Conservation Commerce in Zimbabwe

Wendy Blakeley was my room mate at the Zoos and Aquariums Committing to Conservation (ZACC) Conference in January, in Houston. She works with "conservation commerce," in conjunction with a painted dog (years ago they were called "African Wild Dogs") project in Zimbabwe.

"Conservation commerce" is the latest buzzword in the conservation world, because it represents a real link between the haves and have-nots, and can be a deciding factor in that ever-elusive human element in the protection of wildlife and habitat. Without local community buy-in, outside interests will surely fail.

Simply put, a product that has some intrinsic value is produced by a community, and then shipped to distant markets for sale. Profits stay local. This, tied with educational messages, tacit understandings, and specific incentives (such as additional perks for no poaching incidents) will lead to an equitable trade off of jobs gained from animals protected.

The first photograph shows Wendy with her wares, which were sold to the ZACC delegates, some of whom were purchasing for their own facilities' gift shops. Items included jewelry, beaded work, and realistic wood carvings of painted dogs (second image).

The Painted Dog project has some interesting twists. A material used to create animal art is the wire from collected snares (third photograph of a snare-wire sculpture). This use provides a double incentive to collect the illegal snares, and can be viewed as anti-litter, as well as anti-poaching.

One of the challenges in the past has been a lack of knowledge of marketing, importing, logistics, and retailing of articles. Up until now, conservation commerce has been mostly individual field researchers bringing products back in suitcases. Clearly, this hit and miss method, although altruistic, led to frustrations. A broader approach, in consultation with marketing experts, will result in more sustainable benefit to local conservation efforts.

The painted dog project has many goals including research, rehabilitation, education, and alternative sources of income. Their goal is to have a "stable" of zoos that exhibit painted dogs or other African carnivores, that will retail the art and jewelry made in Zimbabwe. Today, some knowledgeable customers are seeking unique merchandise that will directly benefit wild animals.
For more information, see http://www.painteddog.org/