How Government & Community Works Together For Wildlife Coexistence
05/02/24 • 41 min
In this episode, we visit the Mahenye community and Jamanda Conservancy in Zimbabwe where the hope is that tourism revenue will aid those living alongside dangerous, and sometimes life-threatening, wildlife.
The Jamanda Conservancy is the location for the first Communal Area Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE) and today boasts an upmarket tourist lodge called Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge. This has resulted in an increase in revenue for the community and employs many of their members. The creation of the conservancy created a 10km border with Gonarezhou National Park and has re-established the ancient elephant migration route between Gonarezhou and Chimanimani in Mozambique.
Maxwell was the victim of a horrific crocodile attack on the Save River, but 20 years after, shares his story and his relationship with wildlife after such a life changing event.
Chief Mahenye represents every family in the community as part of his role. He explains how the challenges of coexisting with wildlife match up with the monetary benefits that come from hunting and tourism.
Liberty Chauke is a CAMPFIRE community association board member and feels that changes in land management, herding and accessibility to water would go a long way to improving the quality of life for the Mahenye.
And Clive Stockil is a wildlife expert and partner in the lodge and warns that unless mechanisms can be put in place to maintain and improve coexistence, the people’s wishes will win over the wildlife.
We speak to them all, beneath the baobab.
Visit the website https://jammainternational.com to explore more international projects.
The video of this episode can be seen here: https://youtu.be/PX-QPUGW0Ws
https://www.communityleadersnetwork.org/tag/mahenye-community/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode, we visit the Mahenye community and Jamanda Conservancy in Zimbabwe where the hope is that tourism revenue will aid those living alongside dangerous, and sometimes life-threatening, wildlife.
The Jamanda Conservancy is the location for the first Communal Area Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE) and today boasts an upmarket tourist lodge called Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge. This has resulted in an increase in revenue for the community and employs many of their members. The creation of the conservancy created a 10km border with Gonarezhou National Park and has re-established the ancient elephant migration route between Gonarezhou and Chimanimani in Mozambique.
Maxwell was the victim of a horrific crocodile attack on the Save River, but 20 years after, shares his story and his relationship with wildlife after such a life changing event.
Chief Mahenye represents every family in the community as part of his role. He explains how the challenges of coexisting with wildlife match up with the monetary benefits that come from hunting and tourism.
Liberty Chauke is a CAMPFIRE community association board member and feels that changes in land management, herding and accessibility to water would go a long way to improving the quality of life for the Mahenye.
And Clive Stockil is a wildlife expert and partner in the lodge and warns that unless mechanisms can be put in place to maintain and improve coexistence, the people’s wishes will win over the wildlife.
We speak to them all, beneath the baobab.
Visit the website https://jammainternational.com to explore more international projects.
The video of this episode can be seen here: https://youtu.be/PX-QPUGW0Ws
https://www.communityleadersnetwork.org/tag/mahenye-community/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Previous Episode
How Organisations Aid Coexistence
In this episode, we travel to Botswana to discover how innovative methods, and the role of organisations, are aiding the coexistence of people and wildlife. We visit the Chobe enclave, where despite a thriving tourism economy, the wildlife from the nearby National Park can cause life-changing and sometimes devastating challenges to local residents.
Mr Mwezi is a community leader, a chief and a cattle rancher. He describes the challenges he faces from raising his herd in an area prone to drought and at risk by predators – but also the tragic loss of two close relatives.
The Chobe Enclave Community Trust (CECT) is run by Moses Sinchembe and he acknowledges that humans and wildlife need to coexist – and that wild animals in the area can be what he describes as “a blessing and a curse”. He believes that by understanding the ‘language’ of the wildlife that surrounds the people, animals and humans can live alongside each other much more effectively.
Letlhogonlo Kamuti comes from Ncongo (the Ngamiland Council of NGOs), a community based capacity-building organisation and umbrella body for NGOs (non-governmental organisations). He discusses the cultural importance for wildlife in the community, and the opportunities that come from hunting quotas and tourist safaris.
Mubuso Kakambi was born and raised in Kavimba village and in her younger years, feared the wildlife around her. Now working for WildCRU (the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit), she helps her fellow residents see the benefits of coexistence and believes that education is key for the community.
Andrew Mukwati is a community guardian for WildCRU and has built over 70 ‘kraals’, adapting traditional practices to create modern enclosures, designed to protect cattle and other livestock from predators.
Jess Isden is WildCRU’s head of project and has been in Botswana for many years, building trust within communities and helping tip coexistence solutions in local people’s favour. The Trans-Kalahari predator programme is one of many programmes under WildCRU looking at the movement of large predators across the landscape.
We speak to them all, beneath the baobab.
Visit the website https://jammainternational.com to explore more international projects.
The video of this episode can be seen here: https://youtu.be/itb33f8pX7A
https://www.trickleout.net/index.php/directory-pilot/botswana/chobe-enclave-conservation-trust
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Next Episode
Challenges In A Resettlement Area
In this episode, we meet the Chizvirizvi community in Zimbabwe – a latecomer to the CAMPFIRE programme, compared to the Mahenye featured in episode 5.
Chizvirizvi is somewhat different as it’s not operated by the Rural District Council. Instead, authority for the utilisation and management of wildlife has been conferred to the community or collective resettlement scheme plot holders. And with the authority only designated in 2003, their CAMPFIRE programme is relatively in its infancy, with the infrastructure only just beginning to grow.
A survey in 2013 discovered the 77% of the population said they had experienced human wildlife conflict between the year 2000 and 2010. With this background, we expected a very different conversation to the one we had at the Jamanda Conservancy but as we’ve found throughout this series, there are always surprising – and often uplifting – stories to hear.
We start with a shocking story of bravery in the face of a crocodile attack from Morina and her son Gideon. Thankfully, the story ends well.
Mr Chirhilele is a farmer and rancher and describes how scouts and monitors go some way to protecting residents’ cattle but could do more. He asks that the wildlife population be maintained at an optimal number to ensure coexistence for him and his family, and for future generations.
Dr Shylock Muyengwa is Managing Consultant at the Centre for Impact Evaluation and President of the Zimbabwe Evaluation Association and since 2007, has studied community-based natural resource management systems (CBNRM). Kevin Mfishani is a member of Community Leader’s Network and a project officer with the Zimbabwe CAMPFIRE association.
They discuss the past, present and future of life alongside wild animals and the importance of empowering communities to make decisions and revenue, utilising their natural resources.
We speak to them all, beneath the baobab.
Visit the website https://jammainternational.com to explore more international projects.
The video of this episode can be seen here: https://youtu.be/-0fYvwrhQoo
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Chizvirizvi-resettlement-area-Chigonda-2017_fig1_328048741
https://twitter.com/forevaluation?lang=en
https://www.communityleadersnetwork.org
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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