the role of tourism in natural resource management in the okavango ...

their land, etc., such as cash, meat and the" use of OCT vehicles. Taylor (2001)
interprets this lack of benefits as partly due to the ethnic differences between the
San of Gudigwa and the other four villages/members of the trust (who comprise
mostly Bantu groups such as Basubiya). The San claim that their village is looked
down upon by other members of the Trust because they are Basarwa or San. They
state that they would prefer to form an independent trust and gain their own
concession area and wildlife quota. However, attempts to create a 'Bushmen only'
trust by the people of Khwai were not accepted by the Botswana Government, and
hence any attempts by the Gudigwa community will almost certainly fail (Mbaiwa,
2004).
The poor distribution of benefits from CBNRM projects is a result of factors such as:
ethnic differences and internal conflicts between members of a trust, and poor co­
ordination between the Village Technical Committees/Board of Trustees and the
general community. For example, the DWNP (2000) notes, that in the OCT and
OKMCT, there is poor communication between trust board members and the wider
community. This has resulted in a 'lack of ownership' of the trust by villagers or
community members. With regards to the OKMCT, the DWNP (2000) further notes
that the long distances between the six villages belonging to the trust, and poor
working relations between the villages, has resulted in the failure by the six
communities to appreciate the trust as their own. This has resulted in the Village
Technical Committees/Board Members running the trust without much participation
from the other community members (Mbaiwa, 2004).
As a result of such a situation, in many villages that are involved in CBNRM projects,
it is only trust members that receive direct benefits from CBNRM. However, the
distribution of benefits is probably the most crucial component of CBNRM, and if not
worked out in sufficient detail, becomes a potential stumbling block for CBOs
(Mbaiwa, 2004).
7.3.8 CBNRM and Natural Resource Conservation
One of the primary objectives of CBNRM is community participation in natural
resource management. Through local involvement and the ability to derive
economic benefits from the resources in their local environment, it is assumed that
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