Life Through Wildlife
A program for scholar-practitioners developing sustainable use, self-governance, and financial independence in African conservation
Life Through Wildlife is a project focused on building knowledge and community capacity in the governance of community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) in southern Africa. Our goal is to link research and practice using a community-led, participatory approach. Our system applies conceptual and operational rigor to the design, management, and assessment of CBNRM.
Life Through Wildlife was initiated by Dr. Brian Child in 2021 as a wildlife economics and CBNRM implementation training program for community conservation managers across the region. It has grown into a international research and capacity-building effort with collaborators from a dozen countries.
What we do
Education and Training
The Wildlife Economy and CBNRM Governance certificate program consists of two online courses and a two-week field training experience at key sites in southern Africa. This program brings together participants from across the world, serving in a wide-range of roles including community leaders, NGO professionals, policymakers, and praxis-inclined scholars. As such, the program facilitates high-impact, vertically integrated, scientifically guided changes in wildlife management in Africa.
Research and Monitoring
We conduct conservation research that is collaborative, practical, and impactful. Our research strategy includes feasibility analysis; baseline surveys to assess community livelihoods, economic production, social capital, governance participation and attitudes, and wildlife tolerance; and community-led impact monitoring—what we call the Governance Dashboard. We have developed a series of tools which we provide to communities to aid in self-governance and adaptive management.
What is CBNRM?
Community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) is a sustainable governance approach to conservation. In southern Africa, its core principle is to entrust the people who live with wildlife to make the rules to govern it. CBNRM makes wildlife the property of communities rather than of the state, conferring rights to manage and benefit from their wild resources and empowering the whole community through deep democracy. Devolving management to communities supports sustainable livelihoods and incentivizes the protection of wildlife from poaching and unauthorized uses.
Meet Dr. Brian Child
Brian Child is a leading researcher and practitioner in conservation economics. Growing up in Zimbabwe, he has always held a deep passion for wildlife conservation. His accomplishments include decreasing elephant poaching in Kafue National Park by 80% during his time at Zambia Parks and playing a key role in the CAMPFIRE CBNRM program in Zimbabwe. Dr. Child is a Rhodes Scholar and holds a PhD in Wildlife and Livestock economics from Oxford University. He is currently an associate professor at the University of Florida, where he works to train the next generation of African and American conservationists.
Acknowledgements:
At Namibia Chamber of Environment, Dr. Chris Brown has provided strong support and Henriette Krohne has provided incredible logistical help without which we could have floundered – organizing finances, purchasing supplies, organizing vehicles, etc.
Tanya Schemmer obtained excellent prices for accommodation, finding excellent rates in a highly unpredictable marketplace.
B2Gold donated ten days of accommodation at their wonderful education camp at Otjikoto conservation area, with Miya, Duane, AJ, and their colleagues participating and providing loads of advice, and help, not least organizing fascinating field trips to cattle and game ranches. Charles Lootz, General Manager & Director - B2Gold Namibia, spent a full day with us.
This effort would not be possible without the support from Jamma Foundation for the support of unfunded students and their airfares as well as teaching, while the funding of students by TNC and BioFund gave us the critical mass to make the training possible.
Morgan Hauptfleish at NUST for making just about everything possible through his enthusiasm and connections.
We also thank the farmers who have hosted us and taught us so much about wildlife, hunting, and livestock – Marina Lamprecht, Danene van der Westhuisen, Paul Smith, Stephan Michels, Hans Werner Erpf (Bunzi).
Malan Lindeque, Richard Diggle, Willie Boonzaaier, and their colleagues gave us an incredible set of presentations in an “introduction to Namibian wildlife sector” morning and Tapiwa Makiwa traveled to B2Gold to share his experience about the Community Conservation Fund of Namibia.