Mulale, K.Flora, Cornelia B.2016-04-192016-04-192007South African Geographical Journal 88(2): 150-1580373-6245http://hdl.handle.net/10919/67525Metadata only recordThe devolution of natural resource management to local institutions has become a dominant theme in contemporary discussion of common property natural resource management. Though governments in Africa and other parts of the developing world embrace the idea of CBNRM, the challenges are what levels of local government ought to receive devolutionary powers. The definition of what is local government is also problematic. Local government institutions as epitomized by district councils that emerge from decentralization policies do not represent and are not accountable to local communities and are more like local administrative institutions (Uphoff, 1986). This paper recognizes the need for a true devolution process that creates truly local government institutions with a mandate over district natural resources of which CBNRM activity is a part.text/plainen-USIn CopyrightGovernment institutionsNatural resource managementLocal governanceGobierno localInstituciones del gobiernoManejo de los recursos naturalesBotswanaEcosystemAbstractCopyright 2007 The Society of South African Geographers