Environment, Forestry and Tourism Minister, Pohamba Shifeta has called on traditional leaders to stop the maladministration of conservation money that should benefit communities.

Shifeta made the call during the inauguration of the Topnaar Community Association in the Namib Naukluft and Dorob national parks on Friday where it is alleged that about N.dollars 3 million conservation money through tourism concessions was unaccounted for and misused without benefiting community members.

He fumed that the continuous maladministration of conservation money by traditional leaders of community neighbouring and living inside protected areas has led the government to establish community associations that work directly with the ministry in the management of wildlife resources aimed to benefit the communities.

The parks, he stressed are blessed with an abundance of unique plants and animals, beautiful natural landscapes and diverse culture of people which when combined has the potential to support conservation and ultimately carry significant economic rewards for the Topnaar community.

“The association management responsibility should ensure that the tourism concessions benefit the community and not individuals. The misuse and misappropriation of association property and finances by individuals at the expense of the broader community is distressing government’s innovative strategies to achieve biodiversity conservation within the framework of a national development plan and poverty reduction,” he said.

Shifeta equally demanded community members be included in the forecasting of tourism concessions developmental projects, noting that the Topnaar community with a population of 2000 people can sustain themselves and livelihood from their own natural resources.

“The money that is coming from the tourist concessions should be able to develop the community, such as building classrooms, rural electrification, provision of water, support school learners amongst others but the money is only benefiting individuals while the community at large suffers in poverty,” he stressed.

The ministry has therefore given a directive that traditional leaders host annual general meetings with community members before any expenditure of money generated from natural resources, to ensure the involvement of community members’ decisions on projects they aspire to be implemented.

“Community associations should be geared towards rural economic emancipation and I urge all community members within protected areas to commit to nation-building and work together with government to achieve developmental goals from our natural resources,” he said.

Source: Namibai Press Agency