Assessment, Conservation and Sustainable Use of Forest Biodiversity

Assessment, Conservation and Sustainable Use of Forest Biodiversity
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PARTICIPATORY WILDLIFE QUOTA SETTING PROCESS: LINKING
BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION, SUSTAINABLE USE AND EQUITY ISSUES
Norman Rigava
WWF Southern Africa Regional Programme Office
10 Lanark Road, Belgravia
P O Box CY1409
Causeway, Harare, Zimbabwe
E-mail: nrigava@wwf.org.zw
Keywords: Conservation; semi-arid ecosystems; sustainable use
Biodiversity Conservation in the Past – Centralised Authoritarian and Exclusive
The history of biodiversity conservation has been characterised by centralised planning and authoritarian
management (Long et al, 2001). In order to create protected areas, rural people were forcibly removed from
areas designated for conservation and were subsequently denied access to natural resources (NRs) they had
previously relied upon. The rural people did not receive any direct benefits generated by the state from these
conservation areas. Conservation became an “exclusive” activity, economically and socially isolated from the
surrounding landscape. Outside of protected areas, many states also tried to dictate to rural people how they
should, or should not, use the resources upon which they lived and often depended. This “command and
control” approach to natural resource management, both within protected areas and on common-land, lead to
significant social, ecological and management costs. (Posey, et al,1999).
Biodiversity Conservation Today – Decentralised and Participatory
The past few decades have witnessed a significant redefinition of the conservation paradigm. Today emphasis
is placed on decentralised structures and on participatory approaches in management of NRs. This new
direction entails a “pluralistic approach” to managing NRs based on partnerships, as well as the equitable
allocation resource-related benefits and responsibilities (Borrini-Feyerabend, et al, 2000). It incorporates a
number of stakeholders, including previously disenfranchised rural communities, in order to integrate
conservation into the wider landscape. On common and private land, state natural resource management
authorities have devolved proprietorship to resource users and landowners. Implicit in this approach is that
conservation is “about people” and therefore must take place within the context of their sustainable
development.
The Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE)
The Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE) is an example of
decentralised NR management to communal farmers in semi-arid areas of Zimbabwe. The Programme started
in 1989 and is characterised by the sustainable use of wildlife and strong emphasis is placed upon creating
tangible financial benefits for people involved in the management of the wildlife resources. Today, about 90%
of all gross income from CAMPFIRE comes from sport hunting (Bond, 1994). Consequently quota setting is a
very important activity in CAMPFIRE both from a biological and financial sustainability standpoint.
Participatory Wildlife Quota Setting
The wildlife quota setting process developed and currently in use in CAMPFIRE, takes account the “fugitive
nature of wildlife and the multiple stakeholders involved in its management …” (Taylor, 2001). In doing so, it
also attempts to link community based wildlife conservation and use approaches to more equitable power,
responsibilities and benefit sharing arrangements. The process used to set sport hunting quotas for elephants
and other species is embedded in adaptive management. The development of this method commenced in 1994
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