THE STATE OF COMMUNITY-BASED NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN SOUTHERN AFRICA: ASSESSING PROGRESS AND LOOKING AHEAD

The document examines the shift in Southern Africa from centralized conservation to community-based natural resource management (CBNRM). It analyzes various institutional models—such as conservancies, community-based organisations (CBOs), and private game reserves—evaluating their success in balancing biodiversity conservation with rural livelihood improvement. Using Namibia and Botswana as primary case studies, the paper highlights the critical role of secure devolution of rights, transparent governance, and the need to diversify income streams beyond wildlife tourism to ensure long-term sustainability and community stewardship.

• CBNRM has seen mixed results in Southern Africa, with many governments preferring co-management and revenue-sharing models that allow the state to retain significant control and a large portion of income.
• The success of CBNRM projects depends on effective institutional frameworks, legislative support, and a focus on transparency and good governance within government, community, and private sector partnerships.
• A core paradox of CBNRM is that it requires the state to confer strong local resource rights upon communities, yet the state maintains the authority to withdraw those rights.
• In Botswana, the government uses a hybrid model where 35% of natural resource revenue goes directly to CBOs and 65% flows into a National Environment Fund to ensure a more equitable distribution of funds to communities without direct wildlife access.
• Namibia's communal conservancy model is considered a regional best practice due to broad and secure rights, the absence of middlemen between communities and the private sector, and the fact that 100% of wildlife benefits are retained locally.
• Namibia's CBNRM has yielded significant economic and ecological results, with community conservation contributing approximately $280 million to the net national income by 2014 and facilitating 5,808 jobs.
• Botswana's 2014 ban on commercial hunting has created economic risks for CBOs that relied on hunting revenue, as some areas are not suitable for photographic or cultural tourism.
• There is a significant need to diversify livelihood strategies beyond wildlife tourism to reduce risk, including the development of non-timber forest products like honey, marula oil, and medicinal plants.
• Local CBOs often struggle with internal governance issues, including lack of transparency, misappropriation of funds, and resource capture by local elites.
• The document argues for the integration of ecosystem service accounting and wealth accounting to better inform land-use decisions and recognize the non-monetary values of natural resources.

APA

Chevallier, R. (2016). THE STATE OF COMMUNITY-BASED NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN SOUTHERN AFRICA: ASSESSING PROGRESS AND LOOKING AHEAD. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Occasional-Paper-240.pdf

Chicago

Chevallier, Romy. THE STATE OF COMMUNITY-BASED NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN SOUTHERN AFRICA: ASSESSING PROGRESS AND LOOKING AHEAD. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2016. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Occasional-Paper-240.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Chevallier |first1=Romy |title=THE STATE OF COMMUNITY-BASED NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN SOUTHERN AFRICA: ASSESSING PROGRESS AND LOOKING AHEAD |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=August 2016 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Occasional-Paper-240.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{chevallier2016state, author = {Chevallier, Romy}, title = {{THE STATE OF COMMUNITY-BASED NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN SOUTHERN AFRICA: ASSESSING PROGRESS AND LOOKING AHEAD}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2016}, month = aug, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Occasional-Paper-240.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }