Dande Benefits From Campfire

Source: The Herald (Harare)

Date: 9 November 2005

Author: Tsitsi Matope

Though the scorching heat was unbearable, the view of Dande Valley below the Zambezi Escarpment was stunning and made up for the discomfort.

However, for decades the small community of Masoka has called it home.

Located on the banks of Angwa River, about 50km north of Mushumbi Pools, the community is in the middle of a tsetse fly infested game park.

Comprising 350 families, the community has for generations survived on the area's abundant natural resources that include wildlife.

Of the 350 families, 60 are female-headed households that mainly work the fragile soils by planting drought resistant crops such as sorghum and rapoko.

The people of Masoka Ward make nutritious meals from wild vegetables; beverages from either dried masau and baobab fruits, which they have treasured as a source of sustainability.

As a bush community, they are allowed to hunt a few animals for consumption while they also keep a few cattle for ploughing and as a source of milk.

As a result of this traditional and well-planned type of livelihood, Masoka villagers are healthy and energetic people who walk more than 50km all the way to Mushumbi Pools growth point to buy basic commodities.

What is amazing about the Masoka villagers is the immense understanding and passion for wildlife utilisation, which has arguably benefited many of the country's rural dwellers more than any other developmental funding.

The remote location of Masoka contributed to the neglect of the area.

The sick used to walk 40km to the nearest clinic while school children had to trudge more than 50km to the nearest primary and/or secondary schools.

However, the Masoka community, through the Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (Campfire) initiative, took a leading role in wildlife management projects having had first hand experience in natural resource utilisation.

This saw them build a clinic, a school, two grinding mills, two tractors, two resting camps - Mukanga and Masoka Bridge - a borehole and upgraded a fairly good road constructed to link the area with the Mushumbi-Kanyemba Road. Two projects - Masoka and Mukanga Bridge Camps - cater for basic overnight accommodation and are complimentary to safari hunting and create employment for the locals.

The community also erected a solar powered fence around their homes to protect their small plots from the marauding wild animals.

Unlike other communities that are also rich in wildlife but continuously turn down proposals to start Campfire parks, the Masoka community embraced the concept and is enjoying the benefits of that decision.

For instance, though like other communities, Masoka is experiencing severe food shortages, the community does not depend on food handouts.

The community is purchasing its own food using a drought relief fund set up from the benefits realised from trophy hunting proceeds.

Campfire Director, Mr Charles Jonga said: "Community rights over wildlife utilisation are an important aspect in reducing poverty and conflict between people and wildlife, as much as being a conservation strategy.

"These rights have created opportunities for sustainable economic development in Masoka through the management of wildlife and other natural resources for the direct benefit of the ward's residents."

He added that the level of success is determined by two factors that include decentralisation of control over wildlife and other natural resources to the community and the willingness and capacity to adopt natural resources management as a development strategy.

He, however, said sustainable natural resources management and decision-making is difficult when communities have no ownership or secured rights over land and natural resources.

The Government policy framework for communal areas in Zimbabwe provides the right to manage and exploit natural resources, without adequately addressing the issue of ownership.

This compromises the ability of local residents, who bear the cost of resource management, to plan and execute livelihood activities.

About 76 percent of Zimbabwe's population lives in communal areas, a legacy of divisive colonial legislation that made cities and towns European areas.

Poor rainfall, the absence of rural infrastructure, most notably roads and, in some cases, the presence of tsetse flies create a difficult economic environment in marginal districts.

In rural areas such as Masoka where communities have decision-making power and receive tangible benefits from wildlife management, greater interest and investment in conservation is evident.

Mr Jonga said Zimbabwe's wildlife belongs to the State therefore the legislation only confers user-rights over wildlife to both the owners of private land (commercial farmers) and occupiers of State land (communities under Rural District Councils).

"In the absence of such rights, an individual cannot use wildlife for any purpose, and poaching of wildlife or 'illegal off-take' is an offence in terms of the law."

He said for 2004, Masoka ward had a hunting quota of nine elephants, 60 buffaloes, three lions, five leopards, and several other species of large and small plains game.

"According to the 2001 Aerial Census Report, Guruve district has about 3 000 elephants and therefore there is need to review the hunting quota of elephants in the area."

He said significant quotas would ensure that the community realises huge benefits from hunting proceeds that would fuel development in various aspects.

Between 2002 and 2003, Masoka earned about US$95 000 as dividends from safari hunting operations. For the first quarter of 2004, the community earned US$60 170, which constituted 59 percent of the gross revenue paid to council for safari operations.

"This level of community dividend is higher than the 55 percent minimum payment prescribed in the 2002 Campfire Revenue Guidelines, that were part of the association's constitution in 2003 as a measure of increasing income to the communities and to serve as a mechanism of greater accountability and transparency."

He said Guruve council is obliged to ensure that producer communities are the principal beneficiaries of wildlife and other natural resources.

In 1989 household dividends for Masoka were merely US$10, but this represented an increase of 56 percent on household income from cotton, the most common land use option in the area.

However, from 1996 Masoka community dispensed with the method of exclusively distributing Campfire income as individual cash dividends, opting for essential infrastructure development and establishment of income generating projects through collective decision-making. As a result, they now enjoy the right to manage, sell, and benefit from wildlife.

"Successful hunts are undertaken when we provide information about the most likely location of good trophy animals. We have experience in developing the wildlife harvest quota each year," said Masoka resident Mr Shepherd Chaukwa.

One of the biggest lessons from Dande is that pro-poor conservation can be advanced through innovative experiences of such communities as long as the objective is to address the management of Zimbabwe's natural resources.