Highest income, in-kind benefits from conservancies since 2019

Conservancies generated cash income and in-kind benefits of over N$140 million in 2022, the highest since 2019.Community conservation now covers 59.6% of all communal land in Namibia, with an estimated 244 587 residents, and facilitating 3 223 jobs.In 2022, community conservation contributed an estimated N$913 million to the net national income, while the contribution from the beginning of 1990 to the end of 2022 was more than N$13.4 billion.This is according to the latest figures published in the State of Community Conservation Report for 2022.According to the report, of the 182 284 square kilometres covered by community conservation, conservancies managed 166 179 square kilometres (20.2%) of Namibia.While community conservation facilitated 3 223 jobs in 2022, a total of 1 056 people were employed by conservancies.Meanwhile, 67 joint-venture enterprises with conservancies employed 866 people full-time and 22-part-time, while 44 hunting concessions created 127 full-time and 163 part-time employees.Conservation huntingAccording to the report, of the N$140 million cash and in-kind benefits generated by conservancies in 2022, conservation hunting generated N$34.8 million, with a meat value of N$8.5 million.Tourism generated N$92.3 million and indigenous plant products N$1.27 million, while other miscellaneous income brought in N$3.6 million.Conservancy residents earned a total cash income of N$75.3 million.Of this, more than N$47.9 million came from joint-venture tourism, N$24.6 million from conservancies and N$2.7 from conservation hunting.The game meat received by conservancies from trophy hunting weighed in at 317 898 kilograms, while more than N$19.5 million in cash benefits was distributed to conservancy residents and used to support community projects.IncentivesBy the end of 2022, there were 86 registered conservancies and two community associations - the Kyaramacan Association in the Bwabwata National Park, and the &ne;Aonin (Topnaar) Community Association, established in December 2021.At independence in 1990, there were no registered community conservation areas, freehold conservancies did not exist, and a mere 14% of land was under recognised conservation management.Environment minister Pohamba Shifeta said Namibia’s Community-Based Natural Resource Management Programme is a model that provides rural communities with incentives to manage their natural resources.The programme further unlocks enormous tourism development opportunities and benefits from the sustainable use of wildlife.“It has grown remarkably since the gazetting of the first communal conservancy in 1998. There are 86 registered communal conservancies, 46 community forests and two community associations in Namibia," he said.

Highest income, in-kind benefits from conservancies since 2019

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-18

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Highest income, in-kind benefits from conservancies since 2019

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-18

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