12

A bAcKGROuND tO - NACSO | Namibian Association of · PDF file · 2016-08-05spoken is Khoekhoegowab (Damara/Nama). ... Over three-quarters of all rain falls in the months of ... Additional

  • Upload
    vanthuy

  • View
    216

  • Download
    1

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

Page 1: A bAcKGROuND tO - NACSO | Namibian Association of · PDF file · 2016-08-05spoken is Khoekhoegowab (Damara/Nama). ... Over three-quarters of all rain falls in the months of ... Additional
Page 2: A bAcKGROuND tO - NACSO | Namibian Association of · PDF file · 2016-08-05spoken is Khoekhoegowab (Damara/Nama). ... Over three-quarters of all rain falls in the months of ... Additional

2

• ≠Khoadi-//Hôas isa legallyconstitutedmanagementbodyrunbythecommunityforthedevelopmentofresidentsandthesustainableuseofwildlifeandtourism.

• Theconservancycovers anareaof3,366 squarekilometres in theKuneneRegionofnorth-westernNamibia.

• This was one of the first four conservancies to be registered bygovernmentinJune1998.

• About 3,200 people live in≠Khoadi-//Hôas.Themain languagespokenisKhoekhoegowab(Damara/Nama).

• Wildlife includes elephant, black rhino, lion, leopard, cheetah,spottedhyena,giraffe,mountainzebra,springbok,oryx,andkudu.

• ≠Khoadi-//Hôaswasoneof thefirst conservancies to reintroduceblack rhino.This reintroduction, and that of black-faced impala,demonstratedgovernmentconfidenceintheconservancy’sabilitytomanageandprotectrareandvaluablespecies.

• Theconservancy lies inanareawhereverymanyendemic speciesare found, and is an importantpartof abroad areamanaged forconservationinnorth-westernNamibia.

• Theconservancyderivesmostof its incomefromtrophyhunting,tourismandhuntingformeat.

• The conservancy has set aside land forwildlife and tourism, andmonitors wildlife in collaboration with government and NGOs.Environmental shepherds employed by ≠Khoadi-//Hôas alsomonitorgrazingandlivestockcondition,andaddressissuesrelatedtowatersupply.

• ≠Khoadi-//Hôas was the first conservancy to integrate themanagementofwildlife,livestock,rangelandandwater.

• It was also the first to fully own a lodge, and was subsequentlysuccessfulinobtainingrightstotheHobateretourismconcession.

• QuIcKfActsANDsuccEssEs •

• traditionalfarmingactivitiesaresupplementedbyincomes–largelyintheformofcash–fromwildlifeandtourism.

• Wildlifemultipliesbecauseitgainsproductivevalueinconservancies.• Naturalresourcesandconservancylandincreaseinvalue.• Theconservancyanditsnaturalresourcesaremanagedbyagroup

electedtoservetheinterestsofitsmembers.

Madeupof3,366squarekilometres,≠Khoadi-//HôasliesintheKuneneRegion of north-western Namibia. The conservancy straddles twoconstituencies: the northern two-thirds fall into sesfontein, while thesouthernthirdformspartofKhorixasconstituency.

Theconservancy formspartof an extensive conservationareabetweentheOrangeRiver in the south andKuneneRiver in the north and itis surrounded by other areas where wildlife and tourism are valuedas significant uses of land. The closest of these are also communalconservancies:Ehirovipuka,Omatendeka,//Huab,andtorra,whilethePalmwagandHobatere tourismconcessions lie to thewestandnorth.Thenorth-easterncornerof≠Khoadi-//HôasabutsEtoshaNationalPark.Manyofthefreeholdfarmstotheeastarealsousedfortourism,trophyhuntingandwildlifeproduction.severaloftheseadjoiningfarmsbelongtotheKaoko-EtoshaandLoxodontaafricanafreeholdconservancies.

