How can we strenghten Community-based Natural Resources Management (CBNRM) framework to enhance biodiversity conservation?
Community-based Natural Resources Management (CBNRM) is a framework used in some countries where ecotourism is very popular. This is a commonplace in southern Africa and perhaps in South America where tourism contributes significantly to the national income. Experience has shown that this framework has not worked well in certain socio-geographic climes because there is no policy backing it up. Besides, community people who have local knowledge of their environment don't seem to play major roles in enhancing biodiversity conservation through CBNRM because they are less empowered to compete with joint venture partners (i.e. foreign toursim companies) who work with them to pursue this objective. How can the CBNRM be restructured to enahance an effective participation of local people who naturally are better equipped to police their environment? How can the gains of biodiversity conservation for communities be fully realised so as to enable them transform from seeing themselves as the oppressed and then transit to a status of being equal partners in pursuing the goal of conservation as agreed between them and the international conservation bodies?