People need to get more involved in conservation

NAMIBIA needs to derive more economic benefits from its natural resources and offer incentives for good conservation, says the Namibia Nature Foundation (NNF).

Setting out its challenges for 2006 to donors and sponsors, the NNF said last week that it will work towards unleashing the comparative and competitive advantage that the environment can offer. “We need to be bold.We need to take a few risks.Government needs to trust its citizens and devolve more rights over natural resources,” said Chris Brown, NNF Executive Director.”We are our own worst enemy as we don’t fully harness the opportunities.We don’t allow the economic values to be fully realised and we don’t allow our citizens to harness these values for more conservation and development objectives.”Although at the forefront in global terms in securing the protection and wise management of landscapes for biodiversity conservation, economic growth and national and global environmental security, more can be done in this regard, said Brown.In his opinion the Ministry of Environment and Tourism needs to focus more on creating an enabling environment and developing good policy so that citizens and the private sector can play their role without “unnecessary bureaucratic red tape” and meddling.Much of Namibia can produce greater returns from wildlife and tourism than from agriculture, opined Brown.”We don’t make the parks the powerful engines for economic growth that they could and should be.We hide behind park fences in fear and trepidation.We lock up and away the most valuable components of Namibia’s comparative and competitive advantage,” said Brown.He said Namibia’s conservancy programme had shown that market forces could be used to deliver both conservation and development benefits.More than 150 000 people are involved in registered conservancies covering over 10 million hectares.During 2004, they generated N$14 million and this is projected to increase to N$18 million by the end of this year.Wildlife numbers are also on the increase due to the efforts of the conservancy programme.Brown challenged Government to open up the protected areas to park-neighbour partnerships and for the private sector to help secure investments, markets and achieve efficiency.Brown said the biodiversity and natural landscapes of Namibia’s arid environment could be better protected through economic incentives.He was speaking at a special function to thank corporate sponsors and foreign donors for their commitment to conservation projects.”We need to be bold.We need to take a few risks.Government needs to trust its citizens and devolve more rights over natural resources,” said Chris Brown, NNF Executive Director.”We are our own worst enemy as we don’t fully harness the opportunities.We don’t allow the economic values to be fully realised and we don’t allow our citizens to harness these values for more conservation and development objectives.”Although at the forefront in global terms in securing the protection and wise management of landscapes for biodiversity conservation, economic growth and national and global environmental security, more can be done in this regard, said Brown.In his opinion the Ministry of Environment and Tourism needs to focus more on creating an enabling environment and developing good policy so that citizens and the private sector can play their role without “unnecessary bureaucratic red tape” and meddling.Much of Namibia can produce greater returns from wildlife and tourism than from agriculture, opined Brown.”We don’t make the parks the powerful engines for economic growth that they could and should be.We hide behind park fences in fear and trepidation.We lock up and away the most valuable components of Namibia’s comparative and competitive advantage,” said Brown.He said Namibia’s conservancy programme had shown that market forces could be used to deliver both conservation and development benefits.More than 150 000 people are involved in registered conservancies covering over 10 million hectares.During 2004, they generated N$14 million and this is projected to increase to N$18 million by the end of this year.Wildlife numbers are also on the increase due to the efforts of the conservancy programme.Brown challenged Government to open up the protected areas to park-neighbour partnerships and for the private sector to help secure investments, markets and achieve efficiency.Brown said the biodiversity and natural landscapes of Namibia’s arid environment could be better protected through economic incentives.He was speaking at a special function to thank corporate sponsors and foreign donors for their commitment to conservation projects.