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

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.