Overview
This project aims to unlock the $30 billion potential of Southern Africa’s wildlife economy by strengthening Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) practices. Through the establishment of a Centre of Excellence, the project supports research, training, and policy reform to enhance sustainable livelihoods and conservation efforts. Focused on scaling effective CBNRM models and pioneering new conservation financing strategies, this initiative aspires to transform conservation funding, empower local communities, and boost economic growth across the region.
Partners
In partnership with Florida University and the Global Environmental Environment Facility
Ecosystems
Croplands
Deserts
Savannah, Shrublands and Grasslands
Temperate Forests
Status
Active (2024 – 2029)Thematic Area
Capacity Building
Data collection / monitoring
Governance
Social enterprise / wildlife economy
Supporting Human Centered Conservation
Key Biodiversity Areas
Overview
This project aims to unlock the $30 billion potential of Southern Africa’s wildlife economy by strengthening Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) practices. Through the establishment of a Centre of Excellence, the project supports research, training, and policy reform to enhance sustainable livelihoods and conservation efforts. Focused on scaling effective CBNRM models and pioneering new conservation financing strategies, this initiative aspires to transform conservation funding, empower local communities, and boost economic growth across the region.
Partners
In partnership with Florida University and the Global Environmental Environment Facility
Ecosystems
Croplands
Deserts
Savannah, Shrublands and Grasslands
Temperate Forests
Status
Active (2024 – 2029)Thematic Area
Capacity Building
Data collection / monitoring
Governance
Social enterprise / wildlife economy
Supporting Human Centered Conservation
Key Biodiversity Areas
Objectives
- Establish a Centre and Network of Excellence to build African capacity, systems, and voices through transformative training, education, and research in the wildlife economy and CBNRM.
- Strengthen regional policy, and implementation capacity by involving stakeholders in cutting-edge economic and institutional research to grow and the wildlife economy.
- Demonstrate effective systems for devolved rights and governance in multiple countries.
- Develop innovate conservation financing models to address financing gaps.
- Scale successful models through policy reform.
1 - No Poverty
10 - Reduced Inequalities
11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities
13 - Climate Action
15 - Life on Land
16 - Peace Justice and Strong Institions
2 - No Hunger
3 - Good Health and Wellbeing
5 - Gender Equality
SDGs
CBD Targets
Landscape Approach
”We’re not reinventing the wheel. We’re refining, improving and energising the tried-and-true methods of CBNRM to tackle today's biodiversity and climate crises head-on. We are crafting strategies and financial models that will turn ecological sustainability into a profitable endeavour for communities, making sure conservation pays off for the people who bear the cost of living with wildlife.
Prof. Brian Child
University of Florida
Results/Impact
The primary goal of this project is to lay the technical and educational foundation for revitalising Southern Africa’s wildlife economy. By strengthening Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM), we aim to expand the wildlife economy from $3 billion to $30 billion. This transformation will reform the governance of vast lands inhabited by some of Africa’s poorest communities, converting millions of hectares in countries like Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Zambia into thriving wildlife habitats.
Through institutionalising new forms of training and research, this project will empower hundreds of change-makers to drive this transformation. The revitalisation of CBNRM systems and the development of innovative financial models will foster sustainable wildlife economies, improve governance, and ensure the long-term viability of conservation efforts, ultimately benefiting both biodiversity and Local Communities.
The primary goal of this project is to build African talent and lay the technical and educational foundation for rejuvenating Southern Africa’s inclusive wildlife economy. We aim to expand the wildlife economy from $3 billion to $30 billion, not least by strengthening the governance of CBNRM and of the larger wildlife economy. This transformation will reform the governance of vast lands inhabited by some of Africa’s poorest communities, converting millions of hectares in countries like Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Kenya and Angola. We will use the wildlife economy to strengthen livelihoods and social capital in marginalised communities, resulting in thriving wildlife populations and habitats.
3
anchor sites developed
100+
CBNRM practitioners trained
