Description:

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).