Governance‐related conservation conflicts in a new UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve
Abstract The UNESCO Man and Biosphere Programme promotes culturally appropriate and environmentally sustainable ways to improve human livelihoods. The programme's success depends on alignment between local communities and conservation authorities. In this study, we examine different sources of...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Conservation Science and Practice |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.70024 |
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| author | Ntsu Mokhehle Falko T. Buschke |
| author_facet | Ntsu Mokhehle Falko T. Buschke |
| author_sort | Ntsu Mokhehle |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The UNESCO Man and Biosphere Programme promotes culturally appropriate and environmentally sustainable ways to improve human livelihoods. The programme's success depends on alignment between local communities and conservation authorities. In this study, we examine different sources of conservation conflict in Tšehlanyane National Park, the protected area at the core of the newly designated Matšeng Biosphere Reserve (established in 2021), the first in the landlocked Kingdom of Lesotho. Herdsmen, whose livestock used to graze the high‐altitude grasslands, now face livestock confiscation and are retaliating with vandalism, arson, and poaching. Using the Nominal Group Technique, a structured group‐based method to build consensus, we show that despite locals being broadly receptive to conservation, conflicts arise from governance shortcomings. Local communities acknowledged their role in the conflict through overgrazing, wildfires, encroachment, vandalism, and harvesting while raising issues from park authorities around equitable benefit‐sharing, exclusion from conservation initiatives, livestock‐ and crop‐losses caused by wildlife, and restricted human movement. These results suggest that the success of this biosphere reserve hinges on a willingness to grapple with complex issues of politics and governance while recognizing the diversity of different resource users. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9bcf6ca5069a45be9ebc99f9b406aea6 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2578-4854 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Conservation Science and Practice |
| spelling | doaj-art-9bcf6ca5069a45be9ebc99f9b406aea62025-08-20T03:17:32ZengWileyConservation Science and Practice2578-48542025-04-0174n/an/a10.1111/csp2.70024Governance‐related conservation conflicts in a new UNESCO Man and Biosphere ReserveNtsu Mokhehle0Falko T. Buschke1Envirosafe Consultants, Pty Ltd. Buthe‐Buthe LesothoJoint Research Centre European Commission Ispra ItalyAbstract The UNESCO Man and Biosphere Programme promotes culturally appropriate and environmentally sustainable ways to improve human livelihoods. The programme's success depends on alignment between local communities and conservation authorities. In this study, we examine different sources of conservation conflict in Tšehlanyane National Park, the protected area at the core of the newly designated Matšeng Biosphere Reserve (established in 2021), the first in the landlocked Kingdom of Lesotho. Herdsmen, whose livestock used to graze the high‐altitude grasslands, now face livestock confiscation and are retaliating with vandalism, arson, and poaching. Using the Nominal Group Technique, a structured group‐based method to build consensus, we show that despite locals being broadly receptive to conservation, conflicts arise from governance shortcomings. Local communities acknowledged their role in the conflict through overgrazing, wildfires, encroachment, vandalism, and harvesting while raising issues from park authorities around equitable benefit‐sharing, exclusion from conservation initiatives, livestock‐ and crop‐losses caused by wildlife, and restricted human movement. These results suggest that the success of this biosphere reserve hinges on a willingness to grapple with complex issues of politics and governance while recognizing the diversity of different resource users.https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.70024community‐based conservationhuman–wildlife conflictman and biosphere reservesNominal Group Techniqueprotected area effectiveness |
| spellingShingle | Ntsu Mokhehle Falko T. Buschke Governance‐related conservation conflicts in a new UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve Conservation Science and Practice community‐based conservation human–wildlife conflict man and biosphere reserves Nominal Group Technique protected area effectiveness |
| title | Governance‐related conservation conflicts in a new UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve |
| title_full | Governance‐related conservation conflicts in a new UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve |
| title_fullStr | Governance‐related conservation conflicts in a new UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve |
| title_full_unstemmed | Governance‐related conservation conflicts in a new UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve |
| title_short | Governance‐related conservation conflicts in a new UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve |
| title_sort | governance related conservation conflicts in a new unesco man and biosphere reserve |
| topic | community‐based conservation human–wildlife conflict man and biosphere reserves Nominal Group Technique protected area effectiveness |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.70024 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ntsumokhehle governancerelatedconservationconflictsinanewunescomanandbiospherereserve AT falkotbuschke governancerelatedconservationconflictsinanewunescomanandbiospherereserve |