25 Jun 2025

Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) serves as a development approach that empowers local communities to manage and benefit from natural resources sustainably.

Therefore, government saw it fit to push for the introduction for the CBNRM Bill which would  serve as a legislative framework for community based natural resources management. Speaking during a consultative meeting held in Ghanzi on Monday, deputy permanent secretary in the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Ms Abigail Khumoyame decried the rampant mismanagement surrounding the locally-based Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) across the country hence they saw the need to legally protect them in order to empower and deliver on their intended community development goals.

She said the resultant Act would provide for the establishment of the CBNRM department that would be responsible for natural resources as well as facilitate and coordinate registration of CBOs. Ms Khumoyame also said the department would ensure that the CBOs were operated and managed in a transparent, accountable, participatory and non-discriminatory manner. Furthermore, she said every CBO would be required to be registered in accordance to the Act and that they would be open to the public for inspection except for confidential information.

Moreover, Ms Khumoyame mentioned that there would be refusal of registration by the relevant director if the application for registration did not comply with requirements of the Act such as in the event that the applicant would have given false information in any material particular to the application. She added that a registered CBO may sue or be sued under its registered name.

When giving the objectives of the day, CBNRM officer Mr Maika Maika explained that CBNRM was launched in Botswana in 1989 as a joint effort between government and USAID under its natural resources’ management project. He said that the aim of the strategy was that communities must conserve their natural resources sustainably as well as draw direct benefits arising from their use. He said the utilisation of natural resources by CBOs included but was not limited to controlled fishing, controlled harvesting and processing of veld products and many more.

Mr Maika said there were 165 CBOs nation-wide which were classified under consumptive usage and non-consumptive usage. He explained that the introduction of the CBNRM Bill was necessitated by poor governance, maladministration, misappropriation of community trust resources, lack of accountability, litigation and land issues. He said the above-mentioned attributes hindered the communities from achieving the desired benefits of the strategy.

However, Mr Maika emphasised that the Bill would provide a legislative framework for CBNRM as it would enhance security, strengthen coordination, regulation and control. Above all, he said it would improve beneficiation by communities while ensuring environment protection and conservation.

Meanwhile, the participants endorsed the bill but with mixed feeling as, Kgosi Johannes Magwase from East Hanahai said that they welcomed the proposed bill as it would serve as an imperative tool that would promote proper bookkeeping and ensure accountability of funds. He also said it would strengthen the board members to ensure that they operated the CBOs by book.

Kgosi Mogwase however, decried that the bill should cater for the board members’ salaries as they were only entitled to sitting allowances which he deemed to be too low to sustain an individual. He said they ended up abandoning the Trust’s responsibilities and opt to seeking temporary employment at Ipelegeng. He therefore, proposed for attractive incentives for board members so that they would be committed to the CBOs responsibilities.

Kgosi William Morris of Chobokwane also shared the same sentiments for the proposal of attractive incentives as he said it would reduce cases of fraud. He added that political figures must not be involved in the CBOs to avoid incidents of political interference that he said might jeopardise chances of CBOs delivering on their mandate.  In his closing remarks, Councillor for Kcagae Mr Isang Saidoo also welcomed the Bill as it would allow the Trusts’ members the opportunity to reshape and build the reputation of the CBOs. ENDS