Exploring CBE to enhance biodiversity conservation and the resilience of ecosystems and people in priority areas of the Olifants River basin
This project, implemented with support from the Institute of Natural Resources, was designed to unlock the potential of conservation-based beneficiation models, to enhance the resilience of local livelihoods and reduce vulnerability to climate change. As the initial stages of a longer-term process, the project has achieved the following:
- Enhanced capacity of communities at Legalameetse to incorporate conservation-based entrepreneurship into development planning and establish the partnerships they need to operationalize these plans. This capacity included skills and knowledge (business planning, legislation affecting developments in protected areas, beneficiation models and decision-making skills) and collective agency to co-develop ideas and take them forward, through an exploration of a community cultural day in the reserve and learning exchanges with other CPAs.
- Development of basin-level guidelines for responsible natural resource-based beneficiation in the Lower Olifants.
- Development of tools and guidelines including an integrated beneficiation model report, a preliminary business plan for selected initiatives, a scoping report on selected opportunities in Mametja, several flyers and a game for teaching decision-making entitled “Crossroads: A game of decisions and consequences”.
