Zambia Community-Based Natural Resources Management (CBNRM) Governance Manuals
The Wildlife Act No 14 of 2015 provides for local level governance structures to support the implementation of the Act and provides for Community Resources Boards (CRBs) to be formed from representatives from the Village Action Groups (VAGs). The governance and operations of the CRB are determined by the Act and guided further by individual CRB Constitutions drafted before the CRB is registered and submitted with the application for registration as a CRB. The Constitution outlines the details of the operational rules by which the CRB will abide in line with their mandate in the Act.
A Constitution is a set of rules agreed upon by a group of people who have decided to govern themselves.
A CRB Constitution is the formal written agreement between all CRBs and their respective VAG members on how they will govern themselves and is the most important guiding document for the functioning of the CRB – it establishes the requirements for good governance. Every CRB member should be aware of the contents of the Constitution, and this should empower them to hold each other accountable for management actions. Accountability and good governance can be promoted in CRBs if all members have access to the Constitution. Knowledge of the Constitution will enable the membership to monitor the governance actions of the Board and VAGs and hold them accountable.