Wildlife Utilization in SADC

Wildlife-based tourism is by far the most important use of wildlife resources in SADC region that can significantly contribute to poverty alleviation. However, in most rural areas of the SADC region, bush meet consumption still remaining as the major and traditional source of animal protein. If we consider wildlife in its broader understating as the combination of wild animals and wild plants, this offer an important and diverse range of consumptive and commercial products indispensable to rural livelihoods in SADC region. These include wild fruits, mushrooms, honey, fish, building materials among others.

The SADC approach is to manage the wildlife resources in integrated manners that directly benefit the conservation and the peoples by providing consumptive products and incomes from commercial consumptive and non-consumptive products. This includes the management of wildlife as wild populations in large ecosystems as conventional protected areas. It also includes the community wildlife management areas (CWMA) as the CAMPFIRE in Zimbabwe and other initiates in the SADC region. Farming wild populations in game farms or intensive management, as domesticated species in game ranches are other management options advocated by SADC Member States.

The major challenge is to develop policies, legislation and institutional structures that recognize wildlife as a viable land-use option, and allow community based management and beneficiation from the wildlife resource.