THE government has called for stronger community participation in the management of Zimbabwe's natural resources, saying conservation efforts will only succeed if rural communities derive tangible economic benefits.
Speaking at the Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) Annual Convention in Harare on Thursday, Environment, Climate and Wildlife minister Evelyn Ndlovu said communities were the primary custodians of wildlife, forests and other natural resources, and should be at the centre of conservation initiatives.
"We agreed totally that all natural resources must benefit the rural communities and therefore this convention is a good channel for us to communicate among ourselves on how our communities are going to benefit from the natural resources that they have," Ndlovu said.
She said community-led conservation could drive rural development by creating jobs and incomes while protecting ecosystems for future generations.
"Community conservation, when managed sustainably, becomes the engine of rural development, providing income, employment and social services while preserving the ecosystem for future generations," she said.
Ndlovu said the government was also prioritising measures to reduce human-wildlife conflict through better planning, community education and stronger protection systems.
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"We are aware that communities living adjacent to protected areas often bear the brunt of human-wildlife conflict," she said.
Chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Environment, Climate and Wildlife Sam Matema said empowering communities to manage natural resources would improve conservation outcomes because local people would take ownership of projects.
"Our local communities, the moment they begin to participate, they own both the inputs and the outputs. Once there is that sense of ownership, success of those programmes will be inevitable," Matema said.
He said Zimbabwe should draw lessons from the CAMPFIRE programme, once regarded as a regional success story, while learning from neighbouring countries such as Namibia and Mozambique.
Speaking on behalf of traditional leaders, Chief Chundu said communities depended on wildlife, forests, water and grazing land for their livelihoods and had used revenue from tourism and hunting to build clinics and pay school fees.
"We will mobilise our communities to protect wildlife, to embrace sustainable resource use and to work with ZimParks and our partners,” Chief Chundu, born Abel Mbasera, said.
“But we also ask that you continue to listen to our voices, because no conservation can succeed without the people who live with wildlife.”
The convention was supported by the Government of Sweden, Maliasili, the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Organisation, WWF Zimbabwe, the Forestry Commission, the Government of Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, and the Environmental Management Agency.