Incentivizing Indigenous Ecosystem Restoration: Perceptions of Local Climate Action in the Barotse Cultural Landscape
Mulambwa Mwanang’ono *
Faculty of Development Studies, School of Social Sciences and Technology, University of Lusaka, Zambia.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Background: Rural livelihoods are generally threatened by climate impacts, particularly for agrarian and pastoralist communities, like Barotseland. Although extreme weather events have always been there, the frequency of their occurrence has risen, and the exposed populations have been growing even at a global scale.
Aim: The study aims to examine how indigenous ecosystem restoration practices can be effectively incentivised to enhance local climate action in the Barotse Cultural Landscape.
Methods: The study used a qualitative research design to explore community perspectives on indigenous ecosystem restoration. It combined two main approaches: Appreciative inquiry and the abductive approach. The research was guided by ethnographic and phenomenological perspectives to capture cultural practices and lived experiences of the community. For sampling, non-probability methods (purposive and convenience sampling) were used. A total of 69 respondents (15.6% of 441 households) participated, including elders, men, women, and youth. Key informant interviews and focus group discussions were used, including non-participant observation that was focused on appreciating visual impressions of land cover change, ecosystem damage and realities of fragile livelihoods attributed to climate change impacts.
Results: Findings revealed that indigenous ecosystem restoration practices, such as communal canal dredging, natural weir construction, and voluntary labour systems, were widely used in the past and contributed to sustainable ecosystem management. The indigenous systems that flourished in the pre-independence era were curtailed by governance system shifts from the decentralised indigenous governance system to the state-controlled centralised governance system, effectively alienating the people from their sacred duty of directly managing their ecosystems. The majority (43.5%) of the respondents believed the government should provide paid labour for restoration. 29.0% cited corruption and inefficiencies in contract-based restoration systems, 71% of respondents blamed government policy shifts for weakening indigenous systems.
Conclusion: The study concludes that the decline in indigenous ecosystem restoration is driven by governance changes, socio-economic constraints, and altered community perceptions. Arising from the observed impediments to locally-led ecosystem restoration efforts, the study has recommended intentionally incentivising indigenous ecosystem restoration efforts using the proposed modalities as outlined herein. The motive to incentivise locally-led restoration efforts is to ignite a recurrence of voluntary efforts that were a characteristic phenomenon that sustained sound ecosystem management practices in the pre-political independence era.
Keywords: Sustainable development, political independence, terrestrial ecosystems, ecosystem restoration