ABSTRACT. Cultural traditions can conflict with modern conservation goals when they promote damage to fragile environments or the harvest of imperiled species. We explore whether and how traditional, culturally motivated species exploitation can nonetheless aid conservation by examining the recent "discovery" in Avu Lagoon, Ghana, of sitatunga (Tragelaphus spekii gratus), a species familiar to locals, but not previously scientifically recorded in Ghana and regionally assumed extinct. Specifically, we investigate what role traditional beliefs, allied hunting practices, and the associated traditional ecological knowledge have played in the species' discovery and subsequent community-based conservation; how they might influence future conservation outcomes; and how they may themselves be shaped by conservation efforts. Our study serves to exemplify the complexities, risks, and benefits associated with building conservation efforts around traditional ecological knowledge and beliefs. Complexities arise from localized variation in beliefs (with cultural significance of sitatunga much stronger in one village than others), progressive dilution of traditional worldviews by mainstream religions, and the context dependence, both culturally and geographically, of the reliability of traditional ecological knowledge. Among the benefits, we highlight (1) information on the distribution and habitat needs of species that can help to discover, rediscover, or manage imperiled taxa if appropriately paired with scientific data collection; and (2) enhanced sustainability of conservation efforts given the cultivation of mutual trust, respect, and understanding between researchers and local communities. In turn, conservation attention to traditional ecological knowledge and traditionally important species can help reinvigorate cultural diversity by promoting the persistence of traditional belief and knowledge systems alongside mainstream worldviews and religions.

Community development and conservation programmes have recently been combined in the form of community-based natural resource management programmes. Community participation is recognized as an integral component of these programmes. Communities, however, often lack the administrative or technical knowledge to participate fully in the planning and implementation of the programmes. As government and non-governmental organisations also become involved, the design of programmes becomes more complex. Given the diversity of experience, knowledge and interests of these stakeholders, disagreements in the design of programmes among and within groups are almost unavoidable. Using informal semi-structured interviews, workshops and document analysis that involved the indigenous peoples, non-governmental organisations and the Government of Botswana, we identified the main issues that affect the design of programmes in the northern Okavango panhandle in Botswana. These are savings, capacity building and training, research, community health, cattle industry, conservation of the Okavango Delta, employment, economic diversification, natural resource management, land tenure, cultural identity, traditional leadership, language and representation in and responsiveness of the national government. Strategies for dealing with these issues are discussed.

This chapter explores different techniques for enhancing community understanding of tourism encompassing both a local and a 'Western' perspective as well as the host-guest relationship; and provides opportunities for partners in community-based tourism (CBT) development to understand the community's perspective. This will be illustrated by exploring three practical techniques, drama, field trips and drawing. The activities can be used individually but are very effective when used together. The drama activity can be used initially to establish a common understanding between the community and facilitator of how the community comprehends tourism. The field trip can be used virtually at any time to provide a first-hand experience of being a tourist for community members and expose community members to the working reality of CBT. The drawing activity can be used to provide a context for tourism based on local experiences of travel. The practical outcomes of these activities are, first, to address misconceptions concerning tourism at an early stage in CBT development aiming to reduce potential conflicts or misunderstandings in the future; second, to provide an understanding of both the positive and negative impacts of CBT from first-hand experience and peer education; and third, to generate a more detailed understanding of the similarities and differences between tourists and community members from a local context, including motivations for travel. The knowledge gained by the community, from these experiences, can then be brought to decision making in order to represent the communities own ideals, values and interests in the tourism planning process.