News archive
Visit our news page to view the three most recent news items. NACSO press releases can be found on the press releases page and the media coverage page also has relevant news items from the local media.
Lions in the balance
Wuparo Conservancy weighs up conservation and tourism.
Everybody is in mourning for 'Tarzan', a black-maned lion shot in the conservancy as part of the quota agreed with the Ministry of Environment and Tourism.
Although the killing was legal, the conservancy has to decide whether wildlife is worth more alive - even if lions kill farmers' cattle - because wildlife brings in tourists.
Wuparo has decided that tourism is a key priority for the future.
Get the full story as a Press Release in PDF format.
sfelton@wwf.na
27 October 2011Caprivi game count on German TV
“Quick, there are the elephants,” says Fidi, and beckons the cameraman. “Now follow me and keep as quiet as possible.”
The Caprivi game count takes place every September, and 800 kilometres are covered on foot.
ZDF television were there to capture the event, and to report on KAZA, the world's largest trans-frontier conservation area.
Get the full story as a Press Release in PDF format.
sfelton@wwf.na
30 September 2011Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation (IRDNC) Launches New Book
On Wednesday 28 September, 2011 IRDNC officially launched a new book entitled Lessons from the Field: IRDNC's Experience in Namibia. IRDNC Co-Director, John Kasaona, launched the book at a NACSO Members Meeting.
Lessons from the Field is a collection of enduring insights and lessons learnt during three decades of working with rural communities and presents an African field perspective on how conservation, rural development and the growth of a strong civil society can be successfully integrated. It has been compiled by field workers of IRDNC and all lessons are based on first-hand practical experience. The book is targeted for field practitioners, NGOs and others working in CBNRM.
For further information, please visit the IRDNC website or contact Danica Shaw, 061-228506, dshaw.irdnc@gmail.com.
dshaw.irdnc@gmail.com
16 September 2011!Khoro !Goreb Conservancy gazetted
!Khoro !Goreb Conservancy in the Kunene region was gazetted in Government Gazette 4792, dated 15 September 2011.
This brings the total number of registered conservancies in Namibia to 65.
For more information about conservancies and the CBNRM programme in Namibia, read A brief history of Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) in Namibia.
You can also download the latest conservancy maps and conservancy information and/or view and download the latest State of Conservancy report.
22 August 2011Making a living from wildlife
Sustainable hunting is a large part of Torra Conservancy's success story. The conservancy balances hunting with tourism to earn an income, just like a commercial farm.
Get the full story in downloadable PDF format.
You can also click on the Press releases link in the left hand side bar to view this and other recent stories.
sfelton@wwf.na
10 June 2011Namibia's game count goes global.
The USA's National Public Radio reports from Khorixas
The world's largest game count takes place in Namibia. This year it was covered by science correspondent Chris Joyce from National Public Radio in the USA.
Get the full story in downloadable PDF format.
You can also click on the Press releases link in the left hand side bar to view this and other recent stories.
Steve Felton: sfelton@wwf.na
30 May 2011Conservancy ladies storm the Brandberg
The aim was was to learn more about Namibian rock paintings, high in the Dâures mountain, and to experience at first hand the difficulty of climbing almost 2,000 metres and camping for 5 days on the mountain top. Learning to ration food and water is just as important as understanding rock paintings if you are going to lead visitors up to some of Namibia's prime tourist attractions.Brandberg
Up to now, mountain guiding has been a men-only occupation, whilst women have guided tourists only to the lower reaches of the Dâures and ≠Gaingu (Spitzkoppe) mountains, which was why the 5 ladies were keen to show the male guiudes what they were capable of. After scaling the Amis Gorge and learning about rock paintings, archeology and the stone age artefacts from Dr Tilman-Erz in caves like the Riesenhöhle (giant cave), they went on to scale the Königstein.
Up to now, mountain guiding has been a men-only occupation, whilst women have guided tourists only to the lower reaches of the Dâures and ≠Gaingu (Spitzkoppe) mountains, which was why the 5 ladies were keen to show the male guiudes what they were capable of. After scaling the Amis Gorge and learning about rock paintings, archeology and the stone age artefacts from Dr Tilman-Erz in caves like the Riesenhöhle (giant cave), they went on to scale the Königstein.
sfelton@wwf.na
10 May 2011Community Conservation Namibia website wins Inaugural TravelMole African Web Award
The Communal Conservancy Tourism Sector website, established to promote Joint-Venture Lodges and other tourism enterprises in the communal conservancies, was selected as the Winner in the TravelMole African Web Awards during the Indaba in South Africa. The site won in the category Area attraction (activity or tour). The Namibia Tourism Board's new site won under the Tourism Board category.
