Improved livelihoods and governance of natural resources ... - WWF

8. The community that will manage and benefit from the resource and the geographic extent of the resource which will be managed, must be clearly defined by the community itself, and legitimised by the government. This will provide both internal and external legitimacy, circumvent conflict over who is meant to manage and benefit, and prevent exploitation of the resource by outsiders. If the community defines itself, there is greater potential for developing an authority with required external and internal legitimacy xxx . This will also contribute to the sense of ownership (see point 3.1(7)), and to self determination and thus empowerment which also is an important benefit of successful CBNRM. 9. Equitable partnerships, collaboration and trust between local communities and the public and private sector are required. Such partnerships include those between the community and government agencies, with NGOs -­‐ as supporters for communities and as supporters or challengers where necessary of governments -­‐, and with the private sector investors. There is a potential imbalance of power between communities and the government and with private sector partners which can be addressed by facilitation and technical support from an external agency and provision of capacity building, and through security of tenure for communities and their knowledge of their rights xxxi . Trust is crucial to partnerships and building trust with communities and between communities and other stakeholders may take time, particularly if there have been failed interventions previously or other stakeholders have not treated them equitably in the past. CBNRM in southern Africa has been facilitated through successful longterm collaborations between communities and governments assisted by support organisations. For example, the CAMPFIRE Association (Zimbabwe) or the Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NASCO), provide capacity building, technical support and policy inputs to communities and government partners and, as such, are crucial in promoting CBNRM in those countries xxxii . 4.2 Core principles of sustainable CBNRM relevant for practical programme implementation Both sets of principles outlined in points 3.1 above and 3.2 below are required for sustainable CBNRM. The principles outlined in point 3.1 above lay the foundation for sustainable CBNRM, and need to be in place before, or be put in place while, the principles below are applied. Similarly, the principles below need to be applied in practical programme implementation to complement those in 3.1. Implemented in synergy, they will contribute to sustainable CBNRM. 1. Capacity building is required to ensure that community members and their institutions have the required knowledge, skills and expertise to manage the resources and resulting income, and to negotiate with (and stand up to) other stakeholders xxxiii . There may be barriers hindering people from participating effectively in planning processes and from management, which need to be 7