Neighboring communities and Wildlife crime – A SANParks (KNP) Perspective

Louise Swemmer, Wendy Annecke, Sam Ferreira, Stefanie Freitag-Ronaldson

IUCN Symposium – “Beyond Enforcement – Communities and Illegal Wildlife Trade”

Glenburn Lodge, Gauteng, 27 -29 Feb 2015

Improved relationships

between protected areas and people

Reduced IWT/poaching

Increased economic

opportunities / options to

IWT

Fewer neighbours/partners supporting or engaging in illegal activities related to conservation

Effective activities aimed at constituency building and benefits (new and existing)

EE, Awareness

livelihoods, economics,

social

Improved well-being as

a result of conservation

Increased support/constituency

for conservation

Well-being:Material, physical,

spiritual, social, freedom of choice,

security

Vested interest

Capacity

Trust

Improved relationships

between protected areas and people

Reduced IWT/poaching

Increased economic

opportunities / options to

IWT

Fewer neighbours supporting or engaging in illegal activities related to conservation

Effective activities aimed at constituency building and benefits (new and existing)

EE, Awareness

livelihoods, economics,

social

Improved well-being as

a result of conservation

Increased support/constituency

for conservation

Well-being:Material, physical,

spiritual, social, freedom of choice,

security

Vested interest

Capacity

Trust

Leverage points?Feasible, difference

SA HistoryRhino poaching - Moral and required

20 Km

SCALE - KNP• 2 Provinces• 7 Municipalities• 38 TA’s• 68 Wards• 2 million pp• 200 towns and villages• 350 Schools• Unemployment• Limited services• Reliance on social grants

and subs. Agric. • Hard boundary – wildlife• Upliftment – scale?

Direct employment

Direct employment

Environmental education

Direct employment

Environmental education

Open, unrestricted

tourism for all races

Land restitution

BEELocal

Economic Development

Extractive natural

Resource use

Affirmative action

employment

Land restitution

Environmental education

Open, unrestricted

tourism for all races

Direct employment

Contractual parks

Contractual parks

1926

2010

1950’s

1990’s

Diversification of types programmes aimed at benefiting and restoring rights to local people - KNP

Amelioration of

negative EffectsHWC

Who’s benefiting?

Who’s benefiting?

Visitors

Cow Donkey Goat Horse Mule SheepUnknown0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

30003054

397187

9 7 16 98

Numbers of livestock killed(Limpopo Province village data, July

2013)

Livestock loss - HWC

Ave. annually:

50-150 cows20 Donkeys15 Goats<1 horse<1 mule<1 sheep<2 pig

1.5 million tourists

Cow Donkey Goat Horse Mule SheepUnknown0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

30003054

397187

9 7 16 98

Numbers of livestock killed(Limpopo Province village data, July

2013)

Livestock loss - HWC

Ave. annually:

50-150 cows20 Donkeys15 Goats<1 horse<1 mule<1 sheep<2 pig

1.5 million tourists

Compensation schemeHistorical and current cases – R1.2 millMore than money

Harvest basic resources• Low hanging fruit

– Seasonal, low cost, build support - basic need, hh level

• Avoids elite capture– Supports marginalized hh

• Access• Low cost• Doesn’t lift out of poverty• Soft outcomes: interaction with staff

relationships• Illegal subsistence poaching

Relative contribution of resource use to monthly income

R 0.00R 200.00

R 400.00R 600.00R 800.00

R 1,000.00R 1,200.00R 1,400.00

R 1,600.00R 1,800.00

Mopane worms Thatch

47% 34%

Promoting access to alternatives• Pepperbark Tree (Warburgia

salutaris)– Endangered• Reduction in poaching

(enforcement)• Subsistence market

Relationships, trust, respect

Macandezulu

Chiqualqu

ala

Macham

ba

Masingir Masingi

r

Mapulanguene

Sabie

Magude

Two Cities

Coromane

Matsulu

Mahlati

Manye

leti

Belfast / Cork

Bushbuck

Ridge

Malam

ulele

69 23

15150

414138

5719

100daysJuly - September 2014Track report and tactics based calculations

691 Poachers230 Weapons

Last slide…• Unknowns…case studies• Long history – trust: take time (SA and Moz)• Tradeoffs of large versus small scale projects• Economies of scale – 3 days work• Ownership – changing business as usual – radical, have political will

– Cow example– Buffer zone - co-management, community owned– Co-ownership - inside

• Range of human needs – meat…• Benefits must be linked to conservation locally

– Tourism levy?• Revenue generation – sharing?• Staff – local community• Context specific solutions – 1017km