Two- and cross-scale analysis of the perceived drivers and leverages of sustainable livelihoods on the edge of Hwange National Park, KAZA TFCA

The success of Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs) is determined by achieving balanced attention and actions on its two complementary pillars i.e., biodiversity conservation and socio-economic development. While local livelihood is one of the key component areas of TFCAs, for the past 20 years the focus on conservation has largely overpowered the efforts to support local communities. We used and adapted a co-elaborative scenario building approach based on Participatory Prospective Analysis (PPA) to explore alternative futures for local livelihoods and associated issues at stake (threats and uncertainties) in Hwange District (Zimbabwe). The rationale for this study is that addressing the biodiversity conservation versus socio-economic development wicked problem requires moving beyond what we know from the past to what we can learn from the way the future is locally perceived in the present. We first conducted the workshop with key knowledge brokers selected at district level and replicated the approach in six villages in Ward 15, engaging with the youth, the women, and the elders independently. The actions proposed at village level were then collectively assessed at district level. This study depicts the perceived drivers of sustainable livelihoods at different scales and points the challenges and opportunities associated with collaborative governance. Adopting a place-based complex adaptive systems lens, our study highlights that development initiatives in TFCAs are not likely to produce the desirable sustainable livelihoods outcomes without restoring the critical links that support a robust governance of social-ecological systems.