Namibia: Caprivi Chief Has Europe Going Wild
Absalom Shigwedha
4 December 2008

From The Namibian


A TROPHY HUNTING agreement between a professional hunter and the Mayuni, Mashi, Kwando and Wuparo conservancies in the Caprivi Region generated N$1,8 million for the conservancies last year.

Chief Joseph Tembwe Mayuni of the Mashi Traditional Authority, and chairperson of the Mayuni conservancy, made a presentation on community-based wildlife management at the European Development Days (EDD) in Strasbourg, France, last month.

He said conservancies in Namibia are a dual tool for reducing poverty and preserving natural resources and wildlife in rural areas.

Chief Mayuni said the income from trophy hunting is shared by the four conservancies and the agreement was approved by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism.

He said their agreement with the professional hunter is for three years with an option of renewal.

"Big sums of money were made through this operation and were distributed among conservancy members," Chief Mayuni told one of the EDD's forums.

The Mayuni conservancy was registered in 1999 after which it signed contracts with lodge operators to derive more benefits for the community.

"In 2007, these benefits amounted to N$1,4 million," Chief Mayuni said.

He said the Community-Based Natural Resources Management (CBNRM) programme has led to communities appreciating and conserving their natural resources because they are deriving benefits from them.

The CBNRM programme was initiated in 1996 and allows rural communities to form communal conservancies, giving them rights to manage and derive benefits from the natural resources in their areas.

"This is aimed at contributing to the alleviation of unemployment and poverty reduction by managing and maintaining our wildlife," said Chief Mayuni.

He said with funds derived from conservancies, communities in his area have now started a number of other projects such as community forests and conservation agriculture.

"Thanks to that, they are now generating extra income from other natural resources," he added.

There are now 53 registered conservancies in Namibia, with a total membership of 108 000 people.

Chief Mayuni was invited to the EDD as he has done a great job in promoting CBNRM in his community.

It is because of this that the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (MAEE) funded him and Ruben Mafati of Integrated Nature Conservation and Rural Development (a leading support organisation for communal conservancies) to present Namibia at the EDD.

Peggy Poncelet, an official at the French-funded Integrated Community-Based Ecosystem Management (Icema) project, said Namibia's CBNRM programme was an outstanding approach and worth of sharing.