R 201004Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY GABORONE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 5206
INFO SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS GABORONE 000719 
 
 
DEPT FOR OES/PCI, OES/ETC, OES/FO, OES/ENV 
DEPT FOR AF/S, AF/EPS AND EEB 
DEPT PASS TO USAID/AFR/ANE/AFR 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV ECON EAID WA BC
SUBJECT: USAID CLOSES OUT CBNRM PROGRAM IN NAMIBIA 
 
¶1. Summary: On June 12 in Windhoek, Regional Environment and Health 
Officer for Southern Africa (REHO) attended USAID's close-out 
ceremony of its 15-year support of Community-Based Natural Resources 
Management (CBNRM) in Namibia.  Among the attendees were Ambassador 
Mathieu, USAID Director Gary Newton, senior government officials, 
NGOs and the private sector. All the speakers lauded the success of 
the CBNRM program in Namibia, ascribing it to the sustained support 
of USAID, the support of the Namibian government, and the dedication 
and hard work of NGOs and conservancies.  The Namibian CBNRM policy 
went further than any other Southern Africa country in giving rights 
over wildlife and tourism directly to communities.  That played a 
significant part in the popularity and success of the program.  End 
Summary. 
 
Background 
---------- 
 
¶2. The Conservancy movement in Namibia has its origins in the CBNRM 
programs of the 1980's, when local communities saw the need to 
preserve and sustainably manage the fast dwindling wildlife in 
Northwest Namibia.  From the humble beginnings of the Community Game 
Guard system led by local chiefs and NGO's, it blossomed into the 
mass communal conservancy wave of today, spurred on by international 
assistance and the growth of tourism.  Critically, the government of 
Namibia (GON) created the enabling environment for this movement to 
flourish into a national rural development program by approving in 
1996 the Nature Conservation Amendment Act.  The amendment of the 
1975 Act meant that communal villagers now had the same rights as 
freehold farmers to use, manage and benefit from wildlife and 
tourism.  This encouraged the creation of partnerships between rural 
communities, NGOs, the private sector and the Government.  Thus from 
the initial 4 communal conservancies gazetted in 1998, there were 29 
by 2003 (23 percent of communal land), and 50 as of September 2007. 
In addition, the notable increase in areas under conservation and 
natural resource management, as well wildlife resouces, reflects an 
important success of the conserancy movement.  However, as the 
conservancies' welt has increased, so have the challenges to 
mange it.  Some are already self-sustaining, but othes still 
require technical and finncial support before they can become 
sustainably independent.  USAID invested in Namibia' CBNRM program 
through the Living in a Finite Environment (LIFE) Project.  In 1993, 
USAID awarded the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) a 5-year cooperative 
agreement worth USD 13.7 million to implement LIFE in collaboration 
with the MET.  The latter two added about USD 3 million of matching 
funds, for a project total of USD 16.8 million.  Due to LIFE's 
success, it was extended to LIFE 2 (USD 15 million) and finally LIFE 
Plus (USD 11 million) through June 2008, for a total of 15 years and 
roughly USD 40 million.  The Government of Namibia (GON) and donor 
partners matched this amount for the duration of the project. 
 
A Farewell to AID But not Aid 
------------------------------ 
 
¶3. On June 12, USAID held a close-out ceremony of its 15-year LIFE 
program in support Community-Based Natural Resources Management 
(CBNRM) in Namibia at the Polytechnic Hotel and Tourism School in 
Windhoek.  The well-attended event included the presence of US 
Ambassador Mathieu; USAID Director Gary Newton; Deputy Minister of 
MET Leon Jooste;  Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee 
on Natural Resources, Economics and Public Accounts Peya Mushelenga; 
NGOs, including the Namibia Nature Foundation (NNF), World Wildlife 
Fund (WWF), Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation 
(IRDNC) and the Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations 
(NACSO); Conservancy members; and business, particularly tour and 
joint operators.  Master of Ceremony NNF's Executive Director, Dr. 
Chris Brown praised the decisive role of partnership in the success 
of the 15-year program.  He called for celebration of achievements 
and the establishment of a new model of sustainable development, 
rather than grief over loss of funding. 
 
MET's Commitment 
---------------- 
 
¶4. In his brief remarks, Deputy Minister of MET Leon Jooste noted 
the remarkable success of the three LIFE programs in the past decade 
and a half, building capacity for NGOs, including the umbrella 
organization NACSO, conservancies and the MET itself.  He said LIFE 
Plus developed a wildlife monitoring system which the MET adopted 
for its national parks and other countries embraced as a useful 
model.  Indeed, the most impressive feature of Namibia CBNRM program 
lies in its warm embrace by the global community.  However, even as 
he marveled at the program's success since the seminal 1996 CBNRM 
Law, Jooste acknowledged the remaining challenges ahead.  He 
affirmed the MET's commitment to CBNRM, which revealed the 
importance of partnerships, and its determination to do its utmost 
to maintain its existence since it dovetails with the GON's National 
Development Plans such as Vision 2030 and Poverty Reduction 
Strategy.  Jooste also mentioned the ongoing negotiations with the 
USG on a Millennium Challenge Compact agreement, including 
approximately USD 18.2 million to support CBNRM and the funding of 
31 of the 50 conservancies.  They would receive technical aid for 
capacity building such as marketing skills, governance and financial 
management.  He closed by thanking USAID for its amazing efforts and 
its pivotal role in launching the stellar CBNRM movement, and 
promised to maintain investment in the program. 
 
