Community-Based Natural Resource Management and Poverty Alleviation in Namibia: A Case Study

Karol C. Boudreaux, Mercatus Center at George Mason University

Abstract

In 1996, the Namibian government amended legislation to give local people rights to manage wildlife and other natural resources and also to benefit from tourism directly. This approach to conservation is known as community-based natural resource management or CBNRM. The change to Namibia's legal environment was designed to promote local conservation efforts, promote rural economic develoment and improve local governance.

Through CBNRM, rural Namibians now have secure rights to manage wildlife and benefit from wildlife and other natural resources. Results to date are very encouraging: wildlife numbers, which were decimated by war and poaching, are rising, and ecosystems are rebounding. Namibians now have the chance to build businesses based on eco-tourism and related activities, and these businesses are helping to improve the lives of conservancy members.

Namibia’s experience with CBNRM may provide a strong model for other countries: devolving secure legal rights to local people has gone a long way towards promoting positive outcomes both in terms of conservation and economic development.