Research on the institutional contexts of wildlife utilization in communal areas of Eastern and Southern Africa

This paper is largely based on experience gained by the Centre over the past five years in its research programme on natural resource management in the communal lands of Zimbabwe. In its wildlife utilization component this programme has been carried out in collaboration with an implementing NGO, ZimTrust, the WWF Multispecies Animal Production Systems Project, the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Management and districts councils. Supplementary data drawn by the author from consultancies in Zambia and Botswana are also incorporated. This data base relates specifically to wildlife utilization under common property regimes and the paper does not therefore take up institutional issues relating to utilization on commercial, alienated or national estate lands. The paper's analysis of common property contexts (referred to in this paper as communal lands), although drawn from Southern Africa should be of general relevance throughout Eastern and Southern Africa since this type of land category is widespread and exhibits certain common characteristics across national boundaries.

A research paper on wildlife utilization in communal areas of Eastern & Southern Africa.