Non-existent at Namibia’s independence in 1990, communal conservancies are now one of the key contributors to the country’s national net income.
The first four conservancies were gazetted in 1998 by the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism. These were NyaeNyae in eastern Namibia, Salambala in the north east on the border to Botswana, ?Khoadi-//Hôas straddling the border between Kunene north and south in the north-west, and to the south of it, Torra.
Conservation Namibia defines a conservancy as a community-based institution that has obtained conditional rights to use the wildlife occurring within a self-defined area. They are self-governed, democratic entities managed by committees that are elected by their members.
Namibia’s communal conservancies remain key to the country’s success. There are currently 86 registered conservancies, two community associations, 43 registered community forests, 10 community fish reserves in six conservancies, more than 700 game guards working in conservancies, and 57 conservancy management plans in place.
Community conservation covers 180 122 square kilometres, which is 58.8 per-cent of all communal land, and benefits approximately 223 000 people from rural communities.
However, only about 166 179 square kilometres of the area is managed.
The Ministry of Environment and Tourism’s spokesperson, Romeo Muyunda told Nampa from 1990 to 2021, community conservation contributed about N.dollars 11.9 billion to Namibia’s net national income.
“Community conservation facilitated 3 548 jobs and conservancies generated total cash income and in-kind benefits to rural communities of N.dollars 91.7 million,” he said.
In 2021, conservation hunting generated approximately N.dollars 26 million, with a meat value of 326 295 kilogrammes of game meat worth approximately N.dollars 9 million distributed to conservancy residents. Tourism generated about N.dollars 54 million, while indigenous plants and other income generated N.dollars 1 million and N.dollars 1.7 million respectively. About N.dollars 11.6 million in cash benefits was distributed to conservancy residents and used to support community projects.
Additionally, during the Covid-19 pandemic from May 2020 to January 2023, the ministry with support from partners through the Conservation Relief, Recovery and Resilient Facility mobilised about N.dollars 222 million to support Community Based Natural Resources Management (CBNRM).
The COVID-19 Facility provided financial relief to communal conservancies and community forests worth N.dollars 57 million to meet their operational costs as their income pool was crippled by the pandemic.
“Some 760 game guards and over 1 000 conservancy committee members were supported,” Muyunda said.
The facility, to reduce job losses, contributed a total N.dollars 27 million benefitting 2 200 people to venture partners within the conservancies in tourism enterprises like lodges, campsite, craft centres, hunting operators and cultural villages.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency
