in pasture use. Policy implementation succeeded in the recruitment of compliant pasture committee chairmen, who claim to be interested in bringing good to the communities through steering the use of pastures. However, the procedures for the establishment of committees contributed to their top-down functioning, where herders often consider the committees as a state agency and find different strategies to avoid their imposed payments.

Community-based approaches to natural resource management have become increasingly popular because of their potential to stimulate rural economic development and promote sustainable natural resource use. The appeal of such approaches have been supported by recent developments in economic theory regarding collective action and common property institutions, which have replaced the long-held idea that resources held in common are doomed to overuse and degradation. In particular, a wide array of empirical and experimental studies have led to the emergence of ‘second generation’ collective action theories which are able to reconcile observed behaviour in social dilemma settings with rational choice theory. Second generation theories of collective action also encompass the concept of social capital; viewing forms of social capital as the fundamental motivations for collective action. Therefore, based on a second generation theoretical framework, social capital ought to play an important role in the emergence and maintenance of self-driven CBNRM projects. Despite this, there have been limited assessments of the explicit role of social capital in cases of self-driven CBNRM. Consequently, this study set out to evaluate the role of social capital and its relationship with the performance of a self-driven CBNRM case study in South Africa. In order to achieve this aim, a mixed methods research design was employed to assess the roles and relationships of social capital at different levels of analysis. Qualitative results highlighted the major role of social capital in building various forms of trust at the project level. On the other hand, quantitative results obtained from exploratory factor analysis uncovered a number of latent dimensions of social capital at the household level. In addition, two binary logistic regression models demonstrated both positive and negative relationships between latent dimensions of household-level social capital and indicators of successful collective action in the Umgano Project. The crucial role of traditional leaders in maintaining and mobilizing social capital was a cross-cutting feature of the results in this study. Overall, the findings of this study support the stance of second generation collective action theories regarding the role of social capital in enhancing collective action outcomes. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2015. / Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development / Unrestricted

In an understocked game management area surrounding privately managed Kasanka national park in the Central Province of Zambia, local attitudes towards conservation and park-people relations were examined in the context of a community based natural resource management program. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to 260 households and a multiple linear regression was used to analyze the data. Significant socioeconomic factors and attributes of households relevant in explaining positive conservation attitudes were education, employment with the park, and experience with outreach efforts. Outreach though is constrained by the limits on revenue generation of a small park, low communication of program purpose, and poor relations between park management and the chief. Support for conservation is undermined by antagonism between locals and wildlife scouts and crop damage by elephants. However, attitudes should improve with a strategy to address human-elephant conflict and enhance communication of the programs accomplishments and objectives.

This study examines the existing policy and planning frameworks in relation to tourism and local development in Namibia and the level of integration for the respective rural communities. The focus is on the Torra Conservancy in the north-western part of Namibia. The specific objectives are to assess the relative degree to which the local communities have had control in the community-based tourism (CBT) through the community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) programme in terms of rights, empowerment and economic benefits. The study involves a retrospective review of literature on integrative tourism and rural local development and through a survey of key community based tourism (CBT) actors in Bergsig and in Windhoek, Namibia. This study is mainly based on quantitative approach. In addition, thematic interviews were used, where possible, to understand and deepen the views expressed in the survey results. Respondents representing the three main clusters of the tourism industry; government, private sector and the host local communities were examined on their interpretation of the current development of the tourism industry in Namibia. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and factor analysis indicated statistical significant differences between different groups. The research findings revealed that the extent to which local communities participate in the tourism development process depends on the idealistic, and perhaps to some degree unrealistic, expectations, of community-based tourism in the national tourism policy spectrum. Since community perceptions match what is on the ground from development, problems are socially real and necessitated a viable solution for amelioration. Implications are discussed for building a more integrative policy approach that could help guide research, planning, development and evaluation of community-based tourism projects. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / tm2015 / Tourism Management / PhD / Unrestricted

Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The conservation of resources which fall under communal tenure has been a major dilemma for the past 60 years. In South Africa communal lands support more than a quarter of the country’s citizens, mostly the poorest members of society whose livelihoods rely heavily on natural resources. Wildlife enterprise is an alternative land use strategy for implementing community based resource management on communal lands. Additionally, safari hunting has been recognised as an efficient means of initiating wildlife based land use practises. In the 1980’s a community owned game reserve, which utilised safari hunting as an income source, was established on one of South Africa’s black homelands, the Ciskei. Since then, the reserve has been disbanded but little is known about how it operated, the reason it was formed or why it failed. The aim of this study was twofold: firstly, to document and understand the happenings of a failed community owned hunting reserve in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province and secondly, to determine what level of support there would be amongst the local residents if the reserve was to be re-established. Semi structured, qualitative interviews were conducted to gather information about the reserve from key informants. Structured, randomly selected household surveys were used to gauge local residents support on the idea of having the reserve re-established. Additionally, in doing so it was possible to view, though indirectly, the thoughts and attitudes of the residents to the notion of safari hunting as a land use option. In review of the reserve history it was found that complexities that make up the social settings of communal lands in South Africa were ignored and dealt with through the age-old approach of top-down management regimes. Once the power of the initial authorities was lost the entire project was doomed to failure as local residents felt no need to keep the project alive. Results showed that 73.7% of the respondents would support the redevelopment of the Ntabethemba Reserve while 19.5% would not. The remaining 6.8% could not say whether they would or would not. The majority of the respondents (73%) believed that the area should be marketed for safari hunters, whilst 13% were against it, 9% were neutral and 5% were unsure. The Ntabethemba Reserve can be viewed as a ‘joint-management’ project where management responsibilities were adopted by a non-community party. If a future project is to be undertaken it needs to be aware of the complex socio-ecological setting of the area and account for this in ways that are beyond those advocated in the traditional approach to protected area conservation. The highly skewed distribution of livestock ownership needs to be taken into consideration in that those few individuals who own the most livestock would lose the most from any development that reduces grazing lands. Both the benefits and the costs need to be distributed in such a way that a situation is avoided where only a few are benefiting at the expense of others. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die bewaring van hulpbronne in gebiede met kommunale grondregte is reeds vir die afgelope 60 jaar uiters problematies. In Suid-Afrika is meer as ‘n kwart van alle landsburgers afhanklik van kommunale grondgebiede vir hulle lewensonderhoud. Dit is hoofsaaklik die armste lede van die gemeenskap wat op die natuurlike hulpbronne in hierdie gebiede staatmaak. Natuurlewe-ondernemings bied ‘n alternatiewe strategie vir grondverbruik, wat die implementasie van gemeenskapsaangedrewe hulpbronbestuur op kommunale grond moontlik maak. Daarmee gepaard, is safari-jag ‘n erkende en effektiewe metode om praktyke rondom natuurlewe-gesentreerde grondverbruik te inisieer. Gedurende die 1980’s is ‘n natuurreservaat met gemeenskapsregte in een van Suid-Afrika se swart tuislande, naamlik die Ciskei, gevestig. Safari-jag is as inkomstebron in hierdie reservaat benut. Die reservaat is sedertdien ontbind. Daar is egter min inligting oor hoe die reservaat bedryf is, oor die redes waarom dit geskep is, of waarom dit misluk het. Hierdie studie was tweedoelig: eerstens om die gebeure rondom ‘n mislukte jagreservaat met gemeenskapsregte in die Oos-Kaapprovinsie te dokumenteer en te begryp, and tweedens, om te bepaal of, en in hoe ‘n mate, die plaaslike inworners die hervestiging van die reservaat sou ondersteun. Half-gestruktureerde, kwalitatiewe onderhoude is gevoer om inligting oor die reservaat van sleutelinformante in te win. Gestruktureerde, ewekansig geselekteerde huishoudelike steekproewe is gedoen om die steun vir die moontlike hervestiging van die reservaat te peil. Op indirekte wyse was dit verder moontlik om inwoners se houdings en benaderings tot safari-jag as grondverbruikerskeuse te evalueer. Toe die geskiedenis van die reservaat in oorsig geneem is, is bevind dat die ingewikkelde sosiale agtergrond van gemeenkappe met kommunale grondregte in Suid-Afrika verontagsaam is, en dat die afgeleefde bestuursbenadering “van-bo-af-ondertoe” ook hier gebruik is. Toe die eermalige owerhede al hulle uitvoerende magte verloor het was die projek tot mislukking bestem, omdat die plaaslike inwoners geen rede gesien het om dit aan die lewe te hou nie. Die resultate het getoon dat 73.7% van die respondente die herontwikkeling van die Ntabethemba Reservaat sou ondersteun, terwyl 19.5% dit nie sou doen nie. Die oorblywende 6.8% kon nie sȇ of hulle ten gunste daarvan was of nie. Die meerderheid van die respondente (73%) is van mening dat die gebied as safarijaggebbied bemark moet word, terwyl 13% daarteen was, 9% neutraal en 5% onseker was. Die Ntabethemba-reservaat kan eerder as ‘n projek van “gesamentlike-bestuur” beskou word, as ‘n inisiatief wat uiteraard op “kommunaal-gebaseerde natuurlike hulpbronbestuur” (CBNRM) gegrond is. As ‘n projek in die toekoms weer geloots word, moet sorgvuldig ag geslaan word op die ingewikkelde sosio-ekologiese agtergrond van die gebied. Dit mag nie, soos in die verlede, bloot volgens die tradisionele benadering tot die bewaring van beskermde gebiede van stapel gestuur word nie. Die erg skewe verspreiding van veebesit is uiters belangrik in hierdie konteks, aangesien die paar individue wat die meeste vee besit, die grootste verliese sal moet dra as ‘n ontwikkeling plaasvind wat weidingsverliese behels. Beide voordele en verliese moet opgeweeg en eweredig versprei word, sodat ‘n paar mense nie ten koste van ander begunstig word nie.

