COMMUNITY BASED TOURISM IN Namibia

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COMMUNITY BASED TOURISMIN Namibia

• Background Context
• Different CBT / APPROACHES
• Achievements
• Best Practices
• By Maxi Louis

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Namibias CBNRM Programme

• Namibia 823,988 km²

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CBNRM Programme Purpose Empower Local
Communities to Manage and Benefit From Their
Natural Resources in a Sustainable Fashion
Background Context
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Introduction

• Total population of 1,826,854 people on 823 988
  km2
• 120 000 households on 335 000 km2 of communal
  land (41 of total)
• 6200 private farms on 362 000 km2 of commercial
  land (44 of total)
• Protected areas cover 114 000 km2 (14 of total)

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Conservation Policy and Legislative Framework

• COMMERCIAL LAND
• 1968 / 1975 Nature Conservation Ordinance
• 1992 Policy on Establishment of Conservancies
  in Namibia

• COMMUNAL LAND
• 1995 Policy on Wildlife Management, Utilisation
  and Tourism in Communal Areas
• 1996 Nature Conservation Amendment Act

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Conservation Policy and Legislative Framework

• COMMERCIAL LAND
• Ownership over huntable game in 1975
• Booming wildlife industry
• Options for mixed farming included game ranching
  and tourism
• Farming units (5000 ha) too small for wildlife
  movements etc., thus formed conservancies

• COMMUNAL LAND
• Wildlife remained state property
• Declining wildlife numbers (internal and external
  poaching unsustainable harvesting by colonial
  state)

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Legal Basis of Conservancies
Government gazette Of the Republic of
Namibia N1.20 Windhoek - 17 June 1996 No.
1333 contents Government Notice Page No.
151Promulgation of Nature Conservation Amendment
Act, 1996 (Act 50f 1996), of the Parliament
. 1
Rights granted
Rights of Ownership over huntable game
Rights to revenues from the Sale of Game or
Game Products
Rights to Tourism.
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Rights of conservancies
A registered conservancy, on behalf of the
community it represents, acquires new rights and
responsibilities with regard to the consumptive
and non-consumptive use and management of
wildlife
Consumptive uses include use of game for trophy
hunting, consumption, commercial sale for meat or
capture for live sale
Non-consumptive uses include tourism ventures
such as community-based tourism enterprises and
joint venture agreements with private sector
entrepreneurs
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Where are conservancies in Namibia?

• 44 Conservancies gazetted to date
• Around 105,276 km2, representing 10 of Namibia,
  now falls within communal area conservancies

• Over 182,429 rural people live within
  conservancies

• A further 14 of Namibia is protected under the
  state Protected Areas network, and 5 is within
  conservancies on freehold land

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Different Commercialization Approaches

• Lodges
• Community Lodges of Namibia
• Small Medium Enterprises
• Trophy Hunting
• Private Concessions

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Marketing of Trophy Hunting
Campsites, crafts, guiding
Joint Venture Lodges
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Joint Venture Lodges

• JV Unit Established 2002
• Purpose of building capacity to capitalise on
  tourism potentials
• Tender process in place to solicit viable JV
  investments
• Conservancies acquire Right of Leasehold and
  negotiate binding sub-leasing contract with
  investor
• Government policies, procedures, legislation and
  support not yet adequate for attracting
  investments
• Lack of capital financing

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Community Based Tourism Enterprises
The biggest CBT revenue earners are
Accommodation Establishments

• Lodge partnerships with private sector investment
  have been the most successful model to date, but
  have limitations in terms of
• Empowerment of communities
• Limited number of potential investors
• Other investment barriers

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Accommodation facilities in rural areas require
Finance
Business skills
Experience
Successful Community Based Tourism
Logistical backup
Effective Marketing
Booking Communication
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• NACOBTA founded in 1995 by local communities who
  wanted to develop tourism enterprises in communal
  areas.
• 48 Active Member Enterprises- Campsites,
  rest-camps, traditional villages, craft centres,
  information centres, museums and local tour
  guides
• Support services to members Training, Business
  Advice, Marketing, Small Grants, Advocacy,
  Booking and Information office
• Tourism Business Plans demand driven
• Quality product design and construction
• Appropriate effective management
• Monitoring, evaluation and forward planning.
• Integrate into mainstream tourism

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Community Lodges

• Involve rural people in middle market tourism
• Upgrade the standards (and image) of CBT
• Develop a new model and approach for CBT
• Performance based management agreement between
  conservancy and lodge management company
• Management agreements between 3 and 5 years
  (depending on input of each party)

 
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Private Concessions

• Concessions policy under development
• Provide service through commercial business
  approach.
• Concessions for hunting and tourism
• Generate Income (for state and others)
• Minimum investment required by State
• Developed world class tourism attractions and
  services
• Development of high end niche markets

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Trophy Hunting

• 5000 Trophy Hunters Total economic contribution
  of N160 million pa
• Wildlife increased (e.g 80 since 1960s on
  Freehold Land.
• Brings very quick direct benefits to conservancy
• Change of attitude wildlife seen as valuable
  commodity
• Change in livelihood and land-use strategy
  wildlife and tourism seen as legitimate land use
  policy

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• Community wildlife monitoring and management
  through game guard systems
• Quotas tendered
• Tender negotiated, awarded and managed by
  conservancy.
• Administration Government acceptance of game
  counts, issuing and processing of quotas.
• Conflict between photographic tourism and hunting

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• Lack of clear land use zonation plans
• Lack of political recognition of hunting industry
• Raise awareness amongst senior decision makers
  regarding value of hunting industry
• Foster and promote greater black involvement in
  hunting industry
• Awareness raising regarding conservation and
  development merits of hunting

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Summary

• Rural Namibians through the CBNRM program have
  demonstrated their intention to obtain positive
  benefits from wildlife management and
  conservation.
• Development of Mentorship Program as well as
  assistance from the Private Sector Operators.
• The Introduction of a Fee For Service Concept
• Need to work closely with financial institutions
  other then donor agencies for the support of
  community based tourism development in Namibia.
• Obtain positive input from Private Sector
  Operators in the Development of tourism SMEs

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Conclusions

• CBNRM and conservancies are an ideal mechanism to
  promote rural development because they
• bring new and potentially large sources of income
  to poor rural people
• are excellent entry points for all forms of rural
  development because of the institutional
  mechanisms already in place
• are excellent entry points for integrated land
  and natural resource management initiatives
• promote good governance and democracy at local
  levels
• offer entry points for capacity-building,
  empowerment and skills transfer
• deliver real OUTCOMES to local and national
  development objectives.

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Thanks !
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Namibia National CBNRM Programme 2004 - Benefits
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