Lessons on the Community Conservancy Model for Wildlife Protection in Namibia

Abstract

The growing human population in Africa is putting increasing pressure on habitats and wildlife outside of protected areas. The wildlife conservancy model in Namibia empowers rural communities to decide on the use of wildlife. Namibia started to implement the conservancy model in the 1990s and provides relevant experience from which other countries can learn. We reviewed the conservancy model in northwest Namibia to identify lessons for other countries. Our core work included case studies on six conservancies. We confirmed success factors for conservancies include: investment and revenues, strong governance and support from NGOs, as has been identified in previous studies. We conclude that a comprehensive wildlife monitoring programme is also a critical success factor. The wildlife monitoring method in conservancies in Namibia has been consistent since 2001, and the results show that populations have recovered and stabilised, although there are ongoing risks to wildlife and habitats in this fragile landscape.

Community‐Based Fire Management in East and Southern African Savanna‐Protected Areas: A Review of the Published Evidence

“…This is likely to be greater in savanna‐protected areas where opportunity for local power in decision‐making is institutionally constrained (Twyman, 2005). For example, the Namibian Communal Area Conservancies framework and the Eastern Caprivi CBFiM program are referenced as empowering rural communities in decision‐making (Wenborn et al., 2022), and as being essential for “developing community fire management ownership” (FAO, 2011), respectively. Yet, community committees are required to define fire management objectives in compliance with government agencies who primarily aim to control, prevent, and suppress fire (Forest Act 12 Namibia, 2001; MET, 2016).…”

Aiding Animals: Does Foreign Aid Reduce Wildlife Crime?

“…Some states have militarized their anti-poaching forces, with a few, such as Kenya and Zimbabwe, adopting rules to shoot poachers on sight (Messer, 2010). Others, such as Namibia, have adopted community conservancy models that allow rural communities to decide how best to use local wildlife (Wenborn et al, 2022). Efforts to stifle demand include banning the sale of poached animal parts in countries where demand is high (Gamso, 2019), as well as distributing informational materials on the negative impacts of the illegal wildlife trade (Holden et al, 2019).…”