Sustainable Wildlife Management to Improve Local Livelihoods- SWM

Last update: 25 November 2021

The Sustainable Wildlife Management programme aims at reaching both wildlife conservation and food security objectives

Dates 2017-2024

Background on SWM Programme

The global Sustainable Wildlife Management (SWM) Programme, funded by the EU as an initiative of the African Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP), was launched in Rome, Italy, October 2017. The programme is designed to reduce hunting of wildlife to sustainable levels, protecting endangered wildlife species, conserving biodiversity, maintaining the essential ecological roles of wildlife within forested and savanna ecosystems, and securing stocks and flows of provisioning ecosystem services (i.e. food) essential to some of the poorest and most politically marginalized human populations. Field projects are being implemented in 13 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries by FAO, in partnership with CIRAD, CIFOR and WCS. One of the eight sites will be located in KAZA (Zambia and Zimbabwe), looking at the potential of community commercial conservancies under high population density to try to halt unsustainable wildlife hunting, conserve their natural heritage and strengthen people's livelihoods and food security. The goal will be biodiversity management and looking at sustainable management of wildlife and fisheries resources in selected sites.

In a range of key socio-ecosystems (forest and savanna) the SWM project will i) promote sustainable and legal use of resilient wildlife populations by local rural populations and to ii) increase/diversify protein production for local and urban populations.

Global Objective

To contribute to wildlife conservation, as well as ecosystems and the services they provide, as well as to improve the livelihoods and food security of local communities that depend on these resources in ACP countries.

Specific Objective

The sustainable and legal use of wildlife populations by local rural stakeholders in key landscapes for conservation and the diversification of the alternative protein supply from domestic animals for rural and urban populations, reconciliating food security and wildlife conservation in ACP countries.

To reach this ambitious but feasible objective, SWM has to secure the rights and increase the management capacity of local populations whose livelihoods, food security and traditions depend on direct wildlife consumption. The programme will  help local populations to shift from wild meat to other forms of animal and plant based proteins in a context of increasing global (and African) human populations.

The SWM programme will have several sites in and out of Africa. In southern Africa, the site will be within the KAZA TFCA and will focus on Zimbabwe and Zambia. More information on the project available here.

Why KAZA TFCA

KAZA TFCA was noted to be a landscape that is unique because it has high density of wildlife and high density of human populations interacting together sharing the same resources. Use of wildlife is different from other countries and or regions as consumption of bushmeat is relatively low. Poaching is present, poverty is high and Human and Wildlife Conflict (HWC) is also high. This setting is good for identifying best options for wildlife, fisheries and livestock projects and addressing provision of protein to poor communities and livelihoods improvement activities.

Last update: 25 November 2021