Ezulwini- Eswatini is seeking to give communities a greater role in protecting and benefiting from the country’s natural and cultural resources as it prepares a new 10-year biodiversity strategy and rolls out a community-based heritage tourism model in Matsanjeni North.
The approach is emerging as the country reviews its proposed National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP 3.0), which will guide biodiversity conservation and the sustainable use of natural resources between 2026 and 2035.
At a validation workshop held at Sibane Sami Hotel in Ezulwini on Tuesday, Minister of Tourism and Environmental Affairs Jane Mkhonta-Simelane said the success of the biodiversity strategy would depend on whether its targets and implementation arrangements could translate into action on the ground.
She said biodiversity was not only an environmental concern but was directly linked to food production, water security, tourism, livelihoods, cultural values and the country’s ability to withstand climate change.
The Minister said the strategy must therefore be reflected in government planning and budgets, while implementation would require coordination between sectors, adequate financing, stronger institutions, monitoring and reporting, and meaningful community participation.
The emphasis on community participation is also reflected in the newly unveiled Governance Framework for the Matsanjeni North Inkhundla Heritage Tourism Development Project.
According to Eswatini National Trust Commission (ENTC) National Monument Officer Temahlubi Nkhambule, the framework provides a formal system through which communities can participate in the conservation and management of heritage sites while benefiting from tourism activities.
Nkhambule said the framework was specifically developed for Matsanjeni North, covering the four chiefdoms of Tikhuba, Mambane, Maphungwane and Lukhetseni, and is intended to serve as a pilot model for the Kingdom.
Under the arrangement, chiefs will provide strategic oversight, while the Inkhundla Council will coordinate activities and Community Trust Committees will be responsible for the day-to-day management of heritage sites.
The framework also provides a five-level grievance redress mechanism and a benefit-sharing model aimed at ensuring that tourism proceeds contribute to development within the communities where the heritage resources are located.
Nkhambule said sustainability measures had also been incorporated to ensure that tourism and heritage development did not damage the natural environment.
This means the Matsanjeni North project is being positioned not simply as a tourism initiative, but as a model that links cultural heritage, environmental protection and community development.
The model comes at a time when Eswatini is seeking to translate its international biodiversity commitments into national action through NBSAP 3.0.
The strategy is intended to domesticate the country’s commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework by establishing priorities suited to Eswatini’s circumstances.
The NBSAP consultation process has involved government institutions, traditional authorities, communities, women, young people, researchers, civil society, businesses and development partners.
Mkhonta-Simelane cautioned, however, that the approval of a biodiversity strategy would not by itself deliver conservation results.
She called on stakeholders participating in the validation process to scrutinise the proposed targets, actions and responsibilities and identify areas requiring improvement before the document is finalised.
The Matsanjeni North framework provides one example of how such community participation could be structured, by giving traditional and local institutions defined responsibilities while creating mechanisms for communities to benefit from the resources they help protect.
The challenge now will be to ensure that such arrangements are adequately supported through funding, institutional coordination and monitoring as Eswatini moves to implement its biodiversity priorities over the next decade.
Discussion about this post