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Cycle 9 (2020 Deadline)
Livelihood change in the context of community conservation, Chobe, Botswana
PI: Lin Cassidy (lincassidyconsulting@gmail.com), Okavango Research Instiitute, University of Botswana
U.S. Partner: Andrea Gaughan, University of Louisville
Project Dates: May 2021- January 2024
Project Overview
Community conservation areas (CCAs) with tourism partnerships in the southern African savanna area are touted as a mechanism to support alternative livelihoods and reduce vulnerability while increasing wildlife protection in a landscape. Yet the claim that CCAs effectively support adaptive capacity is tenuous. Revenue is mostly returned at the community level, while economic variation occurs at the household level, where costs of living with wildlife differ according to land and natural resource use—a challenging scale mismatch. Within rural communities, socioeconomic conditions are not homogeneous, and aggregate descriptions may not be representative of all households. It is important to investigate alternative vulnerability models to capture the sources of adaptive capacity and resilience.
This PEER project assessed changes in socioeconomic conditions in the same five communities over time—a rare opportunity for longitudinal research on rural household vulnerability. This study explored the validity of the sustainable livelihoods framework approach in an understudied, semi-arid African context and also tested if linking different capital types to concepts of adaptive capacity and vulnerability can provide a link between context-specificity and generalizable principles.
The research provided insights into a critical issue in southern Africa: how to accommodate the development and livelihood needs of communities that are tasked with sharing the landscape with wildlife in need of conservation. This research should inform several of USAID’s Southern Africa Mission objectives related to poverty alleviation, food insecurity, enhanced governance, and environmental sustainability.
Final Summary of Project Activities
The project data involved surveys exploring livelihood change in five villages in northern Botswana that have had a community conservation project for about 30 years. The initial sample was both statistically randomized and anonymous, so following up with the exact same households was not possible. The PEER team’s analysis of this dataset brought empirical evidence to the ongoing critiques and evaluations of community-based conservation, identifying shortcomings and providing suggestions for improvement. It has also clarified the relationship between natural resource use and poverty and brought a clearer understanding to what “relying” on natural resources actually means for rural households.
The research outputs include one academic journal article, three policy briefs, and one community feedback report, written in the national language, Setswana (Tswana). The team presented their results at the FLARE (Forests & Livelihoods: Assessment, Research, and Engagement Network) annual conference. The policy briefs, which contain recommendations for policy actions, included discussion on how to correctly identify how natural resources are being used and the history and future of tourism concession areas in northern Botswana.
Publication
Lin Cassidy, Narcisa G. Pricope, Forrest R. Stevens, Jonathan Salerno, David C. Parry, Michael Murray-Hudson, Joel Hartter, and Andrea E. Gaughan. 2023. Assessing long-term conservation impacts on adaptive capacity in a flagship community-based natural resources management area in Botswana. Ecology and Society 28(4):12. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-14487-280412
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