Conservancies multiply

SIX more communal conservancies were recently proclaimed in the Government Gazette, bringing the number of communal conservancies in the country to 50.

Tsukhoe //Garoes of the Ministry of Environment says this means that 14 per cent of Namibia’s land mass is now covered by communal conservancies. The six new conservancies are the Kunene River Conservancy in the Kunene Region, Audi Conservancy (Kunene), Sobe Conservancy (Caprivi), Balyerwa Conservancy (Caprivi), Ohungu Conservancy (Erongo) and Ondjou Conservancy in the Otjozondjupa Region.Conservancies are being created under the Ministry’s Community-Based Natural Resources Management (CBNRM) programme, which gives rural people rights to benefit from the natural resources in their areas.The Kunene Region has the largest number of conservancies in the country (18), followed by Caprivi with 9 and Otjozondjupa with 7.The biggest communal conservancy is the N#Jaqna Conservancy in the Otjozondjupa Region, which covers 9 120 square kilometres.Some communal conservancies have entered into joint ventures with privately owned lodges and hotels that are situated in their areas, in terms of which the companies pay a conservancy a certain percentage of their profits.These include Doro Nawas, which has a joint venture with the Doro Nawas Camp of Wilderness Safaris, the Torra Conservancy which has an agreement with Damaraland Camp (also owned by Wilderness Safaris) and the Uibasen-Twyfelfontein Conservancy, which has teamed up with Twyfelfontein Lodge of Namibia Country Lodges.The #Khoadi //Hoas Conservancy in the Kunene Region is the first conservancy to open its own lodge, the Grootberg Lodge, which the Ministry of Environment hopes will generate enough income to make the conservancy independent from donor funding.The Torra and Nyae-Nyae conservancies have already become financially independent.The six new conservancies are the Kunene River Conservancy in the Kunene Region, Audi Conservancy (Kunene), Sobe Conservancy (Caprivi), Balyerwa Conservancy (Caprivi), Ohungu Conservancy (Erongo) and Ondjou Conservancy in the Otjozondjupa Region.Conservancies are being created under the Ministry’s Community-Based Natural Resources Management (CBNRM) programme, which gives rural people rights to benefit from the natural resources in their areas.The Kunene Region has the largest number of conservancies in the country (18), followed by Caprivi with 9 and Otjozondjupa with 7.The biggest communal conservancy is the N#Jaqna Conservancy in the Otjozondjupa Region, which covers 9 120 square kilometres.Some communal conservancies have entered into joint ventures with privately owned lodges and hotels that are situated in their areas, in terms of which the companies pay a conservancy a certain percentage of their profits.These include Doro Nawas, which has a joint venture with the Doro Nawas Camp of Wilderness Safaris, the Torra Conservancy which has an agreement with Damaraland Camp (also owned by Wilderness Safaris) and the Uibasen-Twyfelfontein Conservancy, which has teamed up with Twyfelfontein Lodge of Namibia Country Lodges.The #Khoadi //Hoas Conservancy in the Kunene Region is the first conservancy to open its own lodge, the Grootberg Lodge, which the Ministry of Environment hopes will generate enough income to make the conservancy independent from donor funding.The Torra and Nyae-Nyae conservancies have already become financially independent.