First published on 01/05/2014, and last updated on 03/05/2018
By Lesle Jansen, ICCA Consortium Regional Coordinator for South Africa
On November 8th, the ICCA Consortium in partnership with Natural Justice hosted a workshop on ICCAs in Southern and Eastern Africa in Cape Town, South Africa. The meeting was well attended by over 20 different organizations from across the African region– all working around the protection of ICCAs. The representatives included nationals of Namibia, South Africa, Botswana, Tanzania, Kenya and Liberia, amongst others.
The purpose of the meeting was to understand what is happening around community conservation in East and Southern Africa; to determine to which extent it is recognized in national legislations; and to draw out the challenges and key lessons. The day was structured around the ICCA Consortium Regional Coordinators for Southern and East Africa, Lesle Jansen and Gino Cocchiaro, who presented on the term ICCA, its position in international law, and the situation of ICCAs respectively in Southern and Eastern African countries. To conclude, the meeting strategized around the added value of such an event as well as around drawing together the key lessons applicable in each regional context. A short overview of the ICCA Consortium was also given, explaining about the Consortium structure and its membership.
The presentations on Bwabwata National Park (Namibia), Gabra Pastoralists from Northern Kenya and pastoralists in Tanzania were all workshop highlights. The presentation about a South African landmark decision – the Richtersveld decision – was discussed by a legal representative from the South African Legal Resources Centre. This decision is one of the leading court decisions for protection of the aboriginal land title of indigenous communities in South Africa. The day was a huge success. The organizations present showed great interest in joining the Consortium. A more detailed report will be compiled to be circulated among the participants, and will soon be available on the Consortium website.