• WHAtHAPPENsINAcONsERvANcy? •

• AbAcKGROuNDtO≠KHOADI-//HôAs•

Elevations rangebetween600and1,600metres above sea level in therugged, scenic landscape of≠Khoadi-//Hôaswith its age-old hills androcks. Indeed, the metamorphic gneiss complexes and granites thatunderlie the eastern two-thirdsof the conservancy areof theoldest inNamibia,havingbeen formedbetween1,650 and2,500millionyearsago.bycontrast,thebasaltlayersthatshapetheflattopsoftheGrootberghills in thewestern area aremuchmore recent.Theywere laid downbetween 125 and 132 million years ago during the break-up of the

Page 3: A bAcKGROuND tO - NACSO | Namibian Association of · PDF file · 2016-08-05spoken is Khoekhoegowab (Damara/Nama). ... Over three-quarters of all rain falls in the months of ... Additional

Communal registered conservancies

Community forests

Freehold conservancies

Protected areas

Tourism concessions

=Khoadi-//Hôas Conservancy/

� �

Rundu

Ondangwa

Katima Mulilo

Windhoek

Lüderitz

Opuwo

Keetmanshoop

Khorixas

Walvis Bay

Communal registered conservancies

Community forests

Freehold conservancies

Protected areas

Tourism concessions

=Khoadi-//Hôas Conservancy/

� �

Rundu

Ondangwa

Katima Mulilo

Windhoek

Lüderitz

Opuwo

Keetmanshoop

Khorixas

Walvis Bay

≠Khoadi-//Hôasispartofabroadareaof land managed for environmentalconservationwhichconsistsofprotect-edareas,conservancies,tourismconces-sionsandcommunityforests.

ancientcontinentofGondwana.Atthistime,aseriesofhugeeruptionsspewedoutvolcanic lavaswhichweredepositedasbasalt layers.Muchof thebasalt in this areaprobably came from theMessumandDorosvolcaniccraterswhichliesomedistancetothesouthoftheGrootberg.

two environmental factors, shallow soils and extreme aridity, createparticularly harsh living and farming conditions in ≠Khoadi-//Hôas.Withlittleornosoil,rainwaterisoftenlostrapidlyasaresultofsurfaceflow or evaporation. The shallow soils also limit vegetation growthbecauseplantsaregenerallyunabletoestablishdeeprootsystems.someareasdohavepocketsofdeepersoils,butthesearerelativelyinfertile.Asa

result,vegetationissparse,anditsgrowthrestrictedtoshortperiodswhenrainwetstheshallowsoils.

Rainfallisrareandlow.This,combinedwithveryhighevaporationrates,leadstoextremearidity,thesecondfactorwhichcausestheenvironmentto be particularly challenging. Annual rainfall ranges between 250millimetres in the north-east and 100 millimetres in the south-west,with average potential rates of evaporation between 3,000 and 3,500millimetresperyear.Overthree-quartersofallrainfallsinthemonthsofJanuary,februaryandMarch.

Page 4: A bAcKGROuND tO - NACSO | Namibian Association of · PDF file · 2016-08-05spoken is Khoekhoegowab (Damara/Nama). ... Over three-quarters of all rain falls in the months of ... Additional

4

Rainfallisextremelyvariablein≠Khoadi-//Hôas,asitisoverallofnorth-westernNamibia.Notonlydoesitvaryfrommonthtomonthandyeartoyear,butalsofromplacetoplace.fallsaretwoorthreetimeshigherthanaverageduringthebestyears,whilelessthanhalftheannualaverageismeasuredinthedriestyears.Livestockandherbivorouswildlifeprosperwhenthereareabundantpastures,butstruggletosurvivedroughtyearswhen little food is available.Animalsmove around to copewith suchvariation, trekking towhere good rains have fallen.before permanentsuppliesofboreholewaterbecameavailable,peoplelivingintheareawerealsolargelynomadicpastoralists,oftenonthemoveinsearchofgreenerpastures.

However, these days all the inhabitants of ≠Khoadi-//Hôas live insettlements or poste (cattle posts in earlier times) scattered across the44old farms thatnowmakeup the conservancy and the !Gaiodamantraditional authority area. The south African administration boughtthe farms in the 1960s and 1970s and incorporated them into theformer Damara ‘homeland’. some people voluntarily moved tothis homeland but many others from elsewhere in Namibia wereforcibly settled thereby thesouthAfrican administration.twoof thesettlements–ErweeandAnker–havegrownintosmallvillages.severalhundred people live at each of these villages where there are schools,clinicsandafewsmallshops.

