Zimbabwe's CAMPFIRE program
Zimbabwe's CAMPFIRE program links public wildlife authority, Rural District Councils, producer-community committees, private safari operators, and collective development spending. Historical records show substantial but highly concentrated transfers and infrastructure; household and community studies show small or uneven direct benefits, weak voice, gendered access, and human-wildlife costs. A 2025 statutory amendment permits applications for delegated authority below the district, but the regulations, grants, use, and outcomes remained unestablished in the evidence reviewed.
Can wildlife remain valuable to the people who live with its costs when legal authority, ecological scale, public oversight, market revenue, and household voice sit at different levels?