Women raise voices in SADC wildlife management

JOHANNESBURG – Historically African women have been said to be reluctant to take up leadership roles in almost all walks of life, but the 21st Century has seen the emergence of women leaders and voices in almost all sectors.

In the SADC region’s wildlife-rich producer communities, the need for women’s voices and leaders in wildlife management politics initially focused on breaking the traditional barriers that made African women get spoken over by men. They appeared in meetings, almost voiceless. Women’s voices were outnumbered by those of their male counterparts when Community-Based Natural Resources Management (CBNRM) largely supported by international hunting revenue, started in Southern Africa in the early 1980s.