Traitors Among Victims: The Case of Market-Community Wildlife Collaborative Management in Malawi's Majete Wildlife Reserve

摘要

In line with political moves towards democratic governance, state-based management of wildlife is being replaced by community-market collaborative management approaches. In Malawi, community-market collaboration in wildlife management is particularly presented as a panacea to lack of community support for wildlife conservation due to their exclusion from enjoying the benefits ofits conservation. Community-market collaborative management, however, changes the rules and procedures in accessingthe benefits of wildlife conservation. Using MajeteWildlife Reserve, this study explores theextent to which the new approach addresses past unequal benefits from wildlife conservation, especially for the local communities. The study employed both qualitative (in-depth interviews, focus group discussions) and quantitative (desk study) methods. The findings from Majete Wildlife Reserve reveal that collaborative wildlifemanagement is predominantly a market oriented activity that reproduces newmodes of accessing benefits and new actors that sustains its inherent principles. Consequently, while a few victims of former state-based wildlife management approach are currently benefiting from and have become faithful advocates of the new regime, a number of vulnerable groups of people continue to suffer. At present, community-market collaborative management hastaken the form of patronage rather than partnership. Hence, the solution to inclusive and transparent wildlife management cannot be a matter of just fussing two management approaches.