TheformationoftheconservancywasinitiatedbytheGrootbergfarmers’Association(GfA),awell-organisedandactivelocalfarminggroup.Theirrequesttoformaconservancywasthefirstindependentrequest(notdrivenby a conservationorganisation)of thekind submitted to government.TheGfA’s application coincidedwith new legislation passed in 1996,to the effect that communities could establish rights overwildlife andtourismthroughtheformationofconservancies.TheGfArecognisedtheopportunitiesthatalternativewildlifemanagementapproachesheldforfarmersand≠Khoadi-//Hôaswasaccordinglyregisteredasaconservancyinmid-1998.ItwasoneofthefirstfourcommunalconservanciestobeestablishedinNamibia.

TheGfAledtheoperationsoftheconservancyinitsearlydaysandmanymembers of theGfA committeewere elected to the first conservancymanagement committee. because of experience already gained by the

GfA,theneedtodeveloptheconservancy’sinstitutionalproficiencywasconsideredlesspressing;instead,mostoftheassistancegivenwasdirectedat making ≠Khoadi-//Hôas self-supporting. Thus, ≠Khoadi-//Hôasreceivedlessexternalfinancialandtechnicalsupportthanthethreeotherconservancies registered at the same time (salambala,NyaeNyae andtorra).However,theGfAcontractedtwoAmericanfulbrightscholarstogiveadviceonthedevelopmentoftheconservancy.

TheGfAandtheemergingconservancyalsoworkedwiththeMinistryof Environment &tourism, other government agencies, and NGOsto pioneer a collaborativemanagement approach, which later becameknownastheforumforIntegratedResourceManagement(fIRM).Theforumwastoassistthecommunityinidentifyingitsowndevelopmentalobjectives and a programme of action, and then to coordinate theactivitiesofserviceprovidersthroughcollaborativeactioninsupportofthecommunityvisionandactionplan.Amoreintegratedapproachtoruraldevelopmentresulted,includingthemanagementanddevelopmentof water infrastructure, rangeland, livestock, wildlife and tourism.systemsevolvedwheredetailedannualworkplansweredevelopedjointlybytheGfAandconservancyatthestartoftheyear.Extensionstafffromrelevant government lineministries and supporting non-governmentalorganizations attended fIRM meetings to indicate where they couldassist.Additionalmeetingswereheldduringtheyeartoassessprogressandadjustworkplansifneeded.AllthishelpedtofacilitateacollaborativeapproachtoruraldevelopmentbetweentheGfA,theconservancy,lineministriesandNGOs.ThefIRMapproachhasbeenfurtherdevelopedandreplicatedelsewhereinNamibia,buttodaythemethodisoftenmorenarrowlyfocusedonlivestockandrangeland.

Residentswerepatientassuccessivemanagementcommitteesstruggledover time tobringwildlife-baseddevelopment to theconservancy.forseveral years after its establishment the conservancy relied on a smalltrophy hunting quota for its main income, apart from some externalfinancial support tocoverbasic runningcosts.Thus,benefits fromtheconservancy were relatively few, and it was only in 2005 that the es-tablishment of a tourism lodge enabled the conservancy to expand itsincomebase significantly.for someconsiderable time the conservancyhadhopedtoobtainrightsovertheHobateretourismconcessiononits

Page 5: A bAcKGROuND tO - NACSO | Namibian Association of · PDF file · 2016-08-05spoken is Khoekhoegowab (Damara/Nama). ... Over three-quarters of all rain falls in the months of ... Additional

northernborder.After lengthynegotiations, theMinistryofEnvironment&tourismfinallyawardedtheHobaterecon-cessiontotheconservancyin2008.Thishasopenedupan-othernewandimportantsourceofincometothecommunity.

