Southern Africa

There is growing awareness of the social significance of wild resources, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) making a clear link between biodiversity, ecosystem services and human well-being. There remains, however, much ignorance concerning the role that trade in wild products plays in supporting the livelihoods of poor people and the potential of this trade to contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Biodiversity within inland water ecosystems in southern Africa is highly diverse and of great importance to livelihoods and economies, however, development activities are not always compatible with the conservation of this diversity and it is poorly represented in the development planning process. One of the main reasons is a lack of readily available information on the status and distribution of inland water taxa.

Collection of papers drawing on insight from over 50 case studies and synthesising them into lessons to guide park management in transitional economies where the challenges of poverty and governance can be severe. The central message is that parks are common property regimes that should serve society. It analyses and sheds light on the crucial questions arising from this perspective.