SUMMARYPayments for ecosystem services (PES) programmes are widely recognized as novel and innovative mechanisms that seek to promote the conservation of biodiversity while simultaneously improving human livelihoods. A number of national-level PES programmes have made significant contributions to advancing knowledge of these mechanisms. Namibia's community-based natural resources management (CBNRM) programme effectively operates as one such large-scale PES programme, making it one of the world's longest-standing schemes. In this review, Namibia's CBNRM scheme is compared and contrasted with the formal definition of a PES programme, some of the outcomes that the programme has produced illustrated by examples, and the challenges that must still be faced identified. Most of the requirements for a PES programme are present in Namibia's CBNRM programme, and when it does not meet these criteria, it is not exceptional. Notwithstanding the increases in wildlife populations and financial benefits that have been associated with the programme, a major challenge going forward revolves around diversifying the number of services produced. Namibia's CBNRM programme has much to contribute to the design of large-scale PES schemes.
School leaders are increasingly being challenged to take a more instructionally focused role in their schools. As pressure for improving student performance in the current standards-based accountability environment swells and test results are increasingly scrutinised, school principals are being urged to focus efforts on the core business of schooling -teaching and learning. This article focuses on school principals who are successful in improving teaching and learning in their schools. Six principals contributed their time, stories and experiences as instructional leaders as well as how they have improved teaching and learning in their respective schools. The article describes the strategies of principals who practise exemplary instructional leadership, and how these principals have influenced teaching and learning. The principals in this sample sought to focus their time and efforts on instructional improvement by shifting their priorities towards teaching and learning. Literature on instructional leadership was the primary source of information used in the construction of interview schedules. The interview schedule was semi-structured to provide flexibility for the respondents to give detailed responses. The article also gives a summary of the findings and recommendations.
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