TheconservancyisrunbyanelectedManagementcommitteeof17peoplewhoholdofficeforafive-yearterm.Thecommitteeislookingatwaysofretaininghalfoftheoutgoingmembersfor a second term to ensure the carry-over of accumulatedexperiencefromtermtoterm.Anexecutivecommitteeofsixmembers(withthetraditionalauthorityactinginanadvisorycapacity)makesmostoftheday-to-daydecisionswithintheconservancy.Decisionsarebasedlargelyoninformationfromthe many monitoring mechanisms that are now in place.TheseincludeanEventbooksystemusedtocollectdataonwildlifeandgrazingresources,andtomonitorkeyaspectsoftheconservancy’sinstitutionaldevelopment.Theconservancyis divided into smaller representational areas to improvecommunicationwiththewidelyscatteredsettlements.

Ongwati

Ombonde

Kakatswa

Honip

Klip River

A

AA

m

A

AA

n

A

A

A

A

A

å

å

G r o o t b e r g

Dorsland Pos

I!nai!aob

Marienhöhe Pos 1

Brakwater

Smalhoek

Suidergrens

Estorff

Nawatere/Gam Poms

Kakatswa

Soutpos

Kliprivier Opstal

Anker

!gam !goas

Brakwater 2

Kuyper Opstal

Awanta Opstal

Kliprivier Pos

Kamdescha Veterinary Control gate

!nani

!nani

Namunas

Kliprivier Fountain

!o /aus

//gurub //gams

Veterinary Control point

Veterinary Control point

Grootberg Lodge

Conservancyoffice

Hunting Camp

Hoada Camp

Hobatere Concession

Erwee

Kilometres

0 10

To Kamanjab

To K

aman

jab

To Torra Bay and Sesfontein

Main ephemeral river

Minor ephemeral river

Settlement

Conservancy office

School

Spring

Tourist campsite

Lodge

Health facility

Main road

Minor road

Page 6: A bAcKGROuND tO - NACSO | Namibian Association of · PDF file · 2016-08-05spoken is Khoekhoegowab (Damara/Nama). ... Over three-quarters of all rain falls in the months of ... Additional

6

Despiteitsharshconditions,severalfeaturescontributetothehighvalueof≠Khoadi-//Hôas’s natural environment.The first is the diversity ofhabitats,which is largely a consequence of the varied topography androckandsoiltypesinthearea.Thetypesandstructureofvegetationandtheassociatedanimalsvaryfromplacetoplace,andanimalspeciesoftendifferseasonally,especiallyinrelationtorainfall.

secondly, this area of Namibia is extremely rich in endemic species(organismsthatoccuronly,orlargelyinalimitedgeographicarea).Themapsbelowclearlyshowthewealthoftreesandbirds,thetwogroupsofendemicspeciesthathavebeenmostcomprehensivelymapped.similartrendscanbeseeninotherplantsandanimals,withhighproportionsofendemicsinandaround≠Khoadi-//Hôas.forexample,morethanhalf

• tHEENvIRONMENtALvALuEOf≠KHOADI-//HôAs•thescorpionsintheareaareendemicspecies,while25%ofreptiles,30%ofsnakesandover40%oflizardsareendemics.Namibiaand≠Khoadi-//Hôas thus have a responsibility to conserve these plants and animalswithintheir localiseddistributions.becausetheirrangesaresolimited,theseorganismsareoftenrare,atleastonaregionalorcontinentalscale.Endemicsalsoholdspecialinterestforscientistsandnaturalistseagertostudyorviewthem.

Thirdly,thisareaofnorth-westernNamibiaishometoabundantwildlife.somespeciesarerareoruncommon,suchasblackrhino,cheetahandmountain zebra, and special measures are required to conserve them.Others–suchaselephants,lionsandleopards–areiconsofthewildernessandpristineenvironments.

Thereareparticularlyhighconcentrationsofendemicplants(left)andanimals(right)inandaround≠Khoadi-//Hôas.

