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Assessing the extent of community participation in co-management of natural resources at Vwaza Wildlife Reserve in Malawi: an integrated approach

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Abstract

In contrast to top-down conservation strategies, co-management is widely promoted as a bottom-up, participatory, and sustainable management strategy of natural resources. However, assessing the extent of community participation in wildlife co-management by integrating Arnstein’s ladder of citizen participation and practical techniques recommended by the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) is rare in Malawi, particularly in Vwaza Wildlife Reserve management context. The current study examines the forms, extent (level), and satisfaction of community participation in the co-management of Vwaza Wildlife Reserve. Using an interpretive case study design and Arnstein’s participation and IAP2 models with purposive sampling of participants, qualitative data were collected through field notes, observations, and audio recording interviews that consisted of seventeen key informant in-depth-interviews (IDIs) and seven focus group discussions (FGDs) of ten participants each. A thematic content analysis of the data using NVivo 14 revealed that most local stakeholders were not fully involved and unsatisfied. As per Arnstein’s ladder, participation in the reserve fell under tokenism rung. Tokenism represents the third (informing), fourth (consultation), and fifth (placation) stages of the ladder, indicating top-down management, where authorities hand information and decisions to local stakeholders. The only participation that falls under active co-management is monitoring of resources. The reserve management has the final say in most decisions, imposing livelihood and diverting development projects to areas of their choice, leading to socio-ecological disorganizations at the reserve. Therefore, governments and policymakers should enhance local communities’ empowerment by sharing decision-making roles and authority to create shared solutions and enhanced stakeholder satisfaction in management of Vwaza Wildlife Reserve.

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Data availability

Data is available on request to corresponding author.

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Acknowledgements

The help of various people in Malawi’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW), Mzuzu University as well as University of Livingstonia at multiple levels, too many to name individually, is also acknowledged, particularly Professor Wales Singini (The Vice Chancellor, who was the Director of Research at Mzuzu University), Associate Professor Balwani Mbakaya (University of Livingstonia), the Park manager of Vwaza Marsh Wildlife Reserve and his staff, along with survey assistants Patric Chioko, Tobius Chitani, and Oliver Chakholoma.

Funding

The research was partly made possible by funding from the Queen Elizabeth Advanced Scholarship (QES) under Carleton University in Canada.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Victor Kansulo

    Present address: Forestry and Environmental Management Department, Mzuzu University, P/B 201, Luwinga, Mzuzu, 2, Malawi

  2. Eric Kofi Doe

    Present address: Department of Geography and Resource Development, University of Ghana, P.O. Box LG 59, Legon, Accra, Ghana

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental Management Department, University of Livingstonia, P.O Box 37, Rumphi, Malawi

    Godfrey Kalenga

  2. Forestry and Environmental Management Department, Mzuzu University, P/B 201, Luwinga, Mzuzu, 2, Malawi

    Dalo Njera

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  1. Godfrey Kalenga
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  2. Victor Kansulo
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Contributions

Conceptualization: Godfrey Kalenga, Victor Kansulo, and Dalo Njera; methodology: Godfrey Kalenga, Victor Kansulo, and Dalo Njera; validation: Godfrey Kalenga, Victor Kansulo, Dalo Njera, and Eric Kofi Doe; formal analysis: Godfrey Kalenga, Victor Kansulo, Dalo Njera, and Eric Kofi Doe; resources: Godfrey Kalenga; writing—original draft preparation: Godfrey Kalenga, Victor Kansulo, and Dalo Njera; writing—review and editing: Godfrey Kalenga, Victor Kansulo, Dalo Njera, and Eric Kofi Doe; visualization: Godfrey Kalenga and Eric Kofi Doe; supervision: Victor Kansulo and Dalo Njera. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Godfrey Kalenga.

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Kalenga, G., Kansulo, V., Njera, D. et al. Assessing the extent of community participation in co-management of natural resources at Vwaza Wildlife Reserve in Malawi: an integrated approach. J Environ Stud Sci (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13412-024-00965-7

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