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Use
of Sustainable Livelihoods Approaches
The
WILD project was designed before the development of DFID's
Sustainable Livelihoods framework. The process of the design
probably contributed to the development of the Sustainable
Livelihoods approach within DFID. The focus on livelihoods
contrasts with traditional policy-makers' emphasis on macro-economic
and conservation oriented perspectives in the field of CBNRM.
The design identified multiple livelihood concerns [strategies]
and impacts of tourism. Impacts on coping with drought, access
to grazing, veld foods, and maintaining local control are
important to local people (i.e. enhancing impacts on assets,
livelihood strategies and vulnerability) and are as important
as maximising cash benefits. The issue of benefits derived
from tourism ventures through the implementation of CBNRM
in Namibian communal areas is central and cuts across a range
of Sustainable Livelihoods issues. Intangible benefits, e.g.
local level institutional capacity building through negotiation
with private sector operators, can build social capital (networks)
and confidence (human capital).
Three main points to note about the use of livelihoods approaches
in this project:
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Livelihoods analysis will be done by local communities,
with facilitation of outsiders, to help with their own decision
making, as well as to generate lessons to share with others
[agreeing best practices].
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Livelihoods analysis is not part of the project cycle -
for planning or review - but is an intrinsic component of
the project [learning by doing].
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Apart from the specific use of livelihoods analysis, the
project reflects a 'livelihoods approach' at a deeper level.
It is truly interdisciplinary, with team members drawn from
resource economics, ecological monitoring and social anthropology.
The process of design and implementation is iterative, and
driven by in-country research needs and priorities. The
analysis will feed directly into the National Namibian CBNRM
programme and, during the latter stages, will address key
policy issues through the provision and dissemination of
findings in key fora. The foci of the research, remains
driven by local level livelihood concerns (impacts of tourism,
benefits from improved NR management, economic returns from
enterprise development) in the context of existing livelihood
strategies and portfolios. The WILD project will bring together
technical inputs from economics, ecology, policy analysis
and social development to further our understanding of livelihood
diversification in the context of CBNRM. Lessons learned
will be used to inform further the ongoing process of policy
development to meet critical Namibian and DFID objectives
- poverty eradication and the diversification of rural livelihood.
Print
version of the Project Summary: Word
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