1 - 34 - 56 - 78 - 10

Number of species

01 - 34 - 56 - 78 - 10

Number of species

0

12345678

0

10 - 129

Number of species

12345678

0

10 - 129

Number of species

tREEs bIRDs

Page 7: A bAcKGROuND tO - NACSO | Namibian Association of · PDF file · 2016-08-05spoken is Khoekhoegowab (Damara/Nama). ... Over three-quarters of all rain falls in the months of ... Additional

Exclusive development

area

Livestock and wildlife

Exclusivefor wildlife

No huntingarea

Livestockbreeding

station

Ombonde

Klip River

Anker

GrootbergLodge

Hoadacampsite

Erwee

Kilometres

0 10

Exclusive development

area

Livestock and wildlife

Exclusivefor wildlife

No huntingarea

Livestockbreeding

station

Ombonde

Klip River

Anker

�GrootbergLodge

Hoadacampsite

Erwee

Kilometres

0 10

Itisclearthatwildlifepopulationshaveincreaseddramaticallysincetheearly1980swhennumberswereverylowasaresultofpoachingandasuccessionofdryyears.Therangesofmanyspecieshavealsoexpanded.Overthepastthreeyears,gamecountshaveshownapproximatenumbersin≠Khoadi-//Hôas as: 190 giraffe, 930baboon, 370 oryx, 890 kudu,2,600 springbok, 330 mountain zebra, and 140 ostrich. Althoughnumbers fluctuate seasonally and annually when some animals moveacrossconservancyboundaries insearchofbettergrazingafter rainfall,

Althoughwildlifeoccursthroughouttheconservancy,mostanimalsareconcentratedintheKlipRiverareathathasbeenzonedforwildlifeandtourism.Thisareathusservesasacoreconservationareafromwhich

wildlifecanexpandintosurroundingareas.

most wildlife populations now appear to be stable or increasing at aslowerratethanwhentheconservancywasfirstestablished.

Threeblackrhinowerereintroducedin2007throughthecustodianshipscheme of the Ministry of Environment &tourism. This helped toexpandtherangeoftheseendangeredanimalsandtoboostthepotentialfor income generation, since the rhino in the Klip River are amajortouristattraction.Inaddition,theMinistryreleasedeland(83in2008),oryx(50in2002)andtheendemicblack-facedimpala(67in2007)into≠Khoadi-//Hôas.

Perceptions about wildlife have changed very significantly since theformationof the conservancy.for instance, springbokwere a rarity inareasaroundErweeadecadeago,buttodaytheyareoftenseenmixingwith livestock. In short, wildlife is now perceived as valuable ratherthan simply as a source ofmeat, or as a nuisance or threat. It is alsowidelyagreedthattheconservancyhashelpedtoreducelarge-scaleandcommercialpoachingbyoutsiders.

An impressive array of large mammals occurs in ≠Khoadi-//Hôas, includingelephant, black rhino, eland, leopard, mountain zebra, kudu, oryx, ostrich,springbok, steenbok, giraffe, duiker, klipspringer, warthog, hyaena, jackal,cheetahandoccasionallylion.

Exclusive development

area

Page 8: A bAcKGROuND tO - NACSO | Namibian Association of · PDF file · 2016-08-05spoken is Khoekhoegowab (Damara/Nama). ... Over three-quarters of all rain falls in the months of ... Additional

8

Priortotheformationoftheconservancy,incomeswerederivedlargelyfrom two sources: off-farm sources (such as pensions, remittances andsomewages)andlivestockfarmingwithgoats,cattle,sheepanddonkeys.Levels of household wealth were and remain extremely variable. Thewealthiestfarmersarethosewithseveralhundredcattle,goatsandsheep,whilepoorfamilieshavelessthan20animals,orevennone.cropfarmingisvirtuallyimpossiblebecauseofthearidclimateandpoorsoils.

Theessenceandadvantageofcommunalland–asiswidelybelieved–isthateveryonewithtraditionalorcustomaryrightstolivetherealsohasrightstoitsagriculturalresources.communallandthusprovidesthepoorwithplacestomakealiving,whichmightnotbeavailableinareaswherehomes and landhavemarket value.but communal land alsoprovideswealthy,influentialpeoplewithfreepastureswheretheycankeeplargenumbersoflivestock.Asaresult,stockingratesat≠Khoadi-//Hôasareveryhighandpastureshavebeenbadlyovergrazed,particularlyaroundtheposteandwaterpointswherelivestockcongregate.underconditionsofaveragerainfallandwherepastureshavenotbeendamaged,thedesiredstockingratesforthisareaareapproximately20hectaresperlargestockunit(equivalenttoacowordonkey,orfourgoatsorsheep).However,

there are now about 34,000 large stock units feeding off 336,600hectares,whichresultsinastockingdensityofjustunder10hectaresperlargestockunit,orroughlydoublethesustainablerate.