The event was sponsored by Tourism Kwa Zulu Natal, RWA Ltd, A2bTravelExtras, Lead Generators and Southern Sun.
The winners were selected by a panel of judges including chair Frank Orman of Lead Generators, South-African-based 1time airline commercial director Desmond O'Connor, Karen Black of Mamba Media, Tolene van der Merwe of Boutiquetravelmarketing.com and Geoff Elske from The Automobile Association of South Africa.
Visit the Communal Conservancy Tourism Sector website and see the amazing range of enterprises Namibia's communal conservancies have to offer.
Contact Keith Sproule (ksproule@wwf.na) for more information
1 May 2011Indigenous Natural Products in Namibia
The Indigenous Natural Products (INP)
Activity of Millennium Challenge Account
Namibia (MCA-N) has set as one of its goals
the collation and dissemination of market related
information on indigenous plant
products in Namibia, in order to empower
indigenous plant products producers,
service providers, traders, international
buyers and other stakeholders.
This Activity will function through the National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) in the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry and will ensure that INP stakeholders are kept informed about production and recent developments in the market place.
Read more in the INP Market Bulletin.
stevec@nbri.org.na
15 March 2011Five new conservancies gazetted
Five new conservancies were declared in Government Gazette 4669 of 15 March 2011. These are:
- Otjitanda Conservancy
- Otjombinde Conservancy
- Orupupa Conservancy
- Omuramba ua Mbinda Conservancy
- Bamunu Conservancy
See the Conservancy section of the website for more information on their locations and size, updated conservancy maps, copies of the gazette etc.
4 February 2011National Geographic Traveler Magazine & HSMAI Select Namibia's Communal Conservancy Tourism Sector Website as Platinum Award Winner!
Namibia's Communal Conservancy Tourism Sector website has been selected as the First Place Winner at the prestigious Adrian Awards given out annually by the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) & National Geographic Traveler Magazine. The website was selected as the winner among websites promoting sustainable tourism.
The Communal Conservancy Tourism Sector Website was launched in November, 2010 to help tell the success story of communal conservancies in Namibia, as well as promote those joint-venture lodges, campsites and other tourism ventures who are working side-by-side with communities. Namibia's communal conservancy tourism sector is achieving both community development and conservation at a scale never before seen in any destination.
Namibia's Communal Conservancy Tourism Sector website was developed in partnership with all of the communal conservancies that offer a tourism experience, along with their joint-venture partners and NACSO. Namibia, as a destination, will be recognised on stage at the Gala, as will the web developers who built the website.
This award is further global recognition, at the highest travel and tourism industry levels, of Namibia's conservation achievements.
Namibia’s Communal Conservancy Tourism Sector is achieving conservation and community benefits at a scale never before seen in Africa. Namibia was the first African country to incorporate protection of the environment into its constitution, and the Government has reinforced this by giving its communities the opportunity and rights to manage their wildlife through communal conservancies.
Today there are 59 registered Communal Conservancies covering 16.8% of the land area of Namibia, 130,000 square kilometers of prime wildlife habitat. Thirty one joint-venture lodges and campsites operate in partnership with conservancies, with another 15 operating in principal or in the midst of negotiations. The Communal Conservancy Tourism Sector employs over 800 full-time and 250 seasonal workers. This uniquely Namibian product is a vibrant and growing part of the destination's tourism profile.
The wildlife friendly land-uses are facilitating the recovery and range expansion of lion, elephant, rhino and many other species at a landscape level. The result may well be "the greatest African wildlife recovery story ever told"... and Namibia's Communal Conservancy Tourism Sector is helping to tell that story.
Click here to visit the Community Conservation Namibia website.
3 February 2011Study Tour by Parliamentary Delegation from Nepal
A team of policy makers from Nepal consisting of members of the Constituent Assembly and senior government officials will be visiting Namibia in February on a study tour of Namibia's CBNRM programme. The study tour will be hosted by the NACSO Secretariat and WWF Namibia.
Under this exchange visit programme, Nepalese delegates intend to visit conservancies in Namibia and interact with Namibian Parliamentarians, key government officials and local communities. The exchange visit will be a platform of sharing knowledge on combating the challenges that both countries are facing in terms of natural resources management, biodiversity conservation and community empowerment.
