ABSTRACT
Despite the adoption of participatory approaches in addressing socio-economic issues in a number of sectors, top-down approaches still seem to dominate nature conservation. Ironically, the poorest members of society tend to be the ones expected to absorb the majority of negative shocks associated with the heavy hand of top-down approaches. This chapter analyses and discusses the role of institutions in the management of common pool resources, the devolution of property rights to communities, natural resources governance, responsibility and appropriate benefit distribution to the local level. Using document analysis, data is drawn from case studies within the Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE) programme in Zimbabwe. The data were systematically and thematically analysed and interrogated to derive lessons on possible best practices in community-based natural resources governance in Zimbabwe. The chapter emphasises that decentralising governance should not be seen as an end in itself but as a means for creating more open, responsive and effective local government for an enhanced more representative system of community-level decision-making. Critical issues on local-level governance, power relations, enabling policies and sustainability, were discussed. It further sheds light on the implementation of community-based natural resource management pro-poor policies and strategies.