Student Number : 0318769R - PhD thesis - School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies - Faculty of Science / This thesis is about the relationship between planned resettlement, livelihoods and environmental resources in Zimbabwe. In Zimbabwean resettlement areas, assets such as human and physical capital, social networks and financial resources are often clearly insufficient to adequately provide inputs for the sustainable productive and extractive systems that are required to drive the rural economy. Due to uncertainties related to agricultural production doubts have been expressed about the benefits of state sponsored resettlement. Currently, debate is raging on whether land resettlement in Zimbabwe has yielded the intended benefits among land reform beneficiaries, with some scholars even questioning whether state sponsored resettlement is not merely an expensive way of reproducing the livelihoods of communal lands. This thesis contributes to the ongoing debate about the link between rural livelihoods and land resettlement, using the case of Mufurudzi resettlement scheme in Zimbabwe. Based on a livelihood framework, the thesis argues that in order to fully understand the relationship between land reform and livelihoods, livelihood trajectories have to be examined. In line with this thinking the thesis presents a number of arguments. First, the thesis argues that there are many theoretical frameworks for analyzing the relationship between people, resettlement and environmental resources such as forests and woodlands and the sustainable livelihood framework is just one of them. Second, resettlement does not necessarily always lead to environmental destruction. Instead resettlement provides the mechanism for unlocking the natural capital that local communities require for survival. Forest and woodland resources are one such form of natural capital. Under these circumstances access to natural capital, particularly in the form of forest and woodland resources, becomes the cornerstone of survival, notwithstanding the role that these resources play in supplying daily livelihood requirements such as food, shelter, fuel, medicines and other needs, in a harsh macro-economic environment. Apart from providing important products, forest and woodland resources also provide a mechanism through which land reform beneficiary communities can diversify their livelihoods. The key finding of this research is that despite their continual use during the past 25 years no wholesale degradation has occurred to the forest and woodland resources in Mufurudzi. Informal CBNRM is responsible for this situation.

