Using a survey of communal conservancies in Namibia, we find that they provide
some direct economic benefits to conservancy members, but that indirect benefits
promoting development for all residents have not materialized. This partially explains
why a high level of discontent with community-based natural resource management
(CBNRM) as a development strategy remains, which would need to be addressed
with policies that promote a more equitable distribution of benefits from CBNRM.
Advocates of CBNRM draw on theories of comparative advantage and collective
action to argue that communal conservation efforts enhance the viability of nature
tourism as a rural development strategy. We employ a mixed-methods approach to
test to what extent CBNRM generates direct and indirect economic benefits, and if
these benefits induce participation in communal conservation.