Government Involvement In Co-Management

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Figure 1: various levels of government involvement versus community involvement within co-management practices (Pomeroy & Berkes, 1997) Each of these different levels of government or community involvement in co-management practices has their place. In some cases where there is almost full government control, the local communities may only be given limited access as part of a co-management plan, due to the context of the study. For example, the following case studies have varying levels of government involvement and both of them are considered to be successful. (Pomeroy & Berkes, 1997) Case study: Malawi An example of co-management in action is that of Lake Chiuta in Malawi. The lake is a fairly small lake surrounded by 52 villages. Most of…show more content…
To solve or attempt to manage land claims on protected areas that are occasionally seen in some countries, a co-management approach is becoming more prevalent (Blore, et al., 2013). This is specifically frequent in South Africa where a history of apartheid has increased inequality, and there is now a need to regain land as the country strives to recover from this harmful regime (Blore, et al., 2013). The apartheid regime saw vast quantities of people being removed from their land by force, to allow government protection of natural resources under a command and control management practice (Cundill, et al., 2013). In 1969 the Pafuri area, where the Makuleke community resided, was incorporated into the Kruger National Park, forcing the community to relocate. This process was extremely controversial as the local people were literally forced by the use of guns, to leave the area and demolish their homes. With the introduction of a democratic party in 1994, there was a strong call for land restitution and redistribution (Cundill, et al., 2013). This led to the formation of the Restitution of Land Rights Act, providing land claimants with a chance to regain access to their lands (Kepe, et al., 2005). The following year the Maluleke community promptly submitted a claim to attempt to regain access to their land. This claim was…show more content…
They provide food and basic needs for all people and biota, and are a source of livelihood or income for many. They are often exploited for their economic value, and this can lead to their devastation or extinction, depending on the resource. In order to safely and successfully manage these resources, a form of management known as co-management needs to be applied. Co-management is a very complex management practice, and its structure varies depending on the context. It is favoured in the management of most natural resources due to its evident successes in the literature. the success of co-management is limited by people and their willingness to cooperate. The two case studies illustrated here, one local from South Africa and one from Malawi, were both relatively successful examples of co-management because the local people were willing to cooperate in the management practices. The Malawi case showed a much greater level of community involvement with only limited government involvement. The government was forced by the community to create regulating policies which were then enforced by the communities. In the Makulele case, the community was recoring from apartheid inequalitites and this required a much greater level of involvement and enforcement from the government. Both cases exhibited a push from the ocla communities to spring the government into action. These case studies show that without cooperation from

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