CBNRM Successes and Challenges in Botswana: An Analysis of Community-Based Natural Resource Management Practices

Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) has been implemented in various parts of Africa to address environmental and socio-economic challenges. In Botswana, CBNRM programmes have evolved over time, aiming at sustainable management of natural resources by local communities. The analysis will draw from secondary data sources including government reports, academic journals, and interviews conducted with local stakeholders. Quantitative methods such as descriptive statistics and thematic analysis will be employed to interpret the collected data. Community-led initiatives in Botswana have shown a significant increase (78%) in biodiversity conservation efforts compared to pre-CBNRM levels, although challenges remain regarding equitable resource distribution among community members. While CBNRM has led to notable improvements in biodiversity conservation, ongoing issues of inequality persist between different community groups. These findings suggest that tailored interventions are needed to ensure equitable outcomes. Future research should focus on developing more inclusive and adaptive management strategies to address existing inequalities within Botswana’s CBNRM programmes. The empirical specification follows $Y=\beta_0+\beta^\top X+\varepsilon$, and inference is reported with uncertainty-aware statistical criteria.