Includes bibliographical references and index

This book is the first about private wildlife conservation and community involvement in Zimbabwe. It is a case study based on ethnographic fieldwork done in 1998. It focuses on the joint venture between a private wildlife conservation initiative, the Save Valley Conservancy, and its surrounding communities in terms of reciprocal exchange and the land question. It makes clear, amongst other things, that the current political tragedy in Zimbabwe about land did not start when Mugabe lost the referendum in February 2000. The book tries to offer an explanation for the unforgiving route that Mugabe has obviously taken in the land question, despite his words of reconciliation when he came to power in 1980. This book is of particular interest to students, practitioners and academics in the fields of (private) wildlife conservation, community participation and organisational co-operation." --Book Jacket