Itisagainstthisbackgroundofdifficultfarminginaharshenvironmentandoncommunallandthattheconservancyhassignificantlyimprovedthe livelihoodsofnumerouspeople in≠Khoadi-//Hôas.Theeconomicbenefitsmanifest in a number ofways.Many jobs are created by andthrough the conservancy. The conservancy office alone employstwelve residents (eight environmental shepherds, their coordinator, aninformationliaisonofficer,ahuntingguideandacampsitemanager)anda further 32 jobshavebeen created atGrootbergLodge.Thenumberoffamiliessupportedbythisemploymentissignificantbecausejobsareextremelyscarceinthearea.

The conservancy distributes meat from trophy hunting and its ownhunts.Althoughtheamountsreceivedperhouseholdarerelativelysmall,the value of meat distributed can be considerable, ranging betweenN$66,000andN$211,000annuallyduringthepastfouryears.severalcontributionshavebeenmade to improve socialwelfare.for example,

• tHEEcONOMyOf≠KHOADI-//HôAs•

The many endemic birds include the rareHartlaubs’ francolin and violet Woodhoopoe,theWhite-tailedshrike,Rüppell’sParrot,Hererochat, Monteiro’s Hornbill (left), bare-cheekedbabbler(centre)andDamaraRockrunner(right).

Page 9: A bAcKGROuND tO - NACSO | Namibian Association of · PDF file · 2016-08-05spoken is Khoekhoegowab (Damara/Nama). ... Over three-quarters of all rain falls in the months of ... Additional

cashwasdonatedtolocalschoolstopayforrenovations,theconservancypurchasedand loanedbreeding stock tomembers tohelp improve thequalityoftheirlivestock,andregularlypaysforasoupkitchentoprovidefoodfortheelderly.

≠Khoadi-//Hôas has also invested heavily in measures to prevent ormitigate problems caused by elephants and predators. Protectivewallshavebeenbuiltaroundsomewaterpointsandspecialwaterpointsforelephantshavebeenestablishedtodivertthemfromvisitingwatersourcesatsettlements.Theconservancyalsoprovidesdieselata50%discounttomembers for pumpingwater if it has beenusedupby elephants, andcompensates water point committees for elephant damage. All thesemeasureshelpensurethemaintenanceofwatersuppliesforpeopleandtheirlivestock.

Incomefortheconservancyhavecomefromvarioussourcesandhasrisensubstantiallyovertheyears.

Althoughnotonamaintourismroute,≠Khoadi-//Hôashasanumberof attractions.The landscape isbreathtakingandwildlife is increasing,particularly in the spectacularKlipRivervalleywhich theconservancysetasideasacorewildlifeandtourismarea.Thefollowingarethemainenterprisesintheconservancy:

GROOtbERGLODGE:PerchedonthebrimoftheEtendekaPlateauwithexpansiveviewsdownintotheKlipRivervalleyisahiddengem,theGrootbergLodge.ThelodgeisthefirstinNamibiatobefullyownedbya conservancy, andwasbuiltwith fundsprovidedby theEuropeanunion. It ismanaged for the conservancy by a small company calledEcoLodgistixthroughajointventureagreement.ThelodgeisnamedaftertheGrootbergmountaintothesouth,whichholdsmuchimportanceforresidentsoftheconservancy.Thelodgewasopenedin2005andaftera

