Quarterly Progress Report

The program's goal is reflected in the Nguni language word "Khetha," meaning "choose" or "choice." Khetha's work in Mozambique has enabled local communities to reap financial rewards from wildlife. In December 2020, the legalization of three Community Natural Resource Management Committees (CNRMCs) was finalized. In March, the first payment of approximately 3 million meticas ($53,000) from a 20%-benefit scheme from wildlife management was paid to the committees. The program is providing further support to the CNRMCs to plan the use of the funds. In South Africa, Khetha's Community Liaison Officers (CLO) and Community Liaison Coordinator (CLC) continue to work on reviving and supporting community forums. These forums facilitate engagement between communities, NGOs, government agencies, and the private sector, enabling participation in socioeconomic and conservation initiatives and wildlife management strategies. The Khetha program has also made significant progress in testing restorative justice approaches to wildlife crime in the landscape. In partnership with the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT), a first draft of guidelines for applying restorative justice to wildlife crimes was developed and presented to the Restorative Steering Committee. This innovative project featured in the first issue of the International Journal of Restorative Justice. Furthermore, Khetha completed a comprehensive analysis of elephant management in the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area (GLTFCA) as part of its support to develop a GLTFCA elephant management framework. The framework aims to improve collaboration and coordination across the three countries for effective elephant management and conservation. The program's administrative progress includes the successful completion of the Khetha program Audit for the financial year ended June 30th, 2020. The Final Audit report was submitted to USAID in March 2021. Additionally, a field office was established at the Pafuri Gate, Kruger National Park, where the CLO seconded to SANParks for the Makuya and Gidjana-Bevhula Khetha nodes is based. The Khetha program has also received recognition for its work. The GLTFCA was included as a priority landscape in the WWF Mozambique Country Strategy, which will attract more investments in the landscape for biodiversity conservation and livelihood development. This will contribute to the sustainability and continuation of Khetha initiatives beyond the life of the program. As COVID-19 travel restrictions are relaxed, the program is resuming field-based activities and working closely with partners to observe preventative protocols. The program looks forward to a range of community-level engagements in the next quarter, including those in support of the Greater Kruger Strategic Development Program (GKSDP), and its own initiative to host research symposiums for communities who participated in Khetha-related research projects. The Khetha program's work in Mozambique has also led to the development of a new asset forfeiture legislation. The Mozambique parliament approved the new legislation during this quarter, which will enable investigators and prosecutors to target wildlife trafficking kingpins and those higher up in the criminal networks. The program is now in discussion with the Attorney General on how to further provide support in the dissemination of and training for prosecutors and judges in the new legislation. Overall, the Khetha program has made significant progress in its first quarter of 2021, with a focus on community engagement, restorative justice, and transboundary collaboration. The program's work continues to contribute to the conservation of wildlife and the improvement of livelihoods for local communities.