Community Based Natural Resource Management has been espoused by many as a way to move global environmental agendas for biodiversity protection forward. CBNRM places the locus of control and management of resources closer to the communities that depend on them. This idealized view of community based resource management has often proven to be challenging to implement. In this thesis the CBNRM literature is reviewed and a framework developed identifying the main criteria for successful CBNRM and the main explanations of failure in CBNRM. I then look at the role of CBNRM as a tool for rural economic development and wildlife conservation in Botswana with a case study of the village of Xai Xai. I spent approximately one year in Botswana, gaining a greater understanding of the implications of CBNRM in the country as a whole. I conclude overall, that CBNRM has not been successful in promoting either biodiversity protection or local economic development though there are certain exceptions throughout the country. I spent over three months in Xai Xai conducting interviews. I conclude that the project has led to limited wildlife conservation (or it is impossible to tell as there is no data), and has contributed in only a limited way to rural economic development and empowerment of the Basarwa. But the project has potentially led to increasing hostilities and declining cooperation and relationships within and among the ethnic groups in the village. This thesis shows through a specific case study, that there are many complexities at play when implementing a CBNRM project. The local context, knowledge and perspective must be taken into consideration or the success of the project may be doomed from the start. Possibly the premise of CBNRM may not be a realistic approach to begin with and other options should be considered.

Over the past few decades there has been a concerted effort in southern Africa forcommunity based natural resource management (CBNRM) programs. The generalpremise behind CBNRM allows local communities to be empowered to utilize theirsurrounding natural resources to facilitate socio-economic growth. This is seen as aneffective rural development tool which often takes on the form of eco-tourism inSouth Africa. It creates a link between nature conservation and socio-economicdevelopment needs and is normally built on existing conservation areas such asnational parks (Ezeuduji et al. 2017: 225).“Protected area outreach” is a form ofCBNRM (Chevallier 2016: 6), and this degree project examines how stakeholderparticipation was incorporated into the formulation of Kruger National Park’s (KNP)ten-year management plan. Using KNP’s stakeholder engagement process as anaturalistic case study, the aim is to discover the extent of participation and whethertrue empowerment is facilitated. This was done via document analysis of the 2018KNP Stakeholder Participation Report using the emancipatory approach. Thisapproach is influenced by critical, post-colonial and intersectional theory andemphasizes the attainment of social justice through the unveiling and dismantling ofinvisible oppressive power structures (Wesp et al. 2018: 319). The analysis showsthat KNP uses a systems approach to their stakeholder engagement as opposed toan empowerment one; that participation is limited to consultation and is thereforemerely a form of tokenism; that weaker marginalized stakeholder groups suffer fromsystemic exclusion and underrepresentation; and that there is little to no attentiongiven to empowerment nor structural reform to drive social change.

This thesis seeks to highlight the importance of a geographic and culturally specific knowledge base to guide natural resource management and governance policy, particularly within the West African context. In order to demonstrate the level of complexity that may exist within this realm, the Kedougou region of Senegal is used as a case study. Traditional Method of Subsistence (TMoS), Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), and ethnic diversity are considered in order to validate the need to go beyond a superficial involvement of community within models such as Community-based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM). Focus groups were conducted for this case study in order to identify areas of similarity and difference that exist along ethnic lines. Two areas of concern that all ethnic groups agreed upon was a depletion of water resources and a diminished growing season that leads to an annual food shortage in the region. Three primary areas of difference were found to coincide with traditional ethnic boundaries in the region: traditional religious belief, wealth accumulation and social hierarchy. The findings of this research demonstrate that while areas of cohesive community concern may serve as a focal point for CBNRM programs, it is also important to consider areas of ethnic difference which hold the potential to significantly influence sustainable and equitable resource management. For example, while traction methods for intensified agriculture are identified as important by all ethnic groups represented in this thesis: (A) traditional agricultural ethnic groups already have experience with these methods, and may only need access to assistance such as micro-credit opportunities, (B) the pastoral ethnic groups already have an abundance of traction animals, and so equipment may be what is primarily needed, while (C) the horticultural group may not have access to the land necessary for optimal traction agriculture. It is therefore suggested that CBNRM programs must be structured around community variables found along cultural lines in order to be of value to government and non-government conservation programs and policy formation in the region.