1.0The Living Desert Zoo and Gardenshttps://www.livingdesert.orgCarter Donaldsonhttps://www.livingdesert.org/author/carter_admin/rich600338<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="5a9Wa9VX1h"><a href="https://www.livingdesert.org/zoo-news/conservation-news/culture-informs-and-enables-our-conservation-success/">Culture Informs and Enables Our Conservation Success</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://www.livingdesert.org/zoo-news/conservation-news/culture-informs-and-enables-our-conservation-success/embed/#?secret=5a9Wa9VX1h" width="600" height="338" title="“Culture Informs and Enables Our Conservation Success” — The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens" data-secret="5a9Wa9VX1h" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script type="text/javascript"> /* <![CDATA[ */ /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document); //# sourceURL=https://www.livingdesert.org/wp-includes/js/wp-embed.min.js /* ]]> */ </script> https://www.livingdesert.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240411_133642-2small.600x400.webp600400Respect makes everything possible. If someone were to come to our home and dictate, "This is what you must do with your home. Trust us, we know what we are talking about," most of us would tell them to get lost! Each of us must retain the ability to determine how we manage our land, our actions, and our community. Outsiders lecturing on conservation without respect are similarly unlikely to succeed. That's why, at The Living Desert, we prioritize serving, learning from, and collaborating with local communities. This commitment was underscored by a recent experience in Zimbabwe, where our team was honored with eleven watermelons from the kind and appreciative communities during surveys! Our most recent Building Community Conservation Success social science training workshop near Hwange National Park departed from our usual five-day format. As described in a previous post, we extended it to ten days, with three days dedicated to field data collection. The success of this program was evident in the overwhelmingly positive feedback from students at Lupane State University and the National University of Science and Technology. However, for this blog post I'd like to focus on the responses of the Indigenous People and Local Communities whom our students interviewed, particularly their reactions to our findings. Hwange National Park is unique in that it is bordered on three sides by protected forestry and mixed-use areas, while the southern boundary is inhabited by thousands of people in the Tsholotsho Communal Lands. This land, overseen by the Tsholotsho Rural District Council, is characterized by a strong sense of community and communal land ownership, alongside a focus on self-sufficiency. The Matebele people residing here are deeply traditional and religious, placing significant emphasis on courtesy and respect for elders.