community rights

The CLN logo tops the title page of the media release.

Rural communities in Botswana concerns over anti-hunting laws in the UK

On 22 February 2024, 17 Community Trusts in Botswana along with the Ngamiland Council of NGOs (NCONGO) expressed their deep concern with a campaign advocating for a ban on hunting trophy imports into the United Kingdom (UK) that will negatively affect their livelihoods and wildlife conservation efforts. These Trusts are democratically elected entities speaking on behalf of their respective communities that live alongside elephants and other wildlife species in Botswana.

They expressed their dismay that the former President of Botswana (Seretse Khama Ian Khama) who enacted a hunting ban during his term of office is lending his support to this anti-hunting campaign in the UK. The former President’s hunting ban during 2014-2018 resulted in the loss of income and employment among these communities, leading to food insecurity, worsening poverty and increased elephant poaching levels as communities were disempowered to conserve their wildlife.

Read more: download full media statement.

in Botswana / In the Media / Press Releases / Rights, Resources & Livelihoods / Trophy Hunting
Rapt conference attendees

Community conservationists in five countries meet in Zambia to share knowledge and learn from each other

Community conservation efforts in Southern Africa started in the 1980s and have since taken slightly different paths towards including rural communities in the wildlife economy and nature conservation. Over the years there have been some exchange visits and other events to increase communication among the community conservation stakeholders in these countries, but such opportunities remain rare. 

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in Statements, Policy Positions, Declarations / Zambia

The Elephant Debate: upholding democracy, human rights and conservation

This article by Masego Madzwamuse and Liz Rihoy, was published 01 March 2019 in mmegi – an online and weekly print English language newspaper in Botswana. It is part of a number of opinion pieces on the Elephant Debate.

For decades Botswana has maintained an enviable international reputation as an ‘African miracle’ due in large part to its robust democracy, sound governance systems and representative and accountable

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in Blog / Community Voices / Wildlife Economies

Competing conservation ideologies: Troubled times for reporting on Namibian wildlife

By Liz Rihoy and Malan Lindeque  •  Op-ed The Daily Maverick 14 April 2019

Two competing ideological narratives have emerged in African wildlife conservation. The one is based on so- called ‘compassionate conservation’, aligned with the mostly Western animal rights movement,

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in Blog / CBNRM / Namibia / Rights, Resources & Livelihoods / Sustainable Use / Wildlife Economies