Strengthening community-led conservation across the KAZA landscape

Posted on July, 15 2026

WWF Namibia recently convened a regional Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop in Harare to strengthen community-led conservation by building the capacity of practitioners from Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe to facilitate the Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) Enabling Conditions Tool (ECT) at community regional and national level. The initiative forms part of the Concept and Practice: Consultations for Developing and Piloting an Enabling Conditions Tool for Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) project, funded by the UK Government through the Darwin Initiative.

The project aims to strengthen community-led conservation across selected sites in the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) by developing and piloting a practical tool that helps assess and improve the institutional conditions required for effective Community-Based Natural Resource Management.

Following an earlier consultation held in Kasane, Botswana, where the tool and its User Manual were first introduced and refined with practitioner input, the Harare workshop brought together the same regional network of 20 participants for hands-on Training of Trainers, ahead of the tool’s pilot roll-out.

Participants included representatives from the KAZA TFCA Secretariat, WWF Namibia, WWF Zambia, WWF Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks), Matusadona National Park, African Parks Zambia, the Zambia CBNRM Forum, Zambia’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW), Namibia’s Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT), the Community CAMPFIRE Association of Zimbabwe (CCAZ), the Community Leaders Network, and other CBNRM practitioners and stakeholders.

Having already been introduced to the Enabling Conditions Tool and its User Manual at Kasane, the Harare workshop built participants’ capacity to facilitate its use, training them to lead assessments of the institutional, governance, and social conditions that support effective community-based natural resource management ahead of the tool’s pilot roll-out in Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Participants also refreshed their facilitation skills in preparation for leading community-based pilot assessments using the tool. The sessions provided an opportunity to strengthen practical skills in facilitating participatory discussions with communities while ensuring that local perspectives remain central to the assessment process.

In addition, country teams developed action plans outlining timelines, responsibilities, and implementation processes for piloting the Enabling Conditions Tool within selected KAZA partner sites.

By the end of the workshop, participants had developed a shared understanding of the project’s objectives and gained practical knowledge in applying the tool within their respective countries. The collaborative planning process also fostered stronger regional coordination and a common vision for strengthening the institutional environment that enables communities to play a leading role in managing natural resources.

The workshop reaffirmed that successful conservation depends on creating an enabling environment where communities have the governance structures, partnerships, rights, and support systems needed to sustainably manage natural resources while improving local livelihoods.

‘’Through the pilot implementation of the Enabling Conditions Tool, the project will generate evidence to inform improvements in community-based natural resource management governance and contribute to national policy dialogue across participating countries. The findings are also expected to promote locally driven, market-based conservation approaches that strengthen biodiversity conservation, sustainable livelihoods, and inclusive economic development throughout the KAZA landscape’’, said Terrance Sikapizye, Peace Parks Foundation.