MPs call for urgent CBNRM reform amid major challenges
A parliamentary oversight mission to the Zambezi, Kavango East and Kavango West regions has revealed that Namibia’s world-renowned community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) programme is at a critical crossroads.
While conservancies continue to generate millions for rural communities – over N$30 million in the Zambezi region alone in the last financial year – the parliamentary standing committee on natural resources said the system is held back by outdated frameworks, weak governance and an unhealthy dependence on trophy hunting.
The committee, which conducted its oversight visit from 11 to 15 August, found that most conservancies remain stuck at an “elementary level”, unable to meet concession standards or develop professional hunting plans.
This lack of expertise, their report warned, is costing communities significant value from the wildlife and tourism sectors.
Despite being central to Namibia’s conservation success story since 1998, the CBNRM programme has not been modernised to reflect today’s rapidly changing economic and environmental landscape, the report states.
Conservancies continue to operate under original frameworks that no longer address emerging threats such as escalating human-wildlife conflict, illegal timber harvesting, poaching, land encroachment and increasing competition for land from other sectors, it added.
Trophy hunting challenges
One of the strongest findings was the overreliance on trophy hunting, a sector where conservancies have limited negotiating power and virtually no homegrown expertise.
The committee noted that, even after decades of operating within a tourism and wildlife economy, no conservancy or the environment ministry has produced a single Namibian professional trophy hunter.
As a result, communities often negotiate with highly skilled concession applicants, leaving them vulnerable to unfavourable pricing and revenue arrangements.
Governance weaknesses further undermine progress. The report highlights persistent issues of nepotism, tribalism, weak management, and outdated communication structures.
These gaps, combined with slow and inadequate compensation for human-wildlife conflict, have eroded community confidence and limited the ability of conservancies to diversify into new income streams such as tourism, non-timber forest products, and value-added enterprises.
Great potential
The report also noted that land-use conflicts remain a pressing threat. Illegal fencing, encroachment into wildlife corridors and settlements in core wildlife areas are increasingly common, disrupting ecosystems and escalating conflict between people and wildlife.
The committee warned that poor land-use planning continues to undermine Namibia’s conservation objectives.
Despite these challenges, conservancies remain essential engines for rural development, funding education, social services, and community infrastructure.
The committee emphasised their potential to foster self-reliance, support biodiversity and strengthen local economies, if decisive reforms are undertaken.
Among its key recommendations, the committee called for the urgent realignment of the CBNRM framework, capacity building to enable conservancies to eventually run their own concessions and the development of a standardised trophy hunting pricing system.
Moreover, it recommends the establishment of professional hunters within each conservancy by 2026/2027 and stronger law enforcement against poaching, illegal timber harvesting, and land invasion.
While conservancies continue to generate millions for rural communities – over N$30 million in the Zambezi region alone in the last financial year – the parliamentary standing committee on natural resources said the system is held back by outdated frameworks, weak governance and an unhealthy dependence on trophy hunting.
The committee, which conducted its oversight visit from 11 to 15 August, found that most conservancies remain stuck at an “elementary level”, unable to meet concession standards or develop professional hunting plans.
This lack of expertise, their report warned, is costing communities significant value from the wildlife and tourism sectors.
Despite being central to Namibia’s conservation success story since 1998, the CBNRM programme has not been modernised to reflect today’s rapidly changing economic and environmental landscape, the report states.
Conservancies continue to operate under original frameworks that no longer address emerging threats such as escalating human-wildlife conflict, illegal timber harvesting, poaching, land encroachment and increasing competition for land from other sectors, it added.
Trophy hunting challenges
One of the strongest findings was the overreliance on trophy hunting, a sector where conservancies have limited negotiating power and virtually no homegrown expertise.
The committee noted that, even after decades of operating within a tourism and wildlife economy, no conservancy or the environment ministry has produced a single Namibian professional trophy hunter.
As a result, communities often negotiate with highly skilled concession applicants, leaving them vulnerable to unfavourable pricing and revenue arrangements.
Governance weaknesses further undermine progress. The report highlights persistent issues of nepotism, tribalism, weak management, and outdated communication structures.
These gaps, combined with slow and inadequate compensation for human-wildlife conflict, have eroded community confidence and limited the ability of conservancies to diversify into new income streams such as tourism, non-timber forest products, and value-added enterprises.
Great potential
The report also noted that land-use conflicts remain a pressing threat. Illegal fencing, encroachment into wildlife corridors and settlements in core wildlife areas are increasingly common, disrupting ecosystems and escalating conflict between people and wildlife.
The committee warned that poor land-use planning continues to undermine Namibia’s conservation objectives.
Despite these challenges, conservancies remain essential engines for rural development, funding education, social services, and community infrastructure.
The committee emphasised their potential to foster self-reliance, support biodiversity and strengthen local economies, if decisive reforms are undertaken.
Among its key recommendations, the committee called for the urgent realignment of the CBNRM framework, capacity building to enable conservancies to eventually run their own concessions and the development of a standardised trophy hunting pricing system.
Moreover, it recommends the establishment of professional hunters within each conservancy by 2026/2027 and stronger law enforcement against poaching, illegal timber harvesting, and land invasion.
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article