INTERVIEW: Tora Conservancy Invests in Wildlife Conservation and Community Development in Kunene Region

This interview highlights Reginald Roman, Secretary of Tora Conservancy, discussing the various initiatives and partnerships aimed at supporting wildlife conservation, community upliftment, and skill development within the Kunene region’s conservancies. Tora Conservancy, in collaboration with other conservancies and partners like Wilderness Safaris and Gondwana Collection, focuses on conserving natural resources, protecting endangered species, and fostering socio-economic development. Roman explained that Tora Conservancy has significantly invested in local youth through education […]

October 31, 2024 21

Local

Kunene Conservancies Receive Over N$31 Million in Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation Grants

On the 18th of October 2024, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism (MEFT), in collaboration with the Community Conservation Fund of Namibia (CCFN), officially handed over grants valued at approximately NAD 31 million (EUR 1.5 million) to communal conservancies in the Kunene Region. The grants, financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through KfW Development Bank, will be used to implement critical measures […]

October 22, 2024 24

Africa

Zimbabwe targets elephant population in drought response

Bloomberg reports that approximately 200 elephants will be targeted from the nation’s population of over 100,000. Park officials say the overall elephant population is double what the national parks can sustain. Tinashe Farawo, spokesperson for the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority said the cull falls within the country’s permitted hunting quota. According to Farawo, the elephants will be removed from regions where their population has become unsustainable. The culling […]

September 18, 2024 37

Local

Ultimate Safaris donates vehicle to Lion Ranger program

Ultimate Safaris’ Conservation Travel Foundation, along with its local partners, has generously donated a Toyota Land Cruiser 4.2 Single Cab worth N$700,000 to the Lion Ranger Project’s Eastern Kunene Rapid Response team. This donation will enable the team to continue their vital work in ensuring the survival of Namibia’s unique desert-adapted lions while mitigating human-wildlife conflict. The Lion Ranger program focuses on the long-term sustainable management of human-lion conflict […]

September 9, 2024 13

Namibia

Namibia’s Media Ombudsman Condemns the publishing of photo depicting dead lion

By Vitalio Angula The publication of a photo depicting a lion that was tracked down and killed by rangers from Namibia’s Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism on Saturday, 10 August (World Lion Day), has sparked controversy. Media Ombudsman John Nakuta has described the publication on the New Era Newspaper's Instagram account as unethical and inconsistent with the high standards of reporting expected from Namibian media. “In the […]

August 15, 2024 62

Environment

Lions in a Uganda park make a perilous journey across a 1.5km stretch of water: study suggests the drive is to find mates

By Alexander Richard Braczkowski, Griffith University; Christopher J. O'Bryan, Maastricht University; Duan Biggs, Northern Arizona University, and Robynne Kotze, University of Oxford Domestic cats will do almost anything to avoid contact with water. Not so for their wild cousins, though. Lions, tigers and jaguars have had to adapt to water and sometimes take the plunge for survival. And this is what we observed on […]

July 12, 2024 43

2

Business / Economics

Wild Africa Fund and OneAfrica partner to Increase Awareness About Wildlife Conservation in Namibia

Wild Africa Fund, an organisation dedicated to popularising wildlife conservation across Africa, is excited to announce its strategic partnership with OneAfrica in Namibia. This collaboration, officially launching on May 30th 2024, has already commenced with the broadcast of ‘Music for Wildlife’ concerts from Saturday 25 May 2024. This multifaceted partnership spans both television and radio, leveraging the extensive reach and influence of OneAfrica to amplify Wild Africa […]

May 29, 2024 19 2

Africa

El Niño drought leaves Zimbabwe’s Lake Kariba only 13% full: a disaster for people and wildlife

By Joshua Matanzima, The University of Queensland Water levels at Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe have dropped dramatically because of the latest El Niño drought. The country’s president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, has declared a national disaster. Historian and social scientist Joshua Matanzima grew up at Lake Kariba and has spent the past 10 years researching socioeconomic life there. He discusses the impact of the latest drought on the people of […]

April 15, 2024 39

Africa

Analysis of largest elephant surveys ever shows stable population, but disturbing trends

By Jim Tan via Mongabay New research comparing data from the two largest-ever elephant surveys reveals the overall population in the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area is stable, but also uncovers some concerning local trends. Elephant numbers in Botswana, home to more elephants than any other country, are stable overall, but declining numbers in areas where hunting is permitted, and increasing numbers in protected areas, suggest underlying […]

April 11, 2024 23

Human wildlife conflict