Focus areas include:
- Conservancies (Incentive-Based Community Conservation): History, formation & management, resource utilisation, tourism joint ventures, rhino and lion conservation, hunting concessions
- Government: Rights-based CBNRM legal framework, inter-ministerial coordination, support & activities
- NGOs: History, support & activities
- Private sector tourism & wildlife utilisation: History, community involvement & empowerment
- General: Enabling environment; unlocking the value of natural resources; financing CBNRM support; successes & failures, opportunities & threats
The proposed itinerary includes visits to Swakopmund, Tsiseb Conservancy, Torra Conservancy, Palmwag Concession, Hobatere Concession, Etosha National Park as well as several meetings and presentations with CBNRM stakeholders and Namibian Parliamentarians.
christian070k@gmail.com
22 December 2010MCA Namibia to fund Conservancies
The Millennium Challenge Account Namibia launched its Conservancy Development Support Grants Fund on 21 December 2010. The launch was well attended by various Community-based natural resources management stakeholders including the private sector and the media and was an early Christmas gift for conservancies which have struggled for years to access adequate funds to contribute towards joint ventures or community-owned tourism enterprises, marketing, human-wildlife conflict mitigation, translocations and related services.
Under this funding up to US$8.25 million (approximately N$62 million) will be made available during the period til mid September 2014.
The grant fund is targeting 31 conservancies in the northern communal areas, to make it easier for investors to invest in tourism ventures and assist conservancies to become financially self-sustainable. The fund seeks to empower formerly disadvantaged Namibian communities in communal areas by facilitating their participation in tourism activities.
Conservancies may apply for funding for: marketing services; pre-grant funds for professional services; partial financing of tourism joint venture lodges and trophy hunting businesses; game translocation; human wildlife conflict mitigation; other small tourism enterprise activities.
Further information is available at: www.mcanamibia.org
10 June 2010How poachers became caretakers: TED talk by John Kasaona
John Kasaona of IRDNC is working on an innovative way to protect endangered animal species: giving nearby villagers (including former poachers) responsibility for caring for the animals. And it's working.
Use the link below to view the talk on "Wildlife and Communities: Back from the Brink", presented by John Kasaona of IRDNC at Longbeach, California in February.
2 June 2010Experience Tourism for Tomorrow, today
'Namibia might not have brought home the Tourism for Tomorrow Award, but we are all winners' – Maxi Louis, Secretariat Coordinator, NACSO.
The Global Travel and Tourism Summit of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) was held in China’s capital, Beijing, last week. Around 1,500 delegates from all over the world attended the summit and included many of the industry's leaders from around the globe.
A small Namibian delegation was invited to attend the summit, because Namibia's Communal Conservancy Tourism Sector had been selected as one of three finalists in the Community Benefit category out of 53 entries from around the world. The Namibian delegation consisted of Maxi Louis (NACSO), Helge Denker (NACSO/WWF In Namibia) and Helga Owoses (≠Khoadi- //Hôas Conservancy). The group was supported in Beijing by representatives of the Embassy of Namibian in China and had the full backing of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism at home.
A highlight of the summit, especially for Namibia, was the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards Ceremony, held as part of the prestigious Gala Dinner at Beijing's famous National Centre for the Performing Arts. The Centre is certainly an awe-inspiring venue and underlined the tremendous recognition the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards earn. Namibia was there, rubbing shoulders with the elite of the travel and tourism industry, proudly represented by Maxi and her colleagues.
Namibia's innovative Communal Conservancy Tourism Sector received a great deal of interest and praise throughout the summit. Many of the delegates at the summit were convinced that Namibia should win the Community Benefit Award. The Award recognises 'a tourism initiative that has effectively demonstrated direct benefits to local people, including capacity building, the transfer of industry skills, and support for community development'.
Namibia’s programme actually goes beyond community benefits. It meets all the criteria for tourism for tomorrow – it is sustainable; it achieves large scale conservation goals while at the same time providing significant community benefits; it is both a rural development and conservation programme. It is people living with and benefiting from wildlife and managing their environment in a sustainable way. And it provides visitors with the opportunity to participate and to experience a truly authentic product. It really is tourism for tomorrow, today.
There are currently 59 registered communal conservancies in Namibia, covering over 16% of the country and embracing one in four rural Namibians. Within these conservancies, 31 joint venture agreements are operational, facilitating direct community benefits. Joint-venture tourism generated close to N$ 17 million in benefits to participating communities in 2008. Quite a number of additional joint-venture agreements are in the process of finalisation, while many new conservancies are still being formed. Conservancies have facilitated the large scale recovery of wildlife in many communal areas, including large predators and rare, high value species such as the endangered black rhino.
The Namibian delegates spent a lot of time with their fellow nominees, learning about other great initiatives from other parts of the world. New Zealand’s whale watching initiative, which has been benefiting the local Maori community for over two decades, was able to share many of the challenges and successes that Namibia has been dealing with. It was great to compare similar experiences from such different environments and positive to see Whale Watch Kaikoura win the Community Benefit Award.
Our neighbour, Botswana, was nominated as a finalist in the Destination Stewardship Award, while Wilderness Safaris, one of our strongest private sector partners here in Namibia as well as one of the most important responsible tourism operators in Southern Africa, was nominated as a finalists in the Global Tourism Business Award. Such strong regional representation made us all very proud.
