14 May 2011

Namibia: John Kasaona - How poachers became caretakers

In his home of Namibia, John Kasaona is working on an innovative way to protect endangered animal species: giving nearby villagers (including former poachers) responsibility for caring for the animals. And it's working.



John Kasaona is the deputy director for Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation (IRDNC) and the chairperson of NASCO, the umbrella Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) organization for all NGOs in Namibia. He works on ways to improve the lives of rural people in Namibia by involving them in the management of the lands they live on - and the species that live there with them.
Kasanoa's CBNRM program helps rural villages set up communal conservancies, which manage and use local natural resources in a sustainable manner. Essentially, it's about restoring the balance of land and people to that of pre-colonial times, and allowing the people with the most interest in the survival of their environment to have control of it.

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