Wildlife as a resource for local communities

Extract

Whose Eden? is a report to the Overseas Development Administration of the British Government. It presents an overview and analysis of literature on community approaches to wildlife management, with the majority of the information gained from schemes in Africa. The analyses are split into top-down approaches (ownership of wildlife by the state, traditional protected areas, wildlife legislation enforcement) and participatory approaches (involvement of local people and their needs in wildlife management). This latter category is also further broken down into a range from passive participation (donor-funded and compensation schemes) to active participation (community-led generation and distribution of benefits from wildlife utilization). The report also identifies conditions under which uses of wildlife are likely to be sustainable.