Plants, Livelihoods, and Community Conservation in the Kalahari

In March 2009, representatives of indigenous peoples’ communities in southern Africa, particularly Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa, participated in a workshop entitled “Plants, Livelihoods and Community Conservation in the Kalahari”.  GDF and the Indigenous Peoples of Africa Coordinating Committee (IPACC) collaborated with the Kuru Family of Organisations (KFO) to conduct the workshop.  It was co-funded by UNDP SGP and The Christensen Fund. The workshop addressed two primary gaps in community based natural resource management (CBNRM) in southern Africa: 1) the international and national instruments that exist to protect and enforce indigenous rights to natural resources, and 2) the important role of plant resources in the lives of indigenous and local communities. 

GDF and IPACC co-produced a video during the workshop, called Fresh from the Ground - Traditional Plant Knowledge in the Cyber Age.  Click here to watch the 2-part video on the BDLN website.  A full report from the 5-day workshop can be seen at: PLCC Report.