Exploring Livelihood Benefits from a Community-Based Conservation Area in South-Eastern Zimbabwe

Abstract

There is growing consensus that for protected areas to be more effective in conserving biodiversity, they must incorporate the livelihood needs of poor local communities they often share boundaries with. This study assesses livelihood benefits from a community-based protected area in south-eastern Zimbabwe. A questionnaire, key-informant interviews and unstructured non-participant observation were used to solicit perceived livelihood benefits from the community-conserved area to the local community. The study identified various livelihood benefits from the community conservation area to the local community including income enhancement, infrastructural development, education enhancement, community health promotion and environmental sustainability. The livelihood benefits from the conservation area have acted as an incentive for cooperation in the community conservation initiative, thereby proving that conservation and livelihoods goals are not necessarily divergent, but can jointly and successfully be pursued to the benefit of both nature and people.