The awards are handed out annually, and it may have been too ambitious to hope for three winners out of four categories from Southern Africa. We congratulate Botswana for winning the Destination Stewardship Award and know that Wilderness Safaris would be just as deserving a winner in Global Tourism Business as Accor, the winner of this category.
In fact, we believe that we are all winners. We are winners because we were there, sharing the spotlight with all our fellow nominees at the most prestigious event in the travel and tourism industry.
We are winners because our work is first and foremost about what is achieved on the ground, in the field, amongst the people. We know that we are winning here. A nomination as finalist is international recognition of such achievement.
We are all winners, because the success of our sector is based on strong partnerships between communities, the private sector, NGOs and government – all of whom benefit from the partnership and facilitate its ongoing success.
We are winners, because we are practicing tourism for tomorrow, today.
- Download press release
- View interview with Maxi Louis on greentravelguides.tv
- View interview with Maxi Louis on travelmole.tv
- Download final report on Tourism for Tomorrow Awards 2010 (pdf 1.7 Mb)
hdenker@wwf.na
12 Aril 2010Empowering local communities in southern Namibia
The Karas community development project is working
towards empowering local communities in southern
Namibia to manage their natural resources in a
sustainable way to improve their livelihoods and
become more resilient to external factors such as
climate change and food insecurity. The initiative also aims to stimulate the development of income generating activities to decrease human pressure on natural resources and, through awareness and education, it is anticipated that the communities in question may support conservation of the Succulent Karoo Hotspot and adjacent Transfrontier Conservation Areas.
The communities of Aus, Warmbad and Klein Karas have been identified as the beneficiaries of the initiative, which aims to provide sustainable and socially responsible economic benefits to these local communities.
Through a consultative process the communities identified projects that mainly focus on income generation through diversification of livelihood options. Proposals were developed for the identified projects and were tabled at a steering committee meeting on the 1st March 2010. Seven proposals were approved, worth a total of N$950,000. The communities will start with project implementation in April 2010.
Projects approved by the Steering Committee: Hoodia project – technical support (Warmbad); Food garden – up scaling of food garden and training in food production (Warmbad); Hiking trail – design and construction of hiking trail (Aus); Hiking trail – marketing of hiking trail (Aus); Food garden – establishment of community food garden (Aus); Food garden – establishment of community food garden (Klein Karas); Diversification of farming through drought resistant sheep – Dorper Sheep (Klein Karas)
Source: NNF newsletter April 2010
info@nnf.org.na
24 March 2010Earth Hour 2010
EARTH HOUR 2010 is marked for this Saturday, 27th March at 8:30 pm.
As the world's largest ever mass participation event, Earth Hour 2010 aims to reach over one billion people around the globe, in more than 6,000 cities, towns and municipalities. In doing so, Earth Hour 2010 will be the greatest show of support for action on climate change the world has ever witnessed.
Turn out your light, show support. In 2009 hundreds of millions of people around the world showed their support by turning off their lights for one hour. Earth Hour 2010 will continue to be a global call to action to every individual, every business and every community. A call to stand up, to show leadership and be responsible for our future.
Pledge your support and turn off your lights for one hour, Earth Hour, 8.30pm, Saturday 27th March 2010.
See the Earth Hour website for more information
10 February 2010Namibia's Communal Conservancy Tourism Sector
--- Achieving Community Benefit At Scale ---
Namibia's Communal Conservancy Tourism Sector has been selected as a Finalist in the Tourism For Tomorrow Award Program backed by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).
Summary
Since the time of independence, Namibia has done more to give rural Namibians a stake in the tourism industry than any other country in Africa, and possibly the world. The Tourism For Tomorrow Awards program is the most prominent international tourism industry award scheme given out by the largest travel and tourism industry association. This year Namibia is one of three Finalists in the Community Benefit category. Being selected as a Finalist is global recognition of Namibia's achievements. The Winner will be announced at the WTTC Annual Gala Awards Ceremony in Beijing, May 24-26, 2010.
Namibia's Award Submission
Namibia was the first African country to incorporate protection of the environment into its constitution. The Government of Namibia has reinforced this by giving its communities the opportunity and rights to manage their wildlife through communal conservancies. Conservancies are now found in almost all regions of Namibia and cover 16.8% of the land area. The conservancy movement works with over 230,000 rural residents of the nation and has proven to be a valuable approach as a conservation strategy, documented by the substantial increase in wildlife in conservancy areas. It has also proven an effective rural development strategy, generating income for local conservancies, bringing new jobs and providing new skills and expertise. Today there are 59 gazetted conservancies with another 30 in the pipeline. One in 8 Namibians lives within a conservancy, and close to 1 in 4 in rural areas. The enabling environment for this increase has come from government's commitment to the devolution of rights over wildlife and resources.