0

500,000

1,000,000

1,500,000

2,000,000

Joint Venture Tourism

Trophy Hunting

Shoot and Sell

Own Use Game

Meat Distribution

Interest Earned

Campsite

2008200720062005200420032002200120001999

0

500,000

1,000,000

1,500,000

2,000,000

Joint Venture Tourism

Trophy Hunting

Shoot and Sell

Own Use Game

Meat Distribution

Interest Earned

Campsite

20082007200620052004200320022001200019990

500,000

1,000,000

1,500,000

2,000,000

Joint Venture Tourism

Trophy Hunting

Shoot and Sell

Own Use Game

NF: Meat Distribution

Interest Earned

Campsite

20082007200620052004200320022001200019990

500,000

1,000,000

1,500,000

2,000,000

Joint Venture Tourism

Trophy Hunting

Shoot and Sell

Own Use Game

Meat Distribution

Interest Earned

Campsite

2008200720062005200420032002200120001999

N$

Page 10: A bAcKGROuND tO - NACSO | Namibian Association of · PDF file · 2016-08-05spoken is Khoekhoegowab (Damara/Nama). ... Over three-quarters of all rain falls in the months of ... Additional

10

slowstart,nowhasahighrateofoccupancy.MostguestsareEuropeans.ThepeakseasonisfromAugusttolateNovember.Guidedwalks,gamedrivesandrhinotrackingareofferedtoguests.

The conservancy receives a percentage of net turn-over from thelodge,whichwill increaseasthe lodgebecomesbetterestablished.Theagreementalsoprovidesforthepreferentialemploymentofresidentsandtheirtrainingtomanageriallevels.(forexample,OtnielArasebstartedasabuilderonthesite,moveduptherankstobarmanandisnowAssistantManager.)The conservancy aims to take over the fullmanagement ofGrootberg Lodge in 2015. Lodge personnel and the environmentalshepherds collectdataonblack rhino andother game in the area andprovidetheinformationtotheconservancymanagementcommitteeandMinistryofEnvironment&tourismviasavetheRhinotrust(sRt).

HOADA cAMP: The conservancy operates its own campsite calledHoada(meaning‘foreveryone’).Hoadaistuckedawayamongstgranitebouldersjust150metresoffthemainroad,anidealstop-overfortouristson theway to or from the north-westernKuneneRegion.Over timetheinfrastructurehasbeendevelopedanditisnowperfectfortheself-sufficienttraveler.

HuNtING: As in other conservancies in Namibia, hunting in≠Khoadi-//HôasisbasedonsustainablequotasapprovedbytheMinistryof Environment &tourism. The quotas are for trophies, shoot-and-sell, and own use, and are based on annual game counts and regularmonitoring by the conservancy’s environmental shepherds. trophyhunting is currently undertaken by African safari trails during thehuntingseasonfromfebruarytoNovember.MosthuntersareGerman,AmericanandItalian,andareattractedbytheopportunityofa‘fairchase’,theabsenceoffences,spectacularsceneryandtheregion’srenownedkuduandzebratrophies.Thehuntingoperatoralsotakesontheshoot-and-sellcontract tominimize the lossof trophy animals.Theconservancywilltakeownershipofthehuntingcamponcethecurrentcontractends.

• cHALLENGEsANDtHEfutuRE •

MANAGEMENt:Thefairdistributionofbenefitsisoneofthegreatestchallenges for the conservancymanagement committee. It is not easytoensurethateveryonegetsanequitableshareofthebenefits,andthatthesebenefitscontributesignificantlytoimprovingpeople’slivelihoods.However,withtheincreasedincomefromtheGrootbergLodgeandtheopportunity tooperateaconcession in theHobatere tourismarea, theconservancy shouldbe able to increase the returns to itsmembers.bystrengthening management, natural resources can also be used moreproductively, sustainably and equitably, all of which would improvetheeconomichealthofresidentsandprovidegreaterassetvaluefortheconservancy.

NAtuRAL REsOuRcEs: While some local poaching for the potcontinues,itisnotatalevelthatcausesdeclinesinnumbersofwildlife.Poachingisalsolesseasytocontrol,inpartbecausepoachersarewarnedbymeansofcellphonesofthepresenceofenvironmentalshepherdsinthearea.Newapproachestocontrolpoachingarethusneeded.communityhuntswillalsoincreasesupportfortheconservancybyprovidingmoremeatandenablinglocalhunterstohuntlegitimately.

