Browsing by Author "Muchapondwa, Edwin"

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Agricultural Risk Management through Community-Based Wildlife Conservation in Rural Zimbabwe
(2009-12-03T15:13:12Z) Muchapondwa, Edwin; Sterner, Thomas
This paper investigates whether the risk faced by rural farmers in Zimbabwe could poten- tially be managed by using community-based wildlife conservation. Community-based wildlife conservation could be an additional asset in the rural farmers investment portfolio thereby potentially diversifying and consequently reducing the risk they face. Such investment could also help e¤orts to conserve wildlife. By making use of national historical data and statistical analysis, this paper nds that community-based wildlife conservation is a feasible hedge asset for agricultural production in rural Zimbabwe. The bene ts of diversi cation into community-based wildlife conservation are likely to be high only in those rural areas that can sustain wildlife pop- ulations su¢cient to generate adequate returns from wildlife activities such as tourism, trophy hunting, live animal sales and meat cropping.
Bioeconomic Model of Community Incentives for Wildlife Management Before and After CAMPFIRE
(2009-12-03T15:21:46Z) Fischer, Carolyn; Muchapondwa, Edwin; Sterner, Thomas
This paper formulates a bioeconomic model to analyze community incentives for wildlife management under benefit-sharing programs like the Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE) in Zimbabwe. Two agents influence the wildlife stock: a parks agency determines hunting quotas, and a local community chooses to either aid or discourage outside poachers. Wildlife generates revenues from hunting licenses and tourism; it also intrudes on local agriculture. We consider two benefit-sharing regimes: shares of wildlife tourism rents and shares of hunting licenses. Resource sharing does not necessarily improve community welfare or incentives for wildlife conservation. Results depend on the exact design of the benefit shares, the size of the benefits compared with agricultural losses, and the way in which the parks agency sets hunting licenses.
Bridging the Research–Policy Gap for Sustainable Development: A Handbook for Policy Engagement and Impact in the Global South
(2025) Aguilar-Gomez, Sandra; Akpalu, Wisdom; Babyenda, Peter; César, Emelie; Chukwuone, Nnaemeka; Das, Saudamini; Ekbom, Anders; Gebreegziabher, Zenebe; Hansson, Petra; Hepelwa, Aloyce; Hoa, Dang Le; Kebede G., Selamawit; Kigundu, Kenneth; Maldonado, Jorge H.; Mellin, Anna; Mercado, Leida; Muchapondwa, Edwin; Mulwa, Richard; Murithi Makandi, Jackline; Saldarriaga, Adrián; Slunge, Daniel; Sterner, Erik; Wango, Virginiah; Wright, Hannah; Zikhali, Precious
Bridging the Research–Policy Gap for Sustainable Development: A Handbook for Policy Engagement and Impact in the Global South provides guidance for researchers seeking to enhance the societal relevance and impact of their work through proactive policy engagement. The handbook draws on experiences and examples from research centers in Africa, Latin America, and Asia involved in the Environment for Development (EfD) Initiative, offering practical tools and strategies applicable across diverse policy and governance contexts in the Global South. Structured in three parts, the handbook introduces key concepts and frameworks for understanding research impact (Part A), provides hands-on guidance for planning and implementing policy engagement activities and evaluating impacts of research (Part B), and offers tools and advice for effective science communication (Part C). Across all parts, it emphasizes the importance of sustained relationships with policymakers, civil society, community-based organizations, and the private sector. By helping researchers navigate complex policy environments, it contributes to more informed decision-making and progress toward sustainability goals at local, national, and global levels.
Can local communities in Zimbabwe be trusted with wildlife management?: Evidence from contingent valuation of elephants
(2009-11-19T16:25:37Z) Muchapondwa, Edwin; Carlsson, Fredrik; Köhlin, Gunnar
If local communities living adjacent to the elephant see it as a burden, then they cannot be trusted to be its stewards. To assess their valuation of it, a CVM study was conducted for one CAMPFIRE district in Zimbabwe. Respondents were classi ed according to their preferences over the elephant. The median WTP for the preservation of 200 elephants is ZW$260 (US$4.73) for respondents who considered the elephant a public good while the same statistic is ZW$137 (US$2.49) for those favouring its translocation. The preservation of 200 elephants yields an annual net worth of ZW$10,828 (US$196) to CAMPFIRE households. However, the majority of households (62%) do not support elephant preservation. This is one argument against devolution of elephant conservation to local communities. Adequate economic incentives must be extended to local communities if their majority is to partake in sound elephant conservation. External transfers constitute one way of providing additional economic incentives.
