Social research explores the community impact of CRCI and tourism

The students and professors from NUST and LSU, joined by Dr James and Katie from The Living Desert

In partnership with Ngamo line, Nganyana line, Zandile line, Vozheka line, Zikwakwene line and Sitambala line

From the 14th to the 21st of April 2025, our friends at the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, Dr James and Katie, led and delivered an 8-day workshop to 19 students and two professors from Lupane State University (LSU) and the National University of Science and Technology (NUST). The workshop covered the basics of social science and conservation psychology theory, tools, and procedures. The students, professors, and The Living Desert staff then developed a research question about the impacts of the Community Rhino Conservation Initiative with guidance from Imvelo staff and then crafted a mixed methods interview script with 15 questions, including both quantitative and qualitative questions. Students translated it into the local language (Ndebele), tested it, and then determined locally appropriate procedures for interview implementation.

Over the following three days, university teams conducted 204 interviews across all six villages with one person from each household. These interviews evaluated whether the six involved communities perceive the intended benefits of the rhino sanctuary at Ngamo. The interviews highlighted the significant healthcare and education benefits, the importance of selling crafts, livestock and employment within tourism lodges and the Community Rhino Conservation Initiative in terms of generating income, the desired future focus on roads and water development, and the need for the CRCI fence to be extended further along the Park boundary to mitigate against human wildlife conflicts.

The students presented the findings from the interviews to an audience made up of local headmen and village secretaries, as well as the CAMPFIRE Chairperson and the local chief Baba Mlevu.

The team is writing up the results in a paper as well as a community report.