Asked to comment on a project proposal for an anti-rhino poaching campaign,
I noticed that it was very much an activity driven
project proposal. My reaction was: "next time
before starting to fill in the donor's template make a short concept note that
you circulate to others to get input. Now it is difficult to give strategic
advice as there is no real strategy. The project proposal immediately focuses
on activities that seem to be fun and not on desired results in specific
audiences. For me the main reasoning of such a concept note in should be
something like this:
All signs
indicate that Rhino poaching in Namibia will be an increasing issue in the very
near future. The entry of international organized crime into Namibia will not
only threaten species and decrease Namibia’s natural heritage and capital, but
it also will introduce other forms of crime and corruption, damage Namibia’s
reputation as a tourist destination, negatively affect the life of people in
local communities to name only a few consequences. Legislation, law enforcement
and economic measures alone will be insufficient to adequately tackle the
issue. In reality what mostly happens is
that politicians call for committees or expert meetings; national enforcement
officers put an other priority on their list; local enforcement officers are
confronted with again another priority and continue business as usual;
other ministries look away as do small and medium enterprises who may suspect
their clients are involved in illegal wildlife trade. In short these
instruments may not work without a serious investment in awareness raising,
attitude and behaviour change of a number of actors.
This
project offers an opportunity to help realize a future without Rhino poaching
in Namibia. A future of Namibia as an African country where rhinos and other
wildlife flourish. A future where parliamentarians are keen to set the right
priorities for appropriate legislation and governance. A future where law
enforcement institutions and officers are aware of the challenges, are immune
for bribes and motivated to take these challenges head on. A future where
the relevant ministries mobilize funds to provide financial incentives to local
communities to monitor wildlife and immediately report crime or criminal
intruders. A future where there is a broad support in Namibian society for all
efforts to prevent, reduce and eradicate poaching, where travel agents, hotel
owners, car rentals, restaurants and shop owners do not facilitate in any
way the stay and operations of people involved Rhino poaching. Where media give
positive feedback on rhino conservation successes, where they provide education
and are a channel for messages from local people and bottom-up initiatives.
Where media make rhino conservation the talk of the town and stimulate word of
mouth. A future where rhino is a broadly shared national emotion!
The vision
of this project is that to reach such a future, one needs to raise awareness
about the uniqueness of the rhino, its
innocence, its beauty, its place in folk tales. People also need to know of the
heroic activities of normal community members and organizations who in the past
and today already are conserving the rhino, the opportunities for many in
Namibia to better capitalize on the current rhino population, the negative
impacts that wildlife crime will have on society if no action is taken, the
concrete possibilities people have to contribute to rhino conservation. The way
to raise this awareness is not by telling people what is good, but by appealing
to their traditional value systems and link these values with the Rhino issue:
how the rhinos in our community make us happy; how it is a longstanding
tradition and normal in our society not to kill rhinos; how we view in our
culture rhinos and other wildlife as integral part of our natural environment
almost like family; how we protect the innocent rhinos against poachers
who want to earn a quick buck; how we see rhino conservation as part of our
social justice in Namibia, how we see it as immoral to in anyway assist
poachers and illegal traders.
The
strategic initiatives this project offers – when designed and executed fast
enough and well enough will make the vision described above a reality. The
initiatives comprise activities of compiling and distributing local stories,
individual stories, children’s drawings, songs, poems, music events, campfire
events, competitions and other cultural activities that illustrate how
traditional and cultural values link with rhino conservation. Some activities
are focused on the general public and distributed through mass media. They
provide the general messages and create the feel, emotion and motivation for a
Namibian future with Rhinos and without poachers. Other activities are tailored
strategically to specific audiences, e.g. schools, universities,
parliamentarians, law enforcement, tourism SMEs etc. They appeal to specific emotions and values of each
target audience and convey concrete messages of how they can contribute to a
future of Namibia with rhinos and without poachers. The activities
are initiated by a coalition of government institutions and NGOs and
coordinated by Natuye, with strategic advice of IUCN CEC. The costs of such a
project far exceed the current budget of the proposal. If that is a problem you
make this a pilot project that shows how it can work and explores ways to roll
it out over the whole nation.
