MANAGING ENVIRONMENT FROM BELOW: THE MATERIALITY OF COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION FOR ECOLOGICAL SUSTAINABILITY IN ZIMBABWE

Abstract

There are growing global concerns about climate change and that resulted in environmental management becoming a global policy priority. The increasing focus placed on the environment globally, has shifted the responsibility from national governments to a more consensus based approach, where communities as environmental stakeholders have a role to participate in environmental management. The paper explores how the environmental management principles in Zimbabwe facilitate greater community participation in Chivi. Findings from this study suggest that though state argues that there is community participation through traditional leaders and environmental monitors, these people are actually disempowered. The paper concludes that there is existence of prescribed governance system in natural resource management. This study recommends bottom-up formalization in the management of environmental resources to enable communities to sustainably conserve and benefit from natural resources.

 

Key Words: Managing environment, Community participation, Ecology, Sustainability

DOI: https://ejesm.org/doi/v12i3.8

 

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