Biz/ed - Wildlife Tour - Luangwe [ Biz/ed Virtual Developing Country ]

Luangwe National Park

Communal Areas Management Programme For Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE)

Next issue - Poaching's Terrible Toll >>

Game Scouts

The People of the Binga District in North Western Zimbabwe live in conditions of extreme poverty. A report produced in 1993 by the NGO Save the Children said that many people have insufficient food to feed themselves. Often their crops were destroyed by wild animals especially elephants. Not surprising the villages had no incentive to conserve the wildlife. Indeed the very opposite was true. Until the village embraced the philosophy of CAMPFIRE.

The CAMPFIRE is a pioneering scheme developed in Zimbabwe to deal with the market failure associated with the destruction of flora and fauna and the degradation of the environment. To protect a species of animals it is necessary to protect its habitat. To do this the livelihoods of the communities in and around the habitat must be improved and linked to the continued existence of the wildlife.

Unlike Zambia the population of elephants in Zimbabwe is growing at a rate that is faster than their habitat can feed and support them. In areas where the CAMPFIRE programme operates the government of Zimbabwe allows controlled hunting to take place. Hunters from USA, Japan and Europe pay up to US 50,000 per week to hunt. The communities together with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Management set sustainable quotas for the various species that hunters are allowed to hunt. Hunting operators are then given licences that enable their clients to hunt certain types of animals such as elephants, lions and leopards and collect trophies such as the tusks and skins. Under CAMPFIRE local communities benefit from this hunting as a substantial portion of the fees, the meat and the hides are paid to the community. CAMPFIRE also encourages local communities to operate tourist facilities such as campsites and provide labour as guides.

Game Scouts

The income earned is used to supplement household incomes and tackle poverty directly and for community projects such as opening schools, wells and heath clinics. Before CAMPFIRE the Binga district had only 13 primary and no secondary schools. By 1995 the district boasted 56 primary schools and 9 secondary schools.

The communities benefit directly from the survival of the animals and have a significant stake in the conservation. In areas where the scheme is operated efficiently the level of poaching has declined considerably. By establishing property rights communities have a vested interest in ensuring sustainability.

Owners of marginal land find that they are able to make more money from farming wildlife either for consumption or hunting that they can from keeping cattle and growing crops. As the market for game meat grows the incentive for farming wildlife will grow. Throughout the world's capital restaurants are increasingly looking to include game meats such as warthog, kudu, eland and crocodile on their menus.

The ADMADE programme in Zambia similarly attempts to extend property rights to local communities.

Next issue - Poaching's Terrible Toll >>