In the process, not only are communities benefiting in ways previously unimaginable, but the national tourism product is being redefined in more equitable and sustainable ways.
Economic value to communities has increased dramatically since the start of the CBNRM programme. Following the registration of the first four conservancies in 1998, income and benefits have grown from less than N$600,000 in 1998 to N$41.9 million (US$ 5.7 million) in 2008. Most of this growth has come from tourism.
Communal Conservancy Tourism Sector
Within the Communal Conservancy Tourism Sector, there are now 29 formal joint-venture (JV) lodges and campsites that work in collaboration with their host communities. In addition, there are four JVs operating in principle with a signed agreement pending, and another 11 ventures with whom the conservancies are negotiating.
All the JVs in the communal conservancies combined represent 1,356 bed nights, 789 full-time jobs and over 250 seasonal positions. More than N$ 145 million (US$ 19 million) has been invested in tourism JVs in communal conservancies by the private sector since 1998. The number of joint venture lodge agreements has increased 111% since 2005.
Tourism ventures contribute to livelihoods in the region where they operate in multiple ways, including direct contractual cash payments to conservancies, salaries for employees, staff training, and related benefits such as payments of cash and in-kind contributions (equipment, donated services, etc.) to village development committees, local schools, etc.
These are new or additional activities which give many households access to cash and other benefits that they never had before, and that would not have been possible prior to the passage of Namibia's innovative conservancy legislation in 1996.
Natural Resource Management, Monitoring and Tourism
Of the 59 registered conservancies, 33 are immediately adjacent to national parks or in key corridors between protected areas. Consequently, the wildlife friendly land-uses adjacent to and between parks are enhancing the viability of Namibia's protected area network. The recovery of prey species, combined with an increased tolerance of communities to predators, is facilitating the recovery of high-level predators such as lions on a landscape level in northwestern Namibia.
- Namibia is the only country in the world where black rhino outside protected areas are expanding, free roaming lion populations are increasing and there has been a dramatic decrease in poaching to almost negligible levels today. This situation is in sharp contrast to most African countries where wildlife populations and habitats are rapidly declining.
- All of the above is contributing to what may well be "the greatest African wildlife recovery story ever told...", and Namibia is telling that story.
CPP Sustainable Development Index – Pilot Study
The Country Pilot Partnership for Integrated Sustainable Land Management (CPP/ISLM) is a cross-governmental programme aimed at identifying cost-effective, innovative and appropriate SLM methods which integrate environmental and economic objectives. As part of that programme, a reliable and sustainable monitoring tool needs to be in place to assess the local level impacts that the various activities have had on household livelihoods.
Typically, local level monitoring of donor-funded projects focuses on specific themes based on the goals of the individual programme. However, this approach may not gauge the full impacts of funding, some of which may only become apparent after the programme has finished. As an attempt to measure the impacts of the CPP ISM programme holistically, a measuring tool called the Sustainable Development Index (SDI) has been developed. The SDI combines information on incomes, assets, physical environment, capacities and other socio-economic aspects, gathered primarily at local level through household surveying.
The SDI promises to be an innovative and unique local level monitoring tool, with potential applications beyond the CPP programme into measuring the impact of donor funding on local communities more widely.
As part of the process of developing the SDI measurement, pilot studies in four CPP pilot sites were recently carried out by the NNF and its partners in the Kavango and North Central regions. A pilot questionnaire was administered in 400 households by local interviewers in the Kwangali and Oshiwambo languages. This pilot stage is crucial to the set-up of the measurement, helping to establish which information to gather and how, in a way that is sufficiently cost-effective so as not to preclude the sustainability of the measurement into the future.
Once the questionnaire has been fine-tuned
based on the findings of the pilot survey and initial analysis, the SDI measurement will be rolled out to other regions and CPP pilot sites, with the ultimate aim of an annual survey in each site. Given that the SDI provides a snapshot of
developmental status at one time period, it is only through measuring the SDI at a local level at
different time periods that the assessment of the
impact of the CPP-ISLM programme will be
achievable.
Source: NNF July 2010 newsletter
info@nnf.org.na
1 January 2010Serving the people
>> Download the press release (doc 552kb)
What is CBNRM? The acronym continues to be a stumbling block for most people not directly involved in ‘community-based natural resource management’ – or CBNRM. And yet, Namibia is receiving international attention as a world leader in CBNRM practices, due to the remarkable results being achieved. Two weeks ago, Honourable Members of Parliament Maureen Jannkowski, Ben Amathila and Professor Peter Katjavivi took on long roads and long hours of meetings to find out what the fuss is all about.
