The German government, through the KfW Development Bank, has donated N.dollars 300 million towards wildlife conflict mitigation and alleviating the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on communal conservancies in the Zambezi Region.
During the official handover of grants and equipment to the Community Conservancies Fund of Namibia (CCFN) and Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA) at Katima Mulilo on Friday, KfW country director Beatrice Lucke said the preservation of Namibia’s resources holds a special place on the agendas of the governments of Namibia and Germany.
“The launch of the community livelihood development and human-wildlife conflict mitigation project underscores the significant role of the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism within the KAZA Transfrontier Conservation Park management. With a N.dollars 17 million grant financed by KfW on behalf of German development cooperation, we are offering support to enhance community livelihoods and implement measures to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts in the KAZA region,” Lucke stated.
She said the ministry is not solely focused on safeguarding Namibia’s national parks, but also places great emphasis on protecting and supporting communal conservancies and community.
KAZA Secretariat Executive Director, Dr Nyambe Nyambe meanwhile said the project’s main objective is to secure the essential wildlife corridors within two wildlife dispersal areas – the Kwando River and the Zambezi-Chobe floodplains wildlife dispersal areas, both integral parts of the iconic Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area.
“These lands are not just realms of wilderness; they are home to nearly 100 000 people who coexist with the wild, playing enduring roles as agro-pastoralists within these realms of biodiversity,” he noted.
Nyambe said the goal is to create an environment where the seeds of sustainable agro-wildlife entrepreneurial activities are sown and nurtured, and where the benefits of conservation are equitably shared, promoting a sense of ownership, inclusivity and resilience.
During the same event, the MEFT Minister, Pohamba Shifeta, noted that both project activities were co-financed by the German government, and he commended Namibia for the practical implementation of the resolutions made at the Human-Wildlife Conflict Management Conference held in May 2023.