In this episode, we visit the Mahenye community and Jamanda Conservancy in Zimbabwe where the hope is that tourism revenue will aid those living alongside dangerous, and sometimes life-threatening, wildlife.

The Jamanda Conservancy is the location for the first Communal Area Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE) and today boasts an upmarket tourist lodge called Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge. This has resulted in an increase in revenue for the community and employs many of their members. The creation of the conservancy created a 10km border with Gonarezhou National Park and has re-established the ancient elephant migration route between Gonarezhou and Chimanimani in Mozambique.

Maxwell was the victim of a horrific crocodile attack on the Save River, but 20 years after, shares his story and his relationship with wildlife after such a life changing event.

Chief Mahenye represents every family in the community as part of his role. He explains how the challenges of coexisting with wildlife match up with the monetary benefits that come from hunting and tourism.

Liberty Chauke is a CAMPFIRE community association board member and feels that changes in land management, herding and accessibility to water would go a long way to improving the quality of life for the Mahenye.

And Clive Stockil is a wildlife expert and partner in the lodge and warns that unless mechanisms can be put in place to maintain and improve coexistence, the people’s wishes will win over the wildlife.

We speak to them all, beneath the baobab.

Visit the website https://jammainternational.com to explore more international projects.

The video of this episode can be seen here: https://youtu.be/PX-QPUGW0Ws

https://www.communityleadersnetwork.org/tag/mahenye-community/

https://campfirezimbabwe.org

https://chilogorge.com

https://gonarezhou.org

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In this episode, we travel to Botswana to discover how innovative methods, and the role of organisations, are aiding the coexistence of people and wildlife. We visit the Chobe enclave, where despite a thriving tourism economy, the wildlife from the nearby National Park can cause life-changing and sometimes devastating challenges to local residents.

Mr Mwezi is a community leader, a chief and a cattle rancher. He describes the challenges he faces from raising his herd in an area prone to drought and at risk by predators – but also the tragic loss of two close relatives.

The Chobe Enclave Community Trust (CECT) is run by Moses Sinchembe and he acknowledges that humans and wildlife need to coexist – and that wild animals in the area can be what he describes as “a blessing and a curse”. He believes that by understanding the ‘language’ of the wildlife that surrounds the people, animals and humans can live alongside each other much more effectively.

Letlhogonlo Kamuti comes from Ncongo (the Ngamiland Council of NGOs), a community based capacity-building organisation and umbrella body for NGOs (non-governmental organisations). He discusses the cultural importance for wildlife in the community, and the opportunities that come from hunting quotas and tourist safaris.

Mubuso Kakambi was born and raised in Kavimba village and in her younger years, feared the wildlife around her. Now working for WildCRU (the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit), she helps her fellow residents see the benefits of coexistence and believes that education is key for the community.

Andrew Mukwati is a community guardian for WildCRU and has built over 70 ‘kraals’, adapting traditional practices to create modern enclosures, designed to protect cattle and other livestock from predators.

Jess Isden is WildCRU’s head of project and has been in Botswana for many years, building trust within communities and helping tip coexistence solutions in local people’s favour. The Trans-Kalahari predator programme is one of many programmes under WildCRU looking at the movement of large predators across the landscape.

We speak to them all, beneath the baobab.

Visit the website https://jammainternational.com to explore more international projects.

The video of this episode can be seen here: https://youtu.be/itb33f8pX7A

https://www.trickleout.net/index.php/directory-pilot/botswana/chobe-enclave-conservation-trust

https://ncongo.org/

https://www.wildcru.org/

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In this episode, we remain in Namibia to look at the human wildlife conflict that takes place in, and around, conservancies and discover how, despite some horrific stories, governments and communities can come together to create an effective co-existence between humans and wildlife.

We visit the Nakabolelwa Conservancy in the Zambezi region to hear how it can be flooding, rather than drought, that affects farmers – but also how elephants and buffalos not only damage the crops that villagers need to survive, but can also maim and sometimes kill them.

The country’s Ministry of Environment, Forestry & Tourism offers some compensation and support for those affected by human wildlife conflict, there is the acknowledgement that more can – and sometimes needs – to be done.

Both Richard Poniso and a farmer named Michael tell their stories.

Dominic Muemma, operations manager for IRDNC (Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation) in the Zambezi region, explains how they empower local communities to manage their natural resources and help form conservancies, which results in revenue from tourism and the sustainable utilisation of wildlife.

Despite the challenges and some heart-breaking stories in this episode, with 86 conservancies in the country, communities are also able to accrue benefits from the natural resources around them, alongside the tourist trade, and receive 100% of the income to be used in ways they see fit in their local areas.

We speak to them all, beneath the baobab.

Visit the website https://jammainternational.com to explore more international projects.

The video of this episode can be seen here: https://youtu.be/6JX8G7c3Gms

https://www.nacso.org.na/conservancies/nakabolelwa

https://www.irdnc.org.na/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.