Resource management strategies are attempts to address the challenge of balancing resource conservation and utilisation. The state of resources and how they are used are inseparably linked to ecological processes. Thus sustainable resource use should be based on socially responsible economic development while promoting the resource base and the status of the ecosystem. The efforts to attain social responsibility make indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) a crucial component of any development and conservation intervention. SAFIRE,(Southern Alliance for Indigenous Resources) an environmental local NGO mooted the idea of a community resource management plan (CRMP) during the implementation of the Managing our Indigenous Tree Inheritance (MITI) project. A CRMP consist of the assessment of livelihood systems and resources on which they are based as well as the development of strategies aimed at promoting and enhancing livelihoods and key natural resources. In addition, the plan has an adaptive management component based on a monitoring and control system to ensure sustainable use of resources. IKS integration was done through the participatory development of resource management strategies, by promoting best practices and mitigating negative impacts on resources and livelihoods. The Tombo community of Nyanga, Zimbabwe have harvested thatch grass for both subsistence and commercial purposes for centuries. Their resource management strategies were based on the indigenous knowledge of grass productivity. This strategy was identified during the development of the CRMP. To date this community is harvesting and marketing grass to both local and international markets
