Comprehensive overview of Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) as arguably the most important tool for simultaneously driving rural development, improving community livelihoods, and conserving biodiversity in Southern Africa. Founded on the premise that people who live on the land are in the best position to manage and conserve ecosystems and species. Three pillars: economic development (sustainable livelihoods from natural resources), environmental conservation (community-led biodiversity protection), and community empowerment (local governance of resource decisions). Success factors include: effective institutional frameworks, supportive legislation and policy, transparency and good governance, effective community-private sector partnerships, and community organisations with technical/organisational/institutional capacity. Challenges for freshwater CBNRM are distinct from terrestrial systems — freshwater ecosystems exhibit greater concentrations of biodiversity and elevated threats, with distinct social, legal, political, and economic characteristics limiting generalisability from other ecological domains.