A Brief Time in History 
----------------------- 
 
¶5. In introducing the video presentation on the achievements and 
challenges of Namibia's conservancies, WWF's Chris Weaver presented 
a comparative history of the movement from its inception in 1993 to 
now.  He noted the absence of a legal basis in 1993 for communities 
to benefit from natural resources; now, the 1996 Conservancy Act 
enshrines their rights to such benefits.  In 1993, wildlife was 
viewed as mere meat and a curse; now, it is viewed as an integral 
part of rural livelihoods, a posture that has led to an amazing 
rebound in wildlife stocks.  In 1993, there were only 2-field based 
NGOs dealing with CBNRM issues; now, there are eleven NGOs that 
support conservancies.  In 1993, tourism and conservation did not 
constitute a development priority for Namibia; today, they are both 
integrated into Vision 2030 (it is Namibia's primary development 
roadmap) and figure prominently in the proposed MCC program.  In 
1993, communities lacked access to a steady supply of revenues; now, 
those revenues are a reality for rural people.  In 1993, the 
conservancy concept was just that: an idea; today, it is recognized 
as the foremost community development program in Namibia, earning 
many international plaudits.  In conclusion, Weaver acknowledged 
USAID's critical contribution of USD 40 million in the past 15 years 
to this successful program. 
 
¶6. The 26-minute Video presentation, entitled "By the People, For 
the People," recapped the history of CBNRM and conservancies in 
Namibia.  The program now encompasses 200,000 people of all 12 
historically disadvantaged ethnic groups in 50 conservancies (and 30 
pending).  The affected areas witnessed a dramatic rise in wildlife, 
particularly elephants and antelope.  USAID funding leveraged monies 
from the GON, WWF, and other donors such as the British (DFID) and 
the Swedes (SIDA).  Finally, the video noted that conservancies 
represent an ideal framework for the implementation of proposed 
5-nation Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation (KAZA TFCA) in 
Namibia. 
 
The State of Conservancies 
-------------------------- 
 
¶7. Anna Davis, who prepared the fifth edition of the State of 
Conservancies Report, presented a concise summary of its contents. 
The document echoed many of the crucial facts noted in the summary 
and the speeches noted above, but also highlighted the increasing 
prominence of the Northeast region in the program.  In addition, 
Davis revealed that the CBNRM program, which covered an area of 45, 
832 square miles, brought in over N$39 million (USD 5.5 million at a 
pro-rated exchange rate of N$6.90 to USD 1) in revenues in 2007. 
Davis said conservancies now make up 14.4 percent of Namibia's 
landmass, protected areas 16.5 percent, commercial conservancies 6.1 
percent, and community forests and concessions 1.3 percent. 
Conservation management thus accounts for about 38 percent of 
Namibia's land area.  Currently, 42 conservancies either have or are 
developing management plans; 39 manage cash income; 26 have business 
and sustainability plans; 18 have HIV/AIDS policies; 42 hold Annual 
General Meetings (AGMs); 31 employ finance managers; and 23 hold 
elections.  Additionally, committees consist of 37 percent women. 
 
¶8. Turning to other achievements, Davis said that in 2007, CBNRM 
benefits amounted to N$39.1 million, of which N$20.5 million (USD 
2.9 million) was in cash to conservancies and N$7 million (USD 1 
Million) in non cash to conservancies.  Other CBNRM income outside 
of conservancies (from enterprises not managed by, or directly 
contributing to conservancies, but still supported through the 
program) came to N$11.5 million (USD 1.6 Million), with over 6000 
part-time and over 800 full-time jobs.  The main sources of income 
were joint-venture tourism totaling NS$ 14.5 million (USD 2 million) 
and other activities, such as game viewing, veldt products and 
crafts, amounting to N$11.5 million (USD 1.6 million).  Moreover, 
conservancies disbursed N$22.5 million (USD 3.2 million) to their 
members in the form of social benefits, cash payments, jobs, capital 
development, and operational costs.  Davis also noted that CBNRM 
contributed N$233 million (USD 33.7 Million) to Net National Income. 
 Regarding challenges, she noted that communities track human-animal 
conflicts through "events books."  While animal stock damage 
predominates in the Northwest, the Northeast suffers from crop loss. 
 Moving on to notable features, Davis reported that between 1999 and 
2007, conservancies introduced 15 different species at a value of 
over N$10 million (USD 1.5 million).  The growth of conservancies 
and activities also means the rise in demand for support services, 
improved management, increasing human-animal and land conflicts, and 
an urgent need for equitable benefit sharing. 
 
Ambassador's Speech 
 
-------------------- 
 
¶9. Ambassador Mathieu began her remarks by reiterating the notable 
accomplishment of 15 years of USAID CBNRM support that led to a 
success story shortly after Namibia's independence.  She echoed 
other speakers' view that collaboration among government, NGOs, 
civic-based organizations (CBOs) and donors explained the program's 
achievements.  For instance, good wildlife management led to the 
noteworthy increase in game.  Moreover, the program has supported 
many activities, including HIV/AIDS, water supply and income 
generation.  She said key reasons for the success of the CBNRM 
program were: a) the longevity of USG support; b) a supportive 
legislative and institutional framework; and c) partnerships.   The 
Ambassador noted that since 1991, USAID had spent USD 250 million 
dollars in Namibia in education, democracy and governance, 
tuberculosis (TB), and CBNRM (USD 41.6 million).   She said USAID 
assistance would now focus on the HIV/AIDS and TB epidemics.  She 
added that although USAID CBNRM support was ending, it would 
continue to support partnerships in HIV/AIDS.  Finally, the 
Ambassador thanked all the NGOs for their excellent work and 
promised to visit a number of conservancies in the near future. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶10. The Namibian CBNRM policy went further than any other Southern 
Africa country in giving rights over wildlife and tourism directly 
to communities.  That played a significant part in the popularity 
and success of the program.  The road ahead will be interesting as 
the CBNRM program seeks other sources of funding.  It will sure be a 
test of the sustainability of a number of conservancies. 
 
DROUIN