Determinants of Successful Collective Management of Forest Resources: Evidence from Kenyan Community Forest Associations
(2017-10) Okumu, Boscow; Muchapondwa, Edwin; School of Economics, University of Cape Town; Private Bag Rondebosch 7701, Cape town. Corresponding author: kodhis2000@ gmail.com or okmbos002@myuct.ac.za. Professor, School of Economics, University of Cape Town. edwin.muchapondwa@uct.ac.za
Participation of local communities in management and utilization of forest resources through collective action has become widely accepted as a possible solution to failure of centralized, top-down approaches to forest conservation. Developing countries have thus resorted to devolution of forest management through initiatives such as Participatory Forest Management (PFM) and Joint Forest Management (JFM). In Kenya, under such initiatives, communities have been able to self-organize into community forest associations (CFAs). However, despite these efforts and an increased number of CFAs, the results in terms of ecological outcomes have been mixed, with some CFAs failing and others thriving. Little is known about the factors influencing success of these initiatives. Using household-level data from 518 households and community-level data from 22 CFAs from the Mau forest conservancy, the study employed logistic regression, OLS and heteroscedasticity-based instrumental variable techniques to analyze factors influencing household participation levels in CFA activities and to further identify the determinants of successful collective management of forest resources, as well as the link between participation level and the success of collective action. The results show that the success of collective action is associated with the level of household participation in CFA activities, distance to the forest resource, institutional quality, group size, and salience of the resource, among other factors. We also found that collective action is more successful when CFAs are formed through users’ self-motivation with frequent interaction with government institutions and when the forest cover is low. Factors influencing the level of household participation are also identified. The study findings point to the need for: a robust diagnostic approach in devolution of forest management to local communities, considering diverse socio-economic and ecological settings; government intervention in reviving and re-institutionalizing existing and infant CFAs in an effort to promote PFM within the Mau forest and other parts of the country; and intense effort towards design of a mix of incentive schemes to encourage active and equal household participation in CFA activities.
The Economics of Community-Based Wildlife Conservation in Zimbabwe
(2003) Muchapondwa, Edwin; Department of Economics
THE ECONOMICS OF COMMUNITY-BASED WILDLIFE CONSERVATION IN ZIMBABWE This thesis deals with the economics of community-based wildlife conservation in Zimbabwe. It consists of an introductory chapter and four self-contained chapters. Chapter 1 spells out the history of wildlife conservation leading to the inception of CAMPFIRE. Research issues at the core of the rest of the thesis are also highlighted. Chapter 2 formulates a bio-economic model with the parks agency and the local community and their two land-uses to analyse wildlife-livestock conflict and welfare in a typical CAMPFIRE area. In the absence of economic benefits some locals tolerate poaching in order to reduce the stock of wildlife. Scenarios in three resource use regimes are analysed. Wildlife conservation is successful when the local community gets profit shares from hunting and tourism. Policies that could enhance wildlife conservation and social welfare are suggested. Optimal profit shares ought to exceed unity i.e. devolution of wildlife conservation should be augmented by inflows of external funding. If the local communities who live adjacent to the elephant see it as valueless nuisance then they cannot be trusted to be its good stewards. To assess their valuation of it, Chapter 3 presents a contingent valuation study for a typical CAMPFIRE district, Mudzi, in Zimbabwe. The study shows that the median willingness to pay for the preservation of 200 elephants is ZW$300 (US$5.45) and -ZW$98 (-US$1.78) for the public good and public bad cases, respectively. 62% of the households consider the elephant a nuisance. In the absence of extra economic incentives, the results are against devolution of conservation responsibilities to the local communities. External transfers potentially provide extra economic incentives. Chapter 4 notes that the increasing incidence of poverty in wildlife-abundant districts could be reduced through sustainable use of wildlife. Despite CAMPFIRE’s gains, problems still exist. Our starting point in search for reforms is an investigation of the extent to which design principles shared by the institutions of the world’s long-enduring commons are satisfied. Sustainable wildlife conservation under CAMPFIRE requires co-management where appropriation, provision, monitoring, enforcement, conflict resolution and governance activities are organised in multiple layers. CAMPFIRE ought to increase local communities’ contestations. Chapter 5 suggests that risk management in agricultural production could proceed in two ways. Firstly, adding wildlife conservation as a land use in the framework of CAMPFIRE could diversify and consequently reduce risk. Diversification into wildlife conservation could help both farmers and efforts to conserve wildlife. Secondly, establishing a wildlife damage insurance programme could assist farmers for whom benefits of diversification into wildlife conservation are likely to be low. A complement to the insurance programme could be an investment in electric fences and buffer zones to reduce the likelihood and severity of loss.
The Impact of Micro Hydroelectricity on Household Welfare Indicators
(2017-12) Karumba, Mary Muthoni; Muchapondwa, Edwin; Mary Muthoni Karumba, University of Cape Town, muthonikarumba48@gmail.com. Edwin Muchapondwa, University of Cape Town
The use of small-scale off-grid renewable energy for rural electrification is now seen as one sustainable energy solution. The expectations from such small-scale investment include meeting basic household energy needs and thereby improving some aspects of household welfare. However, these stated benefits remain largely hypothetical because there are data and methodological challenges in existing literature attempting to isolate such impacts. This paper uses field data from micro hydro schemes in Kenya and a propensity score matching technique to demonstrate such an impact. We find that, on average, households connected to micro hydroelectricity consume 1.5 litres less kerosene per month compared to households without any such electricity connection. Also, non-connected households spend 0.92 USD more for re-charging their cell phone batteries per month in comparison to those who were using micro hydroelectricity service. Finally, school children from households that are connected to micro hydroelectricity were found to devote 43 minutes less to evening studies compared to those without electricity. The findings provide interesting insights about some of the claims made for or against the use of off-grid renewable energy for rural electrification.