Evaluation of Wildlife Conservation Society's administrative management design project (WCS/ADMADE)

From 1989 to 1994, USAID provided commodities and TA to help the Ministry of Tourism (MoT) set up and establish ADMADE. From 1994 to 1995 USAID gave non-operational support under the terms of a co-operative agreement with World Wildlife Fund US. From 1996 to 1998, the MoT was provided with direct financing via project implementation letters. From 1998 to 1999, TA was provided through a cooperative agreement with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). During this final phase, what had begun life as a wildlife management program took on a greater food security role. The project strengthened ADMADE; USAID investments were well used. Through research and trial, the project developed a set of community institutions -- democratically elected village area groups (VAGs) and community resource boards (CRBs) -- that show signs of being able to take responsibility for, and make decisions about, wildlife management (including setting quotas for off-take) and community development. The project showed limited success in expanding women's participation. The project has also: shown that CBNRM is a workable system for wildlife management in at least some GMAs and may be applicable to others; shown that safari hunting is a profitable use of wildlife in GMAs, generating revenue that can be used to improve household living standards; defined the criteria needed to create sustainability of ADMADE programs; established CBNRM programs that are probably self-sustaining in some Luangwa Valley GMAs where ADMADE is active; shown that ADMADE can produce local employment opportunities and raise incomes; set up monitoring programs that may demonstrate a positive link between living standards and optimal sustained wildlife yields; influenced government wildlife policy, resulting in the inclusion of CBNRM provisions in the new Zambia Wildlife Act; and begun testing the linkage between wildlife management and food security. Problems noted in midterm evaluations regarding management of the Wildlife Conservation Revolving Fund have been rectified insofar as the new Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) maintains accurate computerized records of revenue received from hunting. The management and disbursement of finances intended to fund community resource management and community development are still flawed, however, because some remittances are not being paid in full or in a timely manner. The problem appears to lie with financial control in the ADMADE units as much as with ZAWA. Ways in which the project has contributed significantly to the Mission's strategic objective # 1 in the areas of land and labor productivity, rural non-farm enterprise (RNFE) sales and service revenue, improved RNFE access to finance, and an improved trade and investment environment are identified in the report, along with numerous lessons learned regarding such issues as community mobilization and organization, the value of democratic over autocratic leadership, the need to fully implement revenue sharing, the expansion of ADMADE's professional capacity, the link between wildlife conservation of food security, training for CBNRM programs, the role of the African College for CBNRM, and the safari hunting industry. ADMADE's future depends on ZAWA's role, capacity to manage, and commitment to CBNRM. These will remain unknown until ZAWA becomes fully operational.