Pan-ontological institutional bricolage? The urgent need for a dialogue between state and customary authorities in Namibian conservancies

Abstract

Following independence, several southern African states established modern institutions in communal areas to manage human-wildlife relations and land tenure. These reforms were layered over existing customary governance systems, creating overlapping jurisdiction and contested authority. This study analyzes how such institutional arrangements produce governance conflicts within Namibia’s communal conservancies, where management committees and communal land boards have been introduced to manage wildlife and land in territories still under traditional authorities. The study presents evidence of institutional interactions, land use patterns, and the distribution of conservancy benefits which were obtained during field work in 2023 and 2024. We (1) collected qualitative data through interviews with conservancies stakeholders, management committees, and members of supporting institutions; (2) facilitated participatory mapping at both conservancy and village levels; and (3) reviewed regional databases of customary land rights and conservancy records. Findings reveal a form of institutional bricolage characterized by discordant institutional multiplicity shaped by competing values and logics. This produces conflicts in three domains: (1) land use and zoning, (2) management and distribution of conservancy revenues, and (3) shifting values and principles of communal land rights allocation. Conflicts emerge when governance decisions only follow the norms and values of modern systems while marginalizing customary values. Excluding traditional authorities from governance processes such as corridor planning, community conceptualization, and land allocation provokes resistance in defense of their values and legitimacy. We conclude that effective land-use governance in communal settings requires policy frameworks that recognize and integrate the values of both governance systems alike, rather than promoting the dominance of one over the other.