Namibia secures N$1.1 billion conservation funding deal

Namibia has secured more than N$1.1 billion to protect over 20 million hectares of land and strengthen rural livelihoods after officially launching and signing the Namibia For Life Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) initiative.

The agreement establishes a long-term financing mechanism, anchored by an endowment fund, aimed at providing stable and predictable support for conservation and community development beyond traditional donor funding cycles.

The initiative brings together government, communal conservancies and international partners in a bid to safeguard more than 20% of Namibia’s land area while supporting communities that depend on natural resources for their livelihoods.

A dedicated Socio-Economic Development Fund will also be established to finance community priorities, including job creation, skills development, local businesses and small-scale infrastructure projects in conservancy areas.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare described the agreement as a major milestone for Namibia’s internationally recognised Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) programme.

He said the initiative builds on Namibia’s constitutional commitment to environmental protection and sustainable development while ensuring rural communities benefit directly from the country’s natural resources.

Ngurare said the agreements signed under the initiative create a framework for long-term conservation financing and define the responsibilities and commitments of all participating stakeholders.

“The programme strengthens long-term conservation efforts by empowering local stakeholders, consolidating political support and coordinating resources toward shared objectives,” Ngurare said.

Community-led

Namibia’s CBNRM programme was established in the 1980s as a response to increasing poaching in communal areas and has since developed into one of Africa’s most cited examples of community-led conservation.

The programme allows rural communities to manage wildlife, forests and tourism resources while generating income through tourism concessions, conservation hunting and other natural resource-based enterprises.

According to Ngurare, community participation remains at the centre of Namibia’s conservation model and has contributed to the recovery of wildlife populations, including elephants, black rhinos and cheetahs in communal areas previously affected by poaching and drought.

By 2024, Namibia’s communal conservancies covered approximately 186 000 square kilometres, representing more than 60% of the country’s communal land and benefiting around 244 000 residents.

The country currently has 87 registered communal conservancies and 48 community forests, which together employ more than 2 500 people, including over 700 game and forest guards responsible for wildlife monitoring and protection.

The CBNRM programme contributed an estimated N$109 million to Namibia’s economy in 2025.

Despite the programme’s success, Ngurare said challenges remain.

He pointed to governance, accountability and human-wildlife conflict as areas requiring continued attention and said the new financing arrangement must strengthen financial management within conservancies while ensuring communities receive meaningful and equitable benefits from conservation activities.

The Prime Minister also defended Namibia’s conservation hunting model, which has increasingly come under criticism from international anti-hunting campaign groups.

“Namibia will remain steadfast in promoting science-based conservation approaches,” he said.

Ngurare added that recommendations emerging from recent national discussions on human-wildlife conflict must now be translated into practical action, stressing that conservation success will depend on finding workable solutions for communities living alongside wildlife.

He said Namibia must continue pursuing a balanced approach that accommodates industrial development, environmental conservation and community empowerment.