The sustainable use approach, communities and wildlife trade. New economic rules for a crowded planet Brian Child BEYOND ENFORCEMENT: Communities, governance, incentives and sustainable use in combating wildlife crime February 26-28th Glenburn Lodge, Muldersdrift, South Africa

Demographic expansion into drylands and forests with domestic resources is not working economically or for wild species Areas used only recently Areas predicted to be hard hit by climate change

Semi-Desert Dryland SavannaAgricultural ZoneForests and mountains Simple Commodity economy crop agriculture crop agriculture ‘Profitability’ of Land Use Bio-experience economy Wild Resources Ecosystem Services Agricultural Sweet Spot Expansion of people into forests since 1900 Expansion of people into drylands When simple meets complex … Simple, domestic (owned) commodity production systems Complex wild (non- owned) systems

Smil, V. (2011). "Harvesting the Biosphere: The Human Impact." Population and Development Review 37(4): MtC Domestic (owned) animals are replacing wild (un- owned) species 4.5X half Even when wild resources are inherently more valuable

London Convention (1900, 1933), Theodore Roosevelt (c1900) Threat: market hunting at the frontier of European expansion Response: 1. Protected Areas 2. Ban commercial uses of wildlife 3. Centralize control of wildlife in the state No rights Policy failures drive down price of wildlife mm Bans on Use Value Rainfall Wildlife Area Differential regulation / ‘taxation’ Wildlife Area

Removal of value of wildlife results in a new threat – replacement of wildlife by the plough and the cow Craigie, I. D., J. E. M. Baillie, A. Balmford, C. Carbone, B. Collen, R. E. Green and J. M. Hutton (2010). "Large mammal population declines in Africa’s protected areas." Biological Conservation 143: Cumming, D. H. M. and I. Bond (1991). Animal production in southern Africa: Present practices and opportunities for peasant farmers in arid lands. Multispecies Animal Production Systems Project Paper No. 22`. Harare, WWF Multispecies Project: 142p. Wildlife populations in parks in West, East and Southern Africa ( ) By 1980, over 90% of large mammal biomass in SADC is livestock

History of African wildlife policy and outcomes and the 1960s transformation FRONTIER ECONOMY: White expansion into the interior of Africa : 2 million animals slaughtered 3 extinctions, several locally Cow and plough NATIONALISED WILDLIFE ECONOMY: London Conventions Fauna & Flora 1900, 1933 Established protected areas Established protected areas Centralised control of wildlife Centralised control of wildlife Restricted commercial use Restricted commercial use “Conventional Conservation” (in the mould of London Convention) “Sustainable Use Approach” (radical changes to London Convention) 1960 Domestic animals were ruining the country. Why not crop the game? Multispecies must be better Use it or lose it +

1960s – Cropping (Scientists; failed) s – restocking & major land transformation back to bio-experience economy Tourism (and hunting) EVOLUTION OF PRIVATE CONSERVATION IN SOUTHERN AFRICA Key to Wildlife Recovery and diversification – Trophy Hunting

Conservation PolicyLondon Convention 1900, 1933 Sustainable Use Approach 1. Protected AreasEstablished to conserve Fauna & Flora Conserve, but provide public goods suited to society (jobs, economic growth) 2. Wildlife OwnershipCentralise in the statePROPRIETORSHIP: Devolve to landholders / communities 3. Commercial Use of Wildlife Restrict and/or banPRICE: Make as valuable as possible (provided humane) But key to recovery of wildlife not technical or ecological, not technical or ecological, but carefully crafted legal / institutional measures that addressed market failure but carefully crafted legal / institutional measures that addressed market failure

No Hope Economy Wild resources replaced resources that are: more valuable privately owned Frontier Economy Wild resources decimated poaching unsustainable harvesting (tragedy of the commons) Subsidised PA Economy (subsidized) Wildlife resources conserved (often for non-financial reasons): Clear boundaries (parks) Subsidised protection. Sustainable Use Approach Wild resources conserved: they are valuable value is captured by landholders and communities. low Price high weak Proprietorship strong Proprietorship-Price Model - Price (0+0) 0+0 FLAWS 1.Lowers incentives for conservation (habitat loss is the greatest threat) 2.How do you stop demand? 3.Shifting market into criminal hands 4.No information, no adaptive management + proprietorship P+P CHALLENGES 1.Creating proprietorship is politically challenging 2.But it works

Price Proprietorship Hypothesis FAILING resource management SUCCESSFUL Resource Management Threshold for Sustainability Price Proprietorship Legal Rights, Policy Capacity, Awareness 1.Global exchange (create wealth through specialization diversification and exchange) 2.Open, competitive marketing 3.Remove differential taxation and regulation 4.Private / individual benefit Right (capacity) to: 1.Use / benefit from 2.Sell 3.Manage 4.Exclusion (protect) Social foundation Village scouts National / global policing support

CBNRM and its four challenges: 1.Price- Making wild resources economically competitive 2.Proprietorship - devolve rights / benefits to community 3.Micro-governance 4.Management (NRM, community) Constituents Central Government Micro- governance Avoid elite capture Ensure equitable benefit sharing Ensure informed community participation 2 3 devolution Common pool wild resources Benefits 1 Conserve 4 It has to be private (cash) benefits

CBNRM scale thresholds and the provision of public goods Rare Successes Individual benefit Community-based management Multiple Disappointments Public benefit Committee –based management The rich get richer and the poor get … committees (Jon Anderson) Small, participatory governance Large, representational governance

Conclusions Some simple rules (international compact?) 1.Devolve genuine land and resource proprietorship full retention of income at household level village-based title (scale is critical). 2.Require sound micro-governance with two objectives (to avoid ubiquitous elite capture), i.e. Equitable benefit sharing, Full participation in decision-making. 3.Remove of market restrictions on uses that are sustainable. “Make the case” for biodiversity, Don’t lock it into local, low value, subsistence/artisanal systems or illegal trade. Implications Encourage trade where and only where use conforms to the above criteria (e.g. CITES Discourage/disallow trade when it does not, i.e. in open access resource situations.

addendums

Southern African Regional Commission for the Conservation and Utilization of Soil (SARCCUS) Standing Committee for Nature Conservation, Wildlife Utilization and Management (MUNC) A Community of Practice that has been going for more than sixty years (simultaneous Horizontal and Vertical learning) African Special Project s (FAO) Policy Maker Land holder

For Society (Economic) Economic Multipliers Vertical Integration in Sector Profit to Land Economic Multipliers Vertical Integration in Sector Profit to Land For Landholder (Financial) Meat Hunting Tourism Ecological inputs Economic output Meat Viability Economic output Beef – commodity production Wildlife – bio-experience economy

Governance, resilience and regime shifts…