Thumbnail Image

Customary law: Customary norms and practices to strengthen the sustainable use of wildlife resources in Binga District by Tonga communities

Copyright licence

Year of publication 2023

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 16 p.

Author CIRAD; FAO; CIFOR; WCS;

Publisher CIRAD ; FAO ; CIFOR ; Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) ;

Category High-profile

Synopsis (short abstract) In Zimbabwe, the Sustainable Wildlife Management (SWM) Programme pilot site is referred to as “Mucheni Community Conservancy” in Binga District, Matabeleland North Province. It is an area of communal land covering three wards under the formal authority of the Binga Rural District Council (RDC). One of the hoped-for outcomes of the SWM Programme is to ensure that policies and regulations enable the sustainable use of species that are resilient to hunting and fishing, and to ensure the conservation of protected and threatened species. To this end, the Programme identified gaps and opportunities for the sustainable use of wildlife through the analysis of statutory and customary laws. The focus of this document is to report on customary norms and practices in relation to land use and planning, hunting and fishing activities in Binga District. Gaps and contradictions between customary and statutory systems are highlighted, along with opportunities and challenges related to the formal recognition of customary rules. Information was obtained from secondary sources including a review of the existing literature as well as semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders in the area which included local leaders (chiefs and headmen) and community representative groups (men, women, youth), government officials (Forestry Commission, Parks and wildlife management authority, Environment management agency, veterinary officers, etc.), Rural district council officials, local NGOs and local politicians. Interviews were useful in validating information collected from secondary sources including colonial archives. The SWM Programme is an initiative of the Organisation of the African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS). It is implemented through a partnership involving the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), International Cooperation Center for Agricultural Research for Development (CIRAD), International Center for Forestry Research (CIFOR) and Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).

Language English

Also available in:
No results found.

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

  • Thumbnail Image
    High-profile
    Customary law: Customary norms and practices used to strengthen the sustainable use and management of wildlife resources in the Rupununi by Wapichan communities
    SWM Customary Law Series: July 2022
    2022
    Also available in:
    No results found.
    In Guyana, the Sustainable Wildlife Management (SWM) Programme has focused since 2017 on the Rupununi region in the south of the country. One of the outcomes of this programme is to ensure that policies and regulations enable the sustainable use of species that are resilient to hunting and fishing, and to ensure the conservation of protected and threatened species. To this end, the programme identified gaps and opportunities for the sustainable use of wildlife through the analysis of statutory and customary laws. The focus of this document is to report on customary rules and practices in relation to land use and planning, hunting, and fishing activities in Wapichan wiizi (Wapichan territory) in South and South Central Rupununi. Gaps and contradictions between customary and statutory systems are highlighted as well as opportunities related to the formal recognition of customary rules. The information compiled in this document was extracted from publications and technical reports developed by the SWM Programme and other sources such as the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA). Interviews with experts and local leaders were held to complement the information extracted from secondary sources. The SWM Programme is an initiative of the Organisation of the African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS). It is implemented through a partnership involving the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), International Cooperation Center for Agricultural Research for Development (CIRAD), International Center for Forestry Research (CIFOR) and Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).
  • Thumbnail Image
    Technical book
    Community-based monitoring in the context of sustainable wildlife management and biodiversity conservation in tropical countries 2025
    Also available in:
    No results found.
    This document is addressed to communities and their partners, and features eight main key lessons learned that emerge from the implementation of community-based monitoring in the context of wildlife management and biodiversity conservation, across 15 countries in Africa, the Guyana Shield and the Pacific Region in which the Sustainable Wildlife Management Programme is implemented. The examples involve diverse forms of community-based monitoring and include different ecosystems (forests, savannahs, wetlands) and taxonomic groups (birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and fish). We further provide a more focused description of five case studies, including the multitaxa community-based monitoring process implemented by community wildlife and fisheries committees in the Rupununi (Guyana), the human-wildlife coexistence monitoring programme implemented by communities in Mucheni Community Conservancy (Zimbabwe), the co-managed monitoring system implemented for sustainable hunting around Lastoursville (Gabon), and the citizen science process implemented in communities around the Dja Reserve (Cameroon) to monitor and alert emergence of zoonotic diseases and the community-based monitoring system implemented in Namibia in the context of community-based conservancies (Namibia).
  • Thumbnail Image
    High-profile
    Sustainable Wildlife Management (SWM) Programme - Zimbabwe
    Kavango-Zambezi (KAZA) Site
    2024
    Also available in:
    No results found.
    The Sustainable Wildlife Management (SWM) Programme in the Kavango-Zambezi (KAZA) site promotes Community Conservancies as a way to improve land-use planning and management. In Zimbabwe, CIRAD is implementing the project activities in partnership with the national governments.The SWM Programme is a major international initiative that aims to improve the conservation and sustainable use of wildlife in forest, savannah and wetland ecosystems. It is funded by the European Union with co-funding from the French Facility for Global Environment (FFEM) and the French Development Agency (AFD). Projects are being piloted and tested with governments, national partners and communities in 16 participating countries. The initiative is coordinated by a dynamic consortium of four partners, namely the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).
Show more

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

No results found.