NACSO and the National CBNRM Programme

Background Prior to 1996, rural communities on communal land in Namibia had no rights over wildlife: All wildlife was State property and was generally poorly managed Local communities often suffered extensive losses as a result of wildlife Hunting and poaching was rife and wildlife populations were declining In contrast, commercial farmers have been entitled to utilise wildlife on their land and, thereby, benefit from it since In 1996, the Government of the Republic of Namibia introduced legislation to grant legal rights to rural communities over the management and utilisation of their natural resources, giving communal area residents the same rights over wildlife and tourism as freehold farmers This resulted in the development, in the mid-1980s, of the Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) Programme

CBNRM in Namibia “Conservancies empower local people to make their own decisions about their own resources, while enabling them to benefit from these resources. Conservancies should be seen as creating an institutional infrastructure in helping to diversify rural economies. Through the conservancy system, my government has created an environment and an opportunity for natural resource based industries to develop” Dr Sam Nujoma, President of the Republic of Namibia These objectives are achieved through the formation of Conservancies… The CBNRM Programme is a joint venture between government, non-governmental institutions, communities, community-based organisations and development partners which aims to:  promote wise and sustainable use of natural resources and encourage biodiversity conservation  devolve rights over and responsibilities for wildlife and tourism to rural communities, creating enterprise and income generation opportunities  encourage and assist communities to acquire skills to manage their area sustainably and actively pilot their own future

A registered conservancy, on behalf of the community it represents, acquires new rights and responsibilities with regard to the consumptive and non-consumptive use and management of wildlife: Consumptive uses include: use of game for trophy hunting, consumption, commercial sale for meat or capture for live sale Non-consumptive uses include: tourism ventures such as community-based tourism enterprises and joint venture agreements with private sector entrepreneurs Rights of conservancies

Legal requirements for the formation of communal area conservancies Defined membership and registered members; Defined area with agreed boundaries; Legal constitution, providing for game management and utilisation plan & Equitable benefits distribution plan – constitution outlines conservancy purpose and objectives, define membership, management structure, elections, decision-making etc.; Representative management committee – either elect new or adopt and adapt existing one;

Historical Background (NACSO) IRDNC activities since late 1980s LIFE Programme support since 1993 MET legislation passed in 1996 (increased interest, demand and stakeholders) Need for national coordination mechanism discussed since 1997 Formation of CAN/NACSO (1999/2000)

The aim of NACSO is to promote, support and further the development of community-based approaches to the wise and sustainable management of natural resources, thereby striving to advance rural development and livelihoods, to promote biodiversity conservation and to empower communities through capacity building and good governance, to determine their own long-term destinies. Aim

NDT – MET (NNF, RF, Nacobta, LAC, UNAM, Sardep, MAWRD) IRDNC – MET (NNF, RF, Nacobta, LAC, UNAM) RF – MET (NNF, Nacobta, LAC, UNAM, RCs, Sardep) NNDF – MET (NNF, RF, Nacobta, LAC, UNAM, MBEC, HU, MWARD) IRDNC – MET (NNF, RF, Nacobta, LAC, UNAM) RISE – MET (NNF, RF, Nacobta, LAC, UNAM) ……… – MET (NNF, RF, Nacobta, LAC, UNAM) Current Members

Structure Institutional Dev. W/G IRDNC Legal W/G LAC Research & Evaluation Unam BED W/G Nacobta NRM W/G DEA Grants Mgt. & M&E NNF Secretariate Strategic W/G NNF Training W/G RF Field based implementation is coordinated by a partnership between Local MET offices and Regional based NGO’s. Refer to map of NACSO partners to show the institutional arrangements in each geographical area Annual General Meeting Management Committee Quarterly Members’ Meetings NACSO Grant Approval Board

Conservancy Support Activities Development of Conservancy Management and Monitoring SystemsDevelopment of Conservancy Management and Monitoring Systems Training Tourism Development & Promotion Marketing & Harvesting of Veldt Products Reintroduction & Sale of Game Marketing of Trophy Hunting Advocacy on Conservation Policies/Legislation

Development of Conservancy Management & Monitoring Systems

One of the most basic requirements for managing the wildlife in the region is a tool that will tell conservancies: 1.how many animals there are Year 1Year 10 2.where they are and how they move around the region 3.population trends of the various species over time

Example: annual game counts To determine wildlife numbers, trends and distributions… Undertaking N/W Namibia 5 million ha Reporting Gemsbok Distribution Populations estimated using spatial analyses Distributions mapped Planning Count zones Route maps Zonations derived from satellite images Routes planned from orthophotos GIS generated planning maps

DateSpecies EastSouth Grid Cell Notes Monitoring also includes, for example, monitoring incidents of poaching, problem animals, trophy hunting, fishing MONTHS Trend over MONTHS Eventually a map showing where each incident occurred Use 2kmX2km Grid (hand drawn or GIS) Trend over YEARS

Training

Institutional aspects Annual audits record, for every conservancy each year, progress in many areas: These can be compiled to provide a national overview: Base maps

Community Camp Sites Develop a central Reservation office Standardize sites Quality control Develop ‘tourism routes’

Joint-Venture Lodges Joint-Venture Agreements Identifying new locations

Marketing of Trophy Hunting Wildlife Management Plan Quota Application & Approval Hunting Concession Approval Trophy Quality Monitoring

Marketing & Harvesting of Veldt Products & Craft production

Reintroduction & Marketing of Game Create the right environment Have wildlife monitoring systems in place Build and maintain releasing facilities

Advocacy on Conservation Policies/Legislation * Conservancy Association(s) …”What our people want is to be involved in the decision-making process and to actively participate in decisions, which will ultimately affect them. They then will take ownership of these decisions and ensure that they are successfully implemented.” (extract from the Statement by his Excellency President Sam Nujoma on Sept. 26th, 1998)

Where are conservancies in Namibia? A further 14 % of Namibia is protected under the state Protected Areas network, and 5 % is within conservancies on freehold land Over 95,000 rural people live within conservancies; around 40% of them are conservancy members Around 78,000 km 2, representing 9 % of Namibia, now falls within communal area conservancies

Area under Communal Conservancies 30 emerging= ca km2 29 registered conservancies

Committees Representing Diverse Communities >60 Communities mobilized into representative governance bodies

Wildlife Populations & Trends in North-West Namibia Population trends for gemsbok, springbok, and Hartmann’s zebra in NW Namibia from 2000 through 2003 based upon animals observed per 100 kms driven (Source: MET/WWF/NACSO, 2003)

Programmatic Impacts (economic / financial benefits)

Challenges and the Way Forward Broadening beyond wildlife Low political profile of wildlife sector Prevention of aborted devolution Capacity constraints (National and local levels)

Conclusion The Beginning Success Through CBNRM Is A Long Road!