The Community Rhino Conservation Initiative: A model for social action and self-directed community groupwork located along the southern border of Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park

Hannah Tranter; Paul Johnson

doi:10.1921/gpwk20242207

Authors

Hannah Tranter The W4wildLife Trust, Zimbabwe https://orcid.org/0009-0002-7136-4242
Paul Johnson University of Southern Maine https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7903-7388

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1921/gpwk20242207

Keywords:

Community Rhino Conservation Initiative, Zimbabwe, Hwange National Park, Conservation, Education, Healthcare, Water Security, Food Security, Ecotourism, Pandemic, Southern White Rhino, Community, Sustainability, Cooperation, Integration, Social Action, Self- Directed Groupwork, and Community Groupwork Practice.

Abstract

As pressures on land and resources increase, so does an urgent call for social action and self-directed community groupwork to better address ecological concerns. Conserving the world’s myriad of species and their habitats is a top priority for ecosystem health; this is dependent on society’s actions and can in turn generate significant value for society. Designing and implementing models with positive social and ecological impacts requires multiple stakeholders to implement social actions that mutually benefit, and in some cases positively reinforce, each other. Collaborations born out of self-directed community groupwork are especially necessary for rural wildlife conservation and in areas of intense human-wildlife conflicts. These collaborations engage stakeholders, including locals, tourists, and ecologists, in partnerships for sustainable social action.

Along Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park’s southern boundary, ecotourism and its subsequent socio-economic development opportunities have empowered local communities to lead conservation action as exemplified by the Community Rhino Conservation Initiative (CRCI). The CRCI is a culmination of self-directed community groupwork that evolved during the Covid-19 pandemic; the lack of international tourists and the long stall in tourism had a resounding impact on the local communities and negatively affected local employment, interactions, and the establishment of community development projects. Instead of turning to poaching, communities pushed to reintroduce white rhino to the Hwange ecosystem on their very own communal lands in efforts to attract more tourists to the area. The CRCI aims to pioneer a replicable and scalable model for ecotourism and wildlife conservation while concurrently tackling global issues like poverty and biodiversity loss.

Key words:

Community Rhino Conservation Initiative, Zimbabwe, Hwange National Park, Conservation, Education, Healthcare, Water Security, Food Security, Ecotourism, Pandemic, Southern White Rhino, Community, Sustainability, Cooperation, Integration, Social Action, Self- Directed Groupwork, and Community Groupwork Practice.

Author Biographies

Hannah Tranter, The W4wildLife Trust, Zimbabwe

Hannah Tranter holds an MSc in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security from the University of East Anglia and a BSc (Hons) in Environmental Sciences from the University of Southampton. She is Projects Manager at The W4wildLife Trust where she is involved in fundraising and a wide range of community and conservation projects.

Paul Johnson, University of Southern Maine

Paul Johnson is a Professor of Social Work at the University of Southern Maine.

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