Campfire under review

New Ziana.

The Herald, August 2, 2007

THE Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority is reviewing the Community Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources concept to improve its effectiveness in Community-Based Natural Resources Management, an official said this week.

Parks director-general Dr Morris Mtsambiwa said areas to be reviewed included safari hunting operations, revenue distribution and monitoring and reporting.

"The authority has seconded an officer to the Campfire Association on a full-time basis to undertake audit of Campfire areas with a view of improving CBNRM in Zimbabwe," he said.

Dr Mtsambiwa said the review was prompted by the results of a study carried out in 2004, which showed that the parks authority was neglecting its responsibility of monitoring the effectiveness of the Campfire concept, launched in 1988.

He said the study had concluded that communities were losing interest in Campfire due to a number of factors including limited benefits, thereby posing a serious threat to wildlife management as a land use option.

Other observations included lack of community consultations and openness in management of contracts, leases and agreements such as choice of safari operators or duration of contracts, he said.

It was also observed that rural district councils were not following Campfire revenue sharing guidelines resulting in limited benefits to communities, he said.

"We have since proposed that a standard format for hunting contracts be produced and be adopted by all RDCs," he said.

Dr Mtsambiwa said a direct payment system was initiated and piloted in Mbire and Nyaminyami districts and had since been adopted by all RDCs.

He said the capacity of Campfire co-ordinators in RDCs would be strengthened to ensure effective monitoring and reporting of activities to communities.

The parks authority pioneered the Campfire concept in 1988 by granting two districts appropriate authority status under the principle of devolution of the custodianship of wildlife resources to producer communities in the communal areas.

To date, 58 out of the 59 districts in Zimbabwe are members of Campfire.

The greatest strength of the programme has been its ability to generate revenue from natural resources management including safari hunting for the benefit of local communities through such projects as construction of schools, clinics, fencing off arable land from wildlife and installation of boreholes. — New Ziana.