It is with heavy hearts and deep sorrow that we note the passing of CLN Vice Chairperson Comrade Charles Jonga.
Charles was an icon, a legend and exemplary leader for community conservation. Comrade Jonga was not just a pillar for CAMPFIRE in Zimbabwe but an inspiration to young conservation leaders across Southern Africa.
As the Chairperson of Community Leaders Network of Southern Africa, I participated in the recent 22nd Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) held in New York, USA. It was a real eye opener for me, as I started to appreciate the challenges, abuse and human rights infringements that over 6.7 million indigenous peoples around the world have had to endure.
Community Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) in Tanzania are lands designated for wildlife conservation and managed by rural communities. Every five years, the villages associated with particular WMAs elect leaders to run their Community-Based Organisation (CBO) that is recognised by government as an Authorised Association mandated to manage their WMAs. Well-managed WMAs should achieve the twin goals of wildlife conservation and generating socio-economic benefits for community members.
From 11th to 14th March 2023, Cyclone Freddy hit Malawi with a vengeance, sweeping away entire villages and leaving 676 dead and 537 missing. Over 659,278 people have been displaced due to the flooding while over 1.1 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
The Cost of Living with Wildlife
As narrated by Mr. Liberty Chauka – Zimbabwe
One day as we were walking in the forest, a raucous high-pitched sound of hadida ibises disturbed the feeding pride of lions as we were approaching close by. This was followed by the grumbling of lions that were feeding on our cattle. Fortunately, we were a group of young boys and two men, and we managed to chase them and recovered the livestock carcass.
This article was published in Africa Geographic on October 27, 2022 and authored by Gail Thomson. We publish the article in full here:
In less than a week from today, at CITES (COP 19), hosted by Panama City, Panama from 14 to 25 November, the Conference is expected to order a blanket ban on elephant hunting and ivory imports.
Its official, CLN is ONE Year Old. After operating loosely since 2019 when it was convened, CLN was officially formalised on the 22nd of October 2021. With its Chairmanship based in Zambia and its Secretariat in Namibia, and representation in 7 other Southern African Countries, CLN has grown significantly to be the lead CBNRM coordinating body in Southern Africa, ensuring that the voices of the often-marginalised communities are heard. Please see official statement here: CLN@1 Statement
Twenty-nine delegates from the Community Leaders Network of Southern Africa (CLN) attended the first African Protected Areas Congress (APAC) held in Kigali, Rwanda in July 2022.
The Community Leaders Network of Southern Africa sent a delegation of 29 members to the inaugural