Poverty Alleviation and Community Based Natural Resource Management in Southern Africa

Abstract

"Community based natural resource management (CBNRM) can refer to a range of different interventions, and can imply different meanings in different countries. In most southern African countries, CBNRM programmes are typically designed to devolve rights over wildlife and/or forestry (and sometimes other resources) on communal lands to local institutions. The basis of the devolution of management responsibility over these resources is that, if the benefits that can be derived from the use of the resources can outweigh their management costs, communities will have the incentive to sustainably manage the resources.

"Naturally, programmes evolve differently in each country according to different social, political and economic influences. However, they do have common central objectives, which typically relate primarily to the conservation of biodiversity and secondarily to contributing to rural economic development, poverty alleviation and/or the improvement of rural livelihoods."