CAMBRIDGEA2GEOGRAPHYREVISION

ENVIRONMENTALMANAGEMENT12.4 THEMANAGEMENTOF

ADEGRADEDENVIRONMENT

KEYTERMSANDDEFINITIONSCommunal conservancies are legally recognised common property resource management organisations in Namibia’s communal lands.Community forests are forest areas where local communities can manage and utilise forest resources in a sustainable manner.Scaling-up process is the expanding of effective programmes to reach larger numbers of people in a broader geographic area.

TOPICSUMMARYNamibia, in south-western Africa, is a very sparsely populated country with a generally dry climate.Namibia’s Communal Conservancy Program is regarded as a successful model of community-based natural resource management with an improving record for wildlife numbers and poverty reduction.The conservancy program began in 1996. By 2007 it had expanded to 50 registered conservancies, which now cover nearly 11.9 million hectares.An obvious sign of success is the significant increase in the numbers of wildlife in the conservancies after decades of decline.

TOPICSUMMARYThe significant participation of conservancy populations has been central to the design of the program. Conservancies are built around communities’ willingness to work collectively.The diversification of economic activity made possible by the conservancy program has increased employment opportunities where few existed beforehand and also raised incomes.Support from, and cooperation between, a number of different institutions has been important to the development of the program.Although rural poverty remains significant in Namibia, the conservancy program has resulted in substantial progress, with income rising year on year.An important aspect of development has been the involvement of women in the employment benefits.

Involvement of the community in the project

TOPICSUMMARYRising income from conservancies has made possible increasing investment in social development projects.Following the perceived success of community conservancies, the Namibian government has extended the concept to community forests.The advent of community forests has led to improved forest resource management. It has also improved the livelihoods of local people based on the empowerment of local communities with forest use rights.The Government of Namibia has identified land degradation as a serious problem that demands remedial intervention.Five government departments together with international agencies have established a Country Pilot Partnership for Integrated Sustainable Land Management.

ADDITIONALWORK1. If you lived in Namibia, why do you think it would be advantageous to live in a community conservancy as opposed to living outside one?2. Conduct research to find the locations of Namibia’s community forests.3. Search the internet to find out how the Country Pilot Partnership for Integrated Sustainable Land Management has progressed.4. a. Describe the issues faced in the management of degraded environments in Namibia. b. Evaluate the attempts to overcome the issues you have identified in a.

The Ovitoto communal area, predominantly a semi-arid cattle farming outpost is a microcosm of the challenges facing the rest of Namibia on issues of desertification, land degradation and drought.

SUGGESTEDWEBSITESwww.undp.orgwww.tourismfortomorrow.comwww.fao.comwww.adaptationlearning.net