World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) recently convened a regional workshop in Harare to strengthen community-led conservation by introducing the Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) Enabling Conditions Tool (ECT) to practitioners from Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The initiative forms part of the Concept and Practice: Consultations for Developing and Piloting an Enabling Conditions Tool for Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) project, funded by the UK Government through the Darwin Initiative.
The project aims to strengthen community-led conservation across selected sites in the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) by developing and piloting a practical tool that helps assess and improve the institutional conditions required for effective Community-Based Natural Re
Building on the outcomes of an earlier consultation held in Kasane, Botswana, the Harare workshop brought together 20 participants representing a broad range of conservation institutions and community-based organisations from across the region.
Participants included <a href="https://absafricatv.com/a-meeting-with-a-representative-from-libya-took-place-at-the-iir-mfa/” title=”A meeting with a representative from Libya took place at the IIR MFA”>representatives from the KAZA TFCA Secretariat, WWF Namibia, WWF Zambia, WWF Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks), Matusadona National Park, African Parks Zambia, the Zambia CBNRM Forum, Zambia’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW), Namibia’s Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT), the Community CAMPFIRE Association of Zimbabwe (CCAZ), the Community Leaders Network, and other CBNRM practitioners and stakeholders.
The workshop sought to familiarise participants with the Enabling Conditions Tool and its accompanying facilitation manual, which will be used to monitor and assess the institutional, governance, and social conditions that support effective community-based natural re
Participants also refreshed their facilitation skills in preparation for leading community-based pilot assessments using the tool. The sessions provided an opportunity to strengthen practical skills in facilitating participatory discussions with communities while ensuring that local perspectives remain central to the assessment process.
In addition, country teams developed action plans outlining timelines, responsibilities, and implementation processes for piloting the Enabling Conditions Tool within selected KAZA partner sites.
The workshop reaffirmed that successful conservation depends on creating an enabling environment where communities have the governance structures, partnerships, rights, and support systems needed to sustainably manage natural re
‘’Through the pilot implementation of the Enabling Conditions Tool, the project will generate evidence to inform improvements in community-based natural resource management governance and contribute to national policy dialogue across participating countries. The findings are also expected to promote locally driven, market-based conservation approaches that strengthen biodiversity conservation, sustainable livelihoods, and inclusive economic development throughout the KAZA landscape’’, said Terrance Sikapizye Peace Parks Officer.
Strengthening community-led conservation across the KAZA landscape
© WWF Zimbabwe