Communal conservancies are at the heart of the Namibian community-based natural resource management programme. Conservancies are clearly defined tracts of land, registered with government, where local communities manage their natural resources through a democratically elected committee and approved management plan. There are currently 59 registered communal conservancies across Namibia, covering over 16% of the country, embracing over 12% of the population and producing significant community benefits and conservation results. The CBNRM programme generated close to N$ 42 million in benefits to local communities in 2008 and wildlife numbers in conservancies have shown remarkable increases, including rare species and top-of-the-food-chain predators.
Yet, even within government, many have little knowledge or understanding of the programme and its achievements. As with so many things in our information-driven world, much hinges on communication and awareness creation. We need to spread the news. The recent field trip by the Parliamentary delegation should contribute towards raising awareness of the programme within government and may facilitate the removal of some current barriers and challenges.
For the past three years, the Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) has hosted members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Economics, Natural Resources and Public Administration on field trips to visit conservancies in different parts of the country. The trips are organised at the request of the Committee, which has a new membership after the national elections of last year.
Dr Chris Brown of the Namibia Nature Foundation gave a presentation to the Committee ahead of the trip, putting the CBNRM programme within national development and conservation perspectives and touching on critical global issues such as climate change. It was this presentation that sparked real interest and lured the Parliamentarians out of their busy schedules to go into the field and see for themselves whether the claims are true – that the programme is making a noteworthy difference to the lives of rural people while at the same time benefiting biodiversity, and that it has the potential to significantly mitigate the effects of climate change.
The trip was very much about increasing awareness and creating an understanding of key issues – for both government and the conservancies. The Chairman of the Committee, Hon Ben Amathila, placed great emphasis on explaining the role of the Committee within the larger workings of government. Simply put, the Committee has an oversight function over a good number of ministries, including the 'line Ministries' of conservancies. If communities have issues that are not being addressed by the responsible Ministries, the Standing Committee can take these up and ensure that they receive due attention. Quoting from the Constitution of Namibia, Hon Amathila emphasised that government is there to serve the people of Namibia.
As Hon. Prof. Katjavivi pointed out, conservancies are also there to serve the people. Conservancies are community-based organisations with the responsibility of managing natural resources for the benefit of the people. Good conservancy management should result in livelihood diversification and a variety of direct and indirect benefits to community members. Currently, joint-venture tourism and trophy hunting are the sectors generating most of the benefits. A true pioneer in joint-venture tourism in Namibia, Wilderness Safaris, hosted the group at some of their lodges in the North-West and provided vital logistic support.
On the five-day whirlwind trip, the group met with representatives of the Tsiseb, Doro !nawas, Uibasen-Twyfelfontein, Torra, Anabeb, Sesfontein, Uukolonkadhi-Ruacana, Uukwaluudhi, Sheya Shuushona, King Nehale and Okongo Conservancies. Conservancies reported on their achievements – but they also had issues to discuss.
Human-wildlife conflict is one of the most prevalent, with elephants at the forefront of the issue, in both north-western and north-central conservancies. In the North-West, the delegation visited De Riet settlement along the banks of the Huab River in the Torra Conservancy. Elephants come here for one reason: to find water in this dry environment. By providing a secure source of water to the pachyderms with the assistance of Wilderness Safaris, the community attempts to minimise conflicts. Clearly, human-wildlife conflict tends to be competition for two resources, namely water and food. Reducing this competition through effective zoning and the strategic provision of water is likely to reduce conflicts.
Another important strategy is to increase the benefits derived from natural resources and most especially wildlife, in order to off-set some of the costs of living with that wildlife. A key factor inhibiting current development in conservancies and communal areas in general is land tenure and related security of investment. If conservancies were able to provide more security to potential investors within the tourism industry through increased leasehold rights, the Communal Conservancy Tourism Sector would experience rapid growth – and conservancies would reap many of the rewards.
Another key issue raised is the lack of coordination between different ministries, which at times inhibits conservancy development and can threaten achievements. While conservancies are frustrated by conflicting policies and activities, Hon Amathila pointed out that all ministries are trying to serve the people. The answer to many of the issues raised is better communication and coordination amongst the ministries – as well as between government, conservancies and other stakeholders.
The trip highlighted that there is a lot going on within the CBNRM programme. While at Palmwag, the Parliamentarians were briefed about the historic translocation of endangered black rhino from the Palmwag Tourism Concession to conservancies in the far North-West – a real boost to the tourism product of the area. The translocation was carried out by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism as part of their ongoing rhino management programme and was partly funded by the Millennium Challenge Account Namibia.
The Parliamentarians were most impressed by the fact that the CBNRM programme is a real team effort by communities, government, NGOs and the private sector. With the ongoing and coordinated support of all stakeholders, conservancies can continue to flourish and build on current successes – thereby serving the people, including some of the neediest rural communities in Namibia. economy news
hdenker@wwf.na
1 December 2009Launch of Posters and Booklets for Seven Conservancies
NNF, on behalf of the Natural Resource Working Group, in November published selected conservancy profiles along with complimentary posters which highlight key information from the profile booklets. The CBNRM unit of the NNF in conjunction with other stakeholders, publish the
State of Conservancy Report on an annual basis.
Although this report contains a great deal of
information on conservancies and CBNRM at the national level, we felt the need to have more detailed publications to tell the stories of individual conservancies.
This was a pilot project with 7 selected Conservancies: 2 in the north-west, a newer conservancy on the Etosha border in the north-central, the Mudumu North Complex in Caprivi and 4 conservancies within a comanaged complex in the north-east.
The target audiences for these publications were identified as the conservancies themselves, regional councils and traditional authorities and the tourism sector.
Once they had been viewed by a few stakeholders and partners, it quickly became clear that these products were going to be successful and sought-after, and requests have been received to roll the project out to other conservancies as well. NNF and the NR working group are seriously looking into that as a priority for next year. Copies are available at the NACSO and NNF offices, or alternatively the booklets can be downloaded from the NACSO and NNF Websites.
Source: NNF newsletter December 2009
info@nnf.org.na
18 November 2009Launch of Namibia's Forest Act and Policy pamphlet
This pamphlet, funded by the National Forest Programme Facility, was compiled and designed by CRIAA-SADC and was endorsed by the Directorate of Forestry. The pamphlet touches on the duties of the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry on protecting Namibia's forest resources, the types of forest classifications the Act makes provision for, the regulation of forests and forest products, licensing for harvesting of forest products, and regulations on forest fires. It is hoped that the pamphlet will be useful quick reference tool for all organisations and people working with communities in key forestry areas, members of community forests and their surrounding communities.
Both the DVD and the pamphlet are available from the Namibia Nature Foundation offices.
Source: NNF newsletter December 2009
info@nnf.org.na
19 October 2009Nominations open for Environmental Award 2009
This year the NNF, in partnership with NACSO, would like to dedicate the NNF Environmental Award for 2009 to women in conservation. We wish to recognise the vital role that women play in managing natural resources, in influencing their community and in educating children in the wise and sustainable use of their environment.
We invite our partners in conservation and members of the public to nominate the Namibian woman whom you think has made the most significant contribution to the health of Namibia's environment, to the wise use of natural resources, to sustainable development and to people's understanding and behaviour in managing and protecting the environment.
The purpose of the award is to publicly acknowledge the contributions made by individuals who have significantly furthered the ideals of sustainable development and implemented wise environmental and natural resource management in Namibia.
The award consists of a cash payment of N$10,000 and a framed certificate. The award will be made at a celebratory Function on 18th November. All Namibians are eligible, with the exception of past NNF Environmental Award winners, NNF and NACSO staff and Trustees and their immediate families.
Anyone may nominate one or more persons for the awards. The nomination form can be downloaded here (doc 306 kb). It must be completed and returned to the Namibia Nature Foundation, with any supporting documentation considered appropriate, in a sealed envelope clearly marked Environmental Awards, by 12h00 on Friday 30th October 2009.
- Download Application form (doc 306 kb)
- Download Press release (doc 451 kb)
- Download Letter (doc 588 kb)
Book launch: A Journey through Uukwaluudhi History
The first book recording stories and the history and traditions of the Aakwaluudhi people was launched in Tsandi in the Omusati region on the 17th June. In attendance were Her Majesty, Queen Liisa Taaipopi, teachers and leaners from five schools in the area and the Principals from Onambala Junior Secondary School, Ekango Primary School, Tsandi Junior Secondary School, Ondukuta Combined School, Shikongo Ipinge Secondary School, representatives from the Conservancy, The Uukwaluudhi Monuments Council, the Traditional Authority and Annie Symonds, the researcher and author. Proudly donating the books was Mrs Karine Shikongo the Chairwoman of the Uukwaluudhi Conservancy. The Oshiwambo copies are to be used schools and the Teachers Resource Centre as an educational resource, stimulating an interest in the cultural heritage of the Tsandi area, in addition to fostering an awareness of their surrounding environment and promote the protection of its resources. The book records many stories only ever spoken before and combines research from a number of different sources to culminate in a colourful, eye catching portrayal of life in this part of the north-central region.
