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Good practice Imported

Botswana Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) Programme

Botswana · Kasane · See the Botswana profile

Evidence: Observational / pre–post Top 90% 27/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

Botswana's national CBNRM policy (2007, piloted since the 1990s) channels tourism and hunting revenue to ~100 community trusts covering ~22% of national land, alongside a rebounding elephant population, but faces documented elite capture and a costly 2014-2019 hunting ban.

80,000 elephants
Elephant population (1996) (1996)
129,000+ elephants
Elephant population (2014) (2014)
22 % of national territory
CBNRM/WMA land coverage (2004)
150 villages (10 districts)
Villages participating in CBNRM (mid-2000s (2005))
135,000 people
People involved in CBNRM (mid-2000s (2005))
200,000 USD
Chobe Enclave revenue (2002)
6 million USD
Lost licence fees during national hunting ban (2014-2019)
100 trusts
Active community trusts (present)
Botswana Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) Programme

Details

Maturity
Established
Promoter
Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP), Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism, Botswana
Period
1990s-present (national policy since 2007)
Keywords
wildlife conservation, community trusts, tourism revenue-sharing, benefit-sharing, conservation policy

Context

Botswana's Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) Programme lets communal-area villages form registered Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) or Trusts that hold leases over Wildlife Management Areas and Controlled Hunting Areas, earning tourism and (when permitted) safari-hunting concession revenue in exchange for managing wildlife and other natural resources on their land.

Activities

Piloted from the early 1990s (the Chobe Enclave project from 1993 is an early example) and formalised nationally by the CBNRM Policy of 2007. Under the policy's revenue-sharing rule, 65% of proceeds from a CBO's sale of hunting quotas or concessions goes to the National Environmental Fund, with the CBO retaining the rest.

Results

By the mid-2000s roughly 150 villages across 10 districts and about 135,000 people (roughly one-tenth of the population) were involved, with CBNRM/WMA land covering about 22% of national territory by 2004. The Chobe Enclave earned about USD 200,000 in 2002, two-thirds from hunting. Elephant numbers rose from an estimated 80,000 in 1996 to over 129,000 by 2014 and have remained above 130,000 for roughly 15 years. CBO registrations stagnated between 2009 and 2012, and a 2014-2019 national hunting ban cost an estimated USD 6 million in lost licence fees affecting around 800 families before being reversed in 2019; pre-ban safari hunting supported roughly 600 jobs and about 15% of tourism revenue, with CBNRM-linked tourism overall estimated at about 3.5% of total tourism value. Around 100 community trusts are currently active.

Conclusions

Peer-reviewed and policy literature documents elite capture within some trusts, weak business capacity, and uneven distribution of revenue among members.

Implementation
Indicative cost
Medium (€50k–€500k) — Revenue-sharing rule: 65% of a CBO's proceeds from hunting quota/concession sales go to the National Environmental Fund; Chobe Enclave earned ~USD 200,000 in 2002 (two-thirds from hunting); the 2014-2019 hunting ban cost an estimated USD 6 million in lost licence fees.
Time to results
Long (> 3 years) — Piloted from the early 1990s (Chobe Enclave project, 1993); formalised nationally by the CBNRM Policy of 2007; national hunting ban 2014-2019, reversed in 2019; roughly 100 community trusts currently active.

Conditions for success

  • National CBNRM Policy (2007) formalising community leases over WMAs/CHAs
  • Revenue-sharing rule (65% of hunting/concession proceeds to National Environmental Fund) providing a consistent national framework

Common failure modes

  • Elite capture within some community trusts
  • Weak business capacity in some CBOs
  • Uneven distribution of revenue among members
  • CBO registrations stagnated 2009-2012
  • 2014-2019 national hunting ban disrupted CBNRM hunting revenue, costing an estimated $6 million in lost licence fees and affecting ~800 families

Commonly funded by

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Data sources

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