Conservation and Development Opportunities from the Sustainable Use of Biological Diversity in the Communal Lands of Southern Africa (CODEOSUB)
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Background
This project was focused on promoting successes in Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) projects within southern Africa through building the capacity of communities and NGOs who were involved. The project targeted eight southern African countries namely Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe that have signed the United Nations Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) and are implementing the CBD work programme within the arid and semi-arid ecosystem. The arid and semi-arid ecosystem and the communal areas in these countries support much of the remaining biodiversity in southern Africa.
The project addressed problems such as: the decline in biological diversity and lack of development opportunities in communal areas; the lack of national and regional capacity of southern African NGOs and CBOs; CBNRM initiatives under the framework of the CBD and related instruments; and the lack of exchange of CBNRM related information in the region. The project addressed some of the major challenges facing the CBNRM initiatives by enabling relevant NGOs and CBOs to harness the opportunities offered by the CBD both to advance CBNRM policies and practices in the region and in turn to influence the development of the CBD and other international instruments through contributing their own CBNRM experiences and insights.
Project rationale
Much of Southern Africa's biological diversity lies outside protected areas, particularly in the arid and semi-arid savannahs where "biodiversity" is sparse and the demands by resident local communities for access to and use of biological resources is high. These semi-arid savannah areas are characterised by a rapidly expanding human population requiring high agricultural production to survive, resulting in high rates of deforestation, which are a threat to biological diversity in the region.
Key results
- Regional network of CBOs and NGOS;
- Increased knowledge amongst CBOs/NGOs of CBD and CBNRM;
- Participation in CBNRM national policy planning;
- Development of regional policy positions on CBNRM/CBD;
- Increased input from the region into CBD;
- Greater awareness on conservation, community of needs and successes of CBNRM.
Project partners
The project was implemented through a network of Southern African Community Based Organisations and Non-Governmental Organisations (SAFCAN) coordinated by Africa Resources Trust and funded by the European Union. The project partners were:
- Kalahari Conservation Society - Botswana
- Wildlife and Environmental Society of Malawi - Malawi
- Namibia Nature Foundation - Namibia
- Groupo Trabalho Ambiental - Mozambique
- ResourceAfrica - South Africa
- Lawyers' Environmental Action Team - Tanzania
- Environment Conservation Association of Zambia - Zambia
- Zimbabwe Trust - Zimbabwe