Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation (IRDNC), by Bonnie Galloway, Namibia
Mrs Galloway spoke about the community-based natural resources management (CBNRM)
approach to community development and environment conservation implemented by IRDNC.
CBNRM is a practical and holistic approach that improved management of natural resources by the
user communities themselves, while diversifying local economic development allowing rural
communities to capture some of these benefits via the setting up of a conservancy. She explained
that a conservancy is a legally registered organisation that ‘manages its own wildlife in a structured
and sustainable way and in return gets rights over its use, including valuable tourism rights’ 2. Such an
approach linking wildlife conservation to rural development has been and continues to be very
successful in Namibia.
Mrs Galloway highlighted that the Namibian legislation is providing such a comprehensive
framework and system that BCPs might not be relevant or necessary in this context. She explained
however that a BCP may be valuable tool when, for example, communities are not registered into a
conservancy.
The Southern African Endogenous Development Programme (SAEDP), Raymond Tivafire, South Africa
Mr Tivafire presented on SAEDP’s work with the South African Qwa Qwa communities located in the
Free State. SAEDP has been working with the Qwa Qwa communities, namely the Phomolong and
the
Bakoena
communities,
on
indigenous livestock development
and organic farming since 2004.
SAEDP financed the acquisition of
goats
and
sheep
that
the
communities are now breeding using
their local knowledge systems related
to indigenous animal husbandry within
the confines of culture-based ethnoveterinary practices.
Both communities want to improve
their social, cultural and economic
well-being by maintaining the strong
connectivity with their world view
system namely the Spiritual, Human
and Natural Worlds, to be recognised
as authentic breeders and keepers of indigenous livestock.
As they share the same culture, values and spiritual belief systems, the two communities decided to
develop a BCP together. The BCP will help them to protect their valuable traditional knowledge
systems and cultural practices and preserve the spiritual and cultural values enshrined in indigenous
livestock development.
The Shea Tree by Eric Banye, SNV Ghana
Mr Banye spoke about potential linkages between SNV Ghana and CIKOD to develop a BCP aiming
to protect the Shea Tree, which represents the economic resource of numerous communities in
Ghana.
Mr Banye explained that the Shea is tropical African tree, with oily seeds. The Shea butter, obtained
from the seeds, is increasingly used in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. The harvesting of
2
IDRNC web site
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