The World Bank/WBI’s CBNRM Initiative    

Case Receivied: January 28, 1998

Authors: Moses Samson and Lucy Maotonyane

Tel: +267 306396/371405

Fax: +267 306396

Email: botsnrmp@info.bw and dwnpbots@global.bw

Botswana has become part of a new movement in Southern Africa and beyond, that seeks to bring changes in the way natural resources are managed. Like Zimbabwe, Zambia, and more recently Namibia and South Africa, Botswana has introduced new measures that recognize the need for the involvement of rural communities in the decision making process pertaining to natural resource management and conservation. Contemporary development discourse holds that, the participation of men and women who depend on the environment and its resources in the management and utilization of these resources is of paramount importance. This assumption is predicated on the idea that people who depend directly on a given set of resources are the ones with the greatest interest in preserving them (Painter, 1995). This paper seeks to present the experiences of community-based efforts at conservation and sustainable development of wildlife areas in Botswana.

This paper will outline Botswana's transformation of its natural resource management and conservation approaches using two communities in northern Botswana (Chobe and Sankoyo) as case studies. The paper will deal with the evolution of wildlife management practices and identify institutional development and linkages at local level and lesson learnt. The issue of institutions is crucial in this paper as their development will have either a negative or positive impact on natural resources' management and sustainable utilization of resources. Institutions in Botswana have undergone a series of changes over the years. Prior to colonialism, Batswana had established their own local institutions which had control over resource management. These locally based institutions had their own rules which determined who had access to what resources. Local traditional institutions became distorted by the advent of the state and its modern institutions and new rules of access to natural resources. Our paper will briefly assess the impact of modern institutions and modern rules on local communities and conservation.

Several communities in Rural Botswana have now been granted new opportunities in natural resources management. The government of Botswana has made legislative changes that would allow most rural communities to participate in the decision making processes pertaining to resource utilization. Two communities which have been granted management rights over wildlife will be the focus of our presentation. These communities had derived economic and financial benefits out of managing the hunting quotas in their own areas. They had make decisions about how they want the benefits to be distributed among the communities, decide who are the beneficiaries and develop community action plans for other investment and development options and how they are going to monitor the condition of their natural resources against extinction, misuse or any other damage. This process involves locally based institutions that are democratically elected, representative, accountable and legitimate in the eyes of the community. This paper will carry three major themes or assumptions as the basis for our argument. We will argue that (1) centralized top-down decision making does not work for wildlife (2) Local communities cannot achieve the goals of sustainable development on their own (3) The partnership of local communities and their institutions in the national strategy is paramount importance to the sustainable utilization of natural resources, conservation and development.

The return of custodianship over natural resources to local communities that enhances their willingness to use and manage them sustainable involves not only government but also Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs), private sectors and Donor agencies. This paper is about changes we are beginning to see about the way people perceive wildlife and the development of community institutions which are incharge of the process.

The lessons learnt are reflections of baseline studies conducted and monitoring reports. This paper will discuss the follow lessons:

1. Monitoring and Evaluation system needed for CBNRM projects
2. Local communities cannot achieve the goals of sustainable development on their on.
3. Involvement of all in decision making is critical.
4. Broaden the Resource base of CBNRM 5. Need for able and experience technical advisors for support of CBNRM

The authors, Moses Samson and Lucy Maotonyane are Rural Sociologists work for Sociology Unit in the Department of Wildlife and National Parks in Botswana. Both have been directly involved with local communities through the USAID funded Natural Resources Management Project in Botswana. Their work has been primarily as technical advisors to all community-based projects, assisting in institution building, community empowerment, baseline research, monitoring and evaluation and Participatory Rural Appraisals.