Tourism potential not yet tapped: Brown

NAMIBIA’S wildlife, tourism attraction sites and rich cultures offer the best potential for job and wealth creation and poverty reduction, says the head of the Namibian Nature Foundation (NNF).

Dr Chris Brown, the NNF Executive Director, said this potential was currently being addressed by the creation of communal conservancies under the Community-Based Natural Resources Management Programme (CBNRM). He said no other country can compete with Namibia’s wildlife, natural beauty and its good infrastructure and services.”Only a few other countries in Africa are in the same league.As long as we don’t do something silly, we have a winning set of assets for the long term,” said Brown.He was speaking at NNF’s recent year-end function, where two environmental awards were awarded.Brown said there are now 50 registered communal conservancies, covering some 11.5 million hectares of land and accommodating 200 000 people.N$20 million was earned from CBNRM activities last year.However, Brown said there was an urgent need to increase investor confidence in the communal areas before their true potential could be realised.He also called on the Government to devolve more rights to the people over natural resources.”We need to take a few risks.Government needs to trust its citizens and devolve more rights over natural resources.It needs to open up the protected areas to park-neighbour partnerships,” he said.Government, he said, also needs to look to the private sector to help secure investments and markets and achieve efficiency.He said no other country can compete with Namibia’s wildlife, natural beauty and its good infrastructure and services. “Only a few other countries in Africa are in the same league.As long as we don’t do something silly, we have a winning set of assets for the long term,” said Brown.He was speaking at NNF’s recent year-end function, where two environmental awards were awarded.Brown said there are now 50 registered communal conservancies, covering some 11.5 million hectares of land and accommodating 200 000 people.N$20 million was earned from CBNRM activities last year.However, Brown said there was an urgent need to increase investor confidence in the communal areas before their true potential could be realised.He also called on the Government to devolve more rights to the people over natural resources.”We need to take a few risks.Government needs to trust its citizens and devolve more rights over natural resources.It needs to open up the protected areas to park-neighbour partnerships,” he said.Government, he said, also needs to look to the private sector to help secure investments and markets and achieve efficiency.