The books are part of an initiative to provide alternative sources of income to the Tsandi community. The English and German versions sold at the Uukwaluudhi Royal Homestead in Tsandi, bookshops and curio shops in Windhoek, Swakopmund and Tsumeb, as well as a number of lodges, will help to reduce rural poverty. The concept was developed by the Namibian Community Based Tourism Assistance Trust with funding from the Global Environment Fund at the request of the community who found that information on the area was in great demand and of interest to tourists.
12 June 2009Baraka Beads Exhibition opened in Windhoek
Baraka Beads started in 2008 as a small project to provide an alternative source of income to rural poor and marginalised San women. Ostrich egg shell has become increasingly scarce so that the making of traditional ostrich egg necklaces is more difficult. A new and innovative range of products was sought combining existing artistic beading skills of the Ju/’Hoansi San and their desire for bright and striking designs. Sewing skills had been acquired so it became obvious that a marriage of these traditional, inherent talents and newly learned skills was the answer. Women from a previously active village from north-eastern Otjozondjupa, formerly Bushmanland, quickly took up the challenge to produce high quality goods. Baraka was once a thriving centre of development but since the volunteers moved on and the projects subsequently closed it fell into a dormant state. With renewed enthusiasm eleven women have begun to create works worthy of any living room and accessories that can be worn with pride - particularly knowing the challenges faced by these women making them.
Today Baraka Beads are embarking upon the start of a long journey which they hope will take their products far and wide and provide a good living for them and their families. Being able to be self sustainable and financially secure empowers the women economically and socially. It helps them provide for the health and educational needs of their children. Baraka is a small village in the successful Nyae Nyae Conservancy where wildlife roams freely and communities participate actively in the management of it and the land they are dependent on. Projects such as this, the market garden project, chicken and goat rearing and devil's claw collection are all new ways to reduce the reliance upon meat and provide alternative sources of income so allowing the wildlife sufficient land to sustain itself.
Each Baraka Bead product is handmade and represents the shape and designs of traditional adornments and their love for colour. They have blended traditional skills in contemporary modern and functional items.
The exhibition opened on the 10th June at the Omba Arts Gallery, Windhoek and runs until the 28th June. It is open daily from 9am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 2.30pm Saturday and Sunday. Indulge in their creativity and enjoy using them as much as they have enjoyed creating them.
annie.s@iway.na
10 June 2009Beekeeping training held in Kavango
Bees have a great potential towards rural poverty reduction and sustainable management of forestry resources. Beekeeping training has recently been held in Kavango. This is a very promising livelihood enterprise for Caprivi and Kavango communities.
Read the "Technical Report for the Beekeeping Enterprise Development for the Khaudom and Mudumu North-Complex Conservancies" [pdf 891 KB]
Contact Mwazi Mwazi of Namibia Nature Foundation for more information (mm@nnf.org.na)
15 October 2008≠Gaingu Conservancy signs Spitzkoppe Lodge Deal
At a meeting at Spitzkoppe Village on Tuesday 14th October, which was attended by over 120 people from the local community, a Memorandum of Understanding for the building of a tourist lodge was signed by the Chairperson of the Conservancy Mr Ryan Gariseb, and the Lodge Investor, Mr Melt Hugo. The agreement was endorsed by Chief Immanuël ≠Nu-Axa/Gâseb of the Traditional Authority.
The lodge, comprising a central reception and restaurant area and 12 bungalows, is to be built to the north of the spectacular 1728 metre Gross Spitzkoppe Mountain, and is expected to open for business at the end of 2009. A further 3 bungalows will be added later. Over N$ 15 million is to be invested in the lodge and the infrastructure, such as access roads and the water supply. Training and employment will be provided for 15 local people at the lodge, and additional jobs will be available during the construction phase. In addition to creating employment, a levy is to be paid to the Conservancy, totalling approximately $N10 million over the first ten years of operations.
The Project Architect and Manager, Mr Ronnie Barnard said "we have taken exceptional care to design the lodge to have minimal impact on the local area, both visually and environmentally. The structures blend in with the rock formations, and all are raised above ground level to minimise the disturbance to the flow of ground water and possible soil erosion. Our Environmental Impact Analysis is very comprehensive, and will ensure protection of rock art".
In speeches at the signing ceremony, both Chief Immanuël and Mr Hugo emphasised the importance of the lodge and the community working in partnership to provide a unique high class tourism experience for guests, and to provide employment and improved living standards for the members of the village and the conservancy.
1 October 2008Welcome to the News page
The news page is a new feature for the NACSO web site. It is intended to be used as a forum for sharing information on CBNRM and environment related news in Namibia and southern Africa.
Each news item can have up to 9 photos associated with it.
Please submit your news items and photos directly to the site using the log in details that you can obtain from NACSO (see Contact us page for details) OR via the gmail address listed above.
nacso.web@gmail.com
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