| Summary: | Following decades of apartheid that manifested itself through oppression and racially-based land dispossessions; the democratic South African regime developed a platform for previously oppressed people to re-claim their land. Successful land claims on conservation areas by previously disenfranchised communities have often resulted into the co-management agreements with external actors, including conservation organisations in pursuit of both Community-Based Ecotourism (CBET) and enhancement of sustainable livelihoods. Using field-based data collected through methods inspired by the traditional of participatory research such as semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions, this paper explores the role of community participation in natural resources management. It specifically examines the extent to which social capital can be instrumental in promoting collaborative management of community based ecotourism (CBET) initiatives in tribal communities of Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa. It is argued in the paper that social capital is an indispensable tool for successful co-managing of CBET schemes in land reformed tribal communities and should be part of the integrated national development agenda and policy framework.
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