4 new conservancies launched

THE first four rural community conservancies in the Kavango Region were launched by Environment and Tourism Minister Willem Konjore on Thursday.

The Joseph Mbambangandu conservancy was gazetted by Government in 2004 while the George Mukoya, Muduva Nyangana and Shamungwa conservancies were gazetted last year. Conservancies in Namibia are being created under the Community-Based Natural Resources Management programme (CBNRM), which gives communities the right of ownership of their natural resources to derive benefits from them in a sustainable manner.Konjore said he had no doubt that the conservancy programme would be a success in the Kavango Region and would help improve the living conditions of many people.He said the communal conservancy programme was a model of the CBNRM approach, which aims to restore the link between conservation and rural development.Konjore also opened the Mbamba Campsite in the Mbambangandu conservancy in Kavango.Konjore reminded members of the four conservancies that sound management practices are needed for the sustainable use of natural resources.”Planning, managing, monitoring and evaluation are thus core and key aspects of the activities,” he said.There are now 44 registered conservancies in Namibia, of which five are financially independent.They cover 13 per cent of Namibia’s total land mass.Statistics show that rural communities earned N$6 million from CBNRM activities in 2001, N$10 million in 2002, N$13 million in 2003, N$15 million in 2004 and N$18 million last year.In 2004 alone, 500 full-time and part-time jobs were created in the conservancies and tourism components of the CBNRM programme, which started in 1999.Conservancies in Namibia are being created under the Community-Based Natural Resources Management programme (CBNRM), which gives communities the right of ownership of their natural resources to derive benefits from them in a sustainable manner.Konjore said he had no doubt that the conservancy programme would be a success in the Kavango Region and would help improve the living conditions of many people.He said the communal conservancy programme was a model of the CBNRM approach, which aims to restore the link between conservation and rural development.Konjore also opened the Mbamba Campsite in the Mbambangandu conservancy in Kavango.Konjore reminded members of the four conservancies that sound management practices are needed for the sustainable use of natural resources.”Planning, managing, monitoring and evaluation are thus core and key aspects of the activities,” he said.There are now 44 registered conservancies in Namibia, of which five are financially independent.They cover 13 per cent of Namibia’s total land mass. Statistics show that rural communities earned N$6 million from CBNRM activities in 2001, N$10 million in 2002, N$13 million in 2003, N$15 million in 2004 and N$18 million last year.In 2004 alone, 500 full-time and part-time jobs were created in the conservancies and tourism components of the CBNRM programme, which started in 1999.