Page 11: A bAcKGROuND tO - NACSO | Namibian Association of · PDF file · 2016-08-05spoken is Khoekhoegowab (Damara/Nama). ... Over three-quarters of all rain falls in the months of ... Additional

HuMAN-WILDLIfE cONfLIct: This is one of the biggestchallenges faced by≠Khoadi-//Hôas since increasing problems causedbywildlifemay cause farmers to lose faith in conservation.Of all theincidents reported,mostwere causedby elephants (50%)and cheetah(33%).Elephantsdestroywaterinfrastructureandfencesintheirsearch

forwaterinthisaridarea,whilelion,leopard,hyaenaandcheetahcauselivestocklosses.Theconservancycontinuestoaddresstheseproblemsandplanstoprovidemoreprotectivewallsaroundwaterpointsandtoexplorefurthermeansofdeterring elephants.Onemethod involves theuseof‘chili bombs’.Thebombs, consisting of ground-up chiliesmixedwithelephantdung,aresetalight,givingoffapungentsmell.≠Khoadi-//Hôasisalsodevelopingawatermanagementplantoprovidewaterspecificallyforwildlifeandthustoreduceconflicts.Kraalfencescanbefortifiedwithrocksandthornbranches,andraisedtokeepoutpredators.Thecheetahconservationfund(ccf)hasprovidedsometraininginthisregardbutmoreworkonfarmingtechniquesisneededtoreducestockmortalities.

DROuGHt: During the past 10 years rainfall has generally beenaverageorbetterthanatothertimesandbothwildlifeandlivestockhaveprospered.However,muchdrierconditionssimilartothoseexperienced

in the early 1980s are certain to return at some stage. competitionbetweenlivestockandwildlifewillthenbeverysevere.topreventmassmortalitiesandawasteofpotential income,boththeconservancyandMinistryofEnvironment&tourismmustbepreparedtoremovemuchgreaternumbersofwildlifethanpermittedbyquotasinrecentyears.

tOuRIsM AND NEW ENtERPRIsEs: While the enterprisesdevelopedby≠Khoadi-//Hôashaveearnedgoodrevenues,muchoftheincreaseintourismhasbeenduetotherecenttourismboominNamibiaasawhole.tourismisahighlycompetitiveindustry,andtheconservancywill continually have to innovate and aggressively attract visitors.≠Khoadi-//Hôas must also explore new enterprises, including optionsfor small local businesses that could benefit from tourism and trophyhunting activities.current efforts to investigate secondary enterprises,suchasvegetableandcraftproduction,aretobewelcomed.

formoreinformationandupdatescontact:≠Khoadi-//HôasconservancyOffice:telephone:067333017,PObox119,Kamanjab

Numbersofproblemanimalincidentscausedbydifferentspeciesoverthepasteightyears.

0

75

150 Elephant

Lion

Leopard

Cheetah

Hyaena

200820072006200520042003200220010

75

150 Elephant

Lion

Leopard

Cheetah

Hyaena

200820072006200520042003200220010

75

150 Elephant

Lion

Leopard

Cheetah

Hyaena

20082007200620052004200320022001 0

75

150 Elephant

Lion

Leopard

Cheetah

Hyaena

20082007200620052004200320022001

Page 12: A bAcKGROuND tO - NACSO | Namibian Association of · PDF file · 2016-08-05spoken is Khoekhoegowab (Damara/Nama). ... Over three-quarters of all rain falls in the months of ... Additional

12

Publishedin2009bytheNamibiaNaturefoundationonbehalfoftheNaturalResourcesWorkingGroupofNAcsO,withfinancialsupportfromWWfNorway.

Photocredits:P.burger8(rockrunnerandbabbler);c.brain11;G.Damon8(hornbill);L.Kempcover,3,5,7(rhino)10;E.Parker7(giraffe);P.stander7(lion).

compiledbyLucyKemp,JohnMendelsohnandbrianJonesDesignandLayout:GavinDamonPrinting:JohnMeinertPrinting

Erwee

Hoada Campsite

Grootberg LodgeConservancy Office Anker

Huab River

Klip River

Kamanjab

Etosha Pan