Co-Management: Reconciling Land Restitution, Biodiversity Conservation & Poverty Alleviation in Olifants Catchment

Authors: Karen Kotschy, Sarah Findlay & Chris Williams

Since the dawn of democracy in 1994 the South African government has struggled to reconcile the issue of land restitution with two of its other primary concerns, namely widespread poverty and biodiversity conservation. The emerging global discourse on community-centred conservation and co-management, with its strong ties to poverty alleviation and rural economic development, provides a framework within which all three of these seemingly conflicting problems can be addressed, with clear benefits