Supporting communities in the Zambezi Region with grants and equipment for human-wildlife conflict mitigation and management

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) together with its partners and other stakeholders will host a joint handover ceremony of project funding, grants, and equipment, financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through KfW Development Bank, to the value of:

1. 20 million Namibian Dollars for the “Poverty-Oriented Support to Community Conservation in Namibia” (POSCCIN) Project as implemented by the Community Conservation Fund of Namibia (CCFN)
2. 17 million Namibia Dollars for the “Community Livelihood Development and Human-Wildlife Conflict Management” (CLD-HWCM) Project as implemented by the MEFT

Community members living in the Zambezi Region are among some of the most affected by human-wildlife conflict incidences involving a wide range of species such as lions, elephants, hippos, and crocodiles. These incidences include loss of livestock, crops, infrastructure and in some cases the regrettable loss of human life.

Through various initiatives, the MEFT has continued working with local organizations, communities, international stakeholders, and other partners to find long-term solutions to the challenges of human-wildlife conflict. The two projects noted above are ongoing efforts implemented by the Namibian Government and civil society partners in collaboration with the affected communities.

The Federal Republic of Germany is a longstanding partner of the Government of the Republic of Namibia in general and MEFT among other ministries and provides funding and technical support.

Join us as we present to the identified beneficiaries grants and equipment worth 37 million Namibian Dollars towards the mitigation and management of human-wildlife conflict as we seek to enhance community livelihood development in selected areas in the Zambezi Region.

The funding under the grants will support measures such as:

• The construction of predator-proof kraals to protect livestock from predators;
• water infrastructure to reduce contact between people and the threat from crocodiles and hippos;
• tin and wire fencing to keep hippos and elephants away from crop fields;
• implementation of a Lion Ranger Programme;
• conservation agriculture and poultry projects as well as;
• other such measures as requested by the communities.

The event will be officiated by Honourable Pohamba Shifeta, Minister of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism, Honourable Lawrence Sampofu Governor of the Zambezi Region, Honourable Regional Councillors, His Excellency Dr. Thorsten Hutter, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Republic of Namibia, representatives from KfW Development Bank, the CCFN, the KAZA Secretariat as well as other partners in conservation including representatives from communal conservancies and community forests.

From 1990 until present, the funding provided under German Development Cooperation to Namibia amounts to approximately 1.6 billion Euro (32.3 billion Namibian Dollars). The KfW portfolio under current implementation comprises 36 projects with a total value of 646.2 million Euro (12.9 billion Namibian Dollars), while an additional 22 projects with a total value of approximately 329.4 million Euro (6.6 billion Namibian Dollars) are under preparation.