Husbandry and Herding: A Community-Based Approach to Addressing Illegal Wildlife Trade in Northern Botswana
Illegal bushmeat hunting is a major driver of wildlife population declines in Northern Botswana. Such declines raise concerns about the principles and integrity of the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA) and regional economic stability which is heavily reliant on wildlife-based to...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-09-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Conservation Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcosc.2021.675493/full |
| _version_ | 1818449654489022464 |
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| author | Ben Heermans Jacques van Rooyen Jacques van Rooyen Richard Fynn Duan Biggs Duan Biggs Duan Biggs Matthew Lewis John McNutt |
| author_facet | Ben Heermans Jacques van Rooyen Jacques van Rooyen Richard Fynn Duan Biggs Duan Biggs Duan Biggs Matthew Lewis John McNutt |
| author_sort | Ben Heermans |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Illegal bushmeat hunting is a major driver of wildlife population declines in Northern Botswana. Such declines raise concerns about the principles and integrity of the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA) and regional economic stability which is heavily reliant on wildlife-based tourism. The KAZA landscape between Northern Botswana's protected areas consists of non-state land utilized communally by small agropastoralist communities. These communities are economically challenged by international beef trade policies, restricted access to grazing in nearby wildlife management areas and high conflict costs from living in close proximity to wildlife; some of the key factors identified as drivers of bushmeat hunting in the region. Here we describe how a model called Herding for Health (H4H) could address these drivers. We discuss strategies using a socio-economic centered Theory of Change (ToC) model to identify the role agropastoral communities can have in addressing illegal wildlife trade (IWT). The ToC conceptual framework was developed with input from a resource team consisting of scientific and implementation experts in H4H, wildlife conservation, illegal wildlife trade and livelihood development between September and December 2018, and with a validation workshop in March 2019 with government representatives from relevant ministries, NGO's, community-based organizations and private sector participants. We identify three pathways deriving from the ToC driven by community level actions to address IWT in the region. These include: increasing institutions for local enforcement, developing incentives for ecosystem stewardship and decreasing the costs of living alongside wildlife. The success of these pathways depends on underlying enabling actions: support for the development of institutional frameworks; building community capacity to facilitate informed best farming practices; and strengthening commitments to sustainable resource management to increase resilience to climatic and economic shocks. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T20:38:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e5566df95f7e422cac7ed330d1df0ec8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2673-611X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T20:38:51Z |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Conservation Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-e5566df95f7e422cac7ed330d1df0ec82022-12-21T22:48:20ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Conservation Science2673-611X2021-09-01210.3389/fcosc.2021.675493675493Husbandry and Herding: A Community-Based Approach to Addressing Illegal Wildlife Trade in Northern BotswanaBen Heermans0Jacques van Rooyen1Jacques van Rooyen2Richard Fynn3Duan Biggs4Duan Biggs5Duan Biggs6Matthew Lewis7John McNutt8Wild Entrust, Maun, BotswanaDepartment of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South AfricaAfrica Field Division, Conservation International, Nairobi, KenyaOkavango Research Institute, University of Botswana, Maun, BotswanaResilient Conservation, Centre for Planetary Health and Food Security, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, AustraliaDepartment of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, Stellenbosch University, Matieland, South AfricaCentre for Complex Systems in Transition, School of Public Leadership, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South AfricaAfrica Field Division, Conservation International, Nairobi, KenyaWild Entrust, Maun, BotswanaIllegal bushmeat hunting is a major driver of wildlife population declines in Northern Botswana. Such declines raise concerns about the principles and integrity of the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA) and regional economic stability which is heavily reliant on wildlife-based tourism. The KAZA landscape between Northern Botswana's protected areas consists of non-state land utilized communally by small agropastoralist communities. These communities are economically challenged by international beef trade policies, restricted access to grazing in nearby wildlife management areas and high conflict costs from living in close proximity to wildlife; some of the key factors identified as drivers of bushmeat hunting in the region. Here we describe how a model called Herding for Health (H4H) could address these drivers. We discuss strategies using a socio-economic centered Theory of Change (ToC) model to identify the role agropastoral communities can have in addressing illegal wildlife trade (IWT). The ToC conceptual framework was developed with input from a resource team consisting of scientific and implementation experts in H4H, wildlife conservation, illegal wildlife trade and livelihood development between September and December 2018, and with a validation workshop in March 2019 with government representatives from relevant ministries, NGO's, community-based organizations and private sector participants. We identify three pathways deriving from the ToC driven by community level actions to address IWT in the region. These include: increasing institutions for local enforcement, developing incentives for ecosystem stewardship and decreasing the costs of living alongside wildlife. The success of these pathways depends on underlying enabling actions: support for the development of institutional frameworks; building community capacity to facilitate informed best farming practices; and strengthening commitments to sustainable resource management to increase resilience to climatic and economic shocks.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcosc.2021.675493/fulltransfrontier conservation areaillegal wildlife tradeOne Healthagropastoralcommunity-based conservationhuman wildlife conflict |
| spellingShingle | Ben Heermans Jacques van Rooyen Jacques van Rooyen Richard Fynn Duan Biggs Duan Biggs Duan Biggs Matthew Lewis John McNutt Husbandry and Herding: A Community-Based Approach to Addressing Illegal Wildlife Trade in Northern Botswana Frontiers in Conservation Science transfrontier conservation area illegal wildlife trade One Health agropastoral community-based conservation human wildlife conflict |
| title | Husbandry and Herding: A Community-Based Approach to Addressing Illegal Wildlife Trade in Northern Botswana |
| title_full | Husbandry and Herding: A Community-Based Approach to Addressing Illegal Wildlife Trade in Northern Botswana |
| title_fullStr | Husbandry and Herding: A Community-Based Approach to Addressing Illegal Wildlife Trade in Northern Botswana |
| title_full_unstemmed | Husbandry and Herding: A Community-Based Approach to Addressing Illegal Wildlife Trade in Northern Botswana |
| title_short | Husbandry and Herding: A Community-Based Approach to Addressing Illegal Wildlife Trade in Northern Botswana |
| title_sort | husbandry and herding a community based approach to addressing illegal wildlife trade in northern botswana |
| topic | transfrontier conservation area illegal wildlife trade One Health agropastoral community-based conservation human wildlife conflict |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcosc.2021.675493/full |
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