Land use, wildlife,

tourism & conservancie

sBy Maxi Pia Louis

VISION 2030VISION 2030THE OVERRIDING MESSAGE

THAT THIS REPORT CONVEYS IS :

THE OVERRIDING MESSAGE THAT THIS REPORT

CONVEYS IS :

by capitalising on Namibia’s comparative advantages and providing appropriate incentives to use our natural resources in the most efficient ways possible, we will be in a better position to create a safer, healthier and more

prosperous future for all Namibians – to 2030 and beyond.

•Namibia 823,679 km²

Namibia’s vastness as a USP

•335 000 Km2 of land (41% of total) Communal Land

•362 000 Km2 of land (44 % of total) Commercial Land

•Protected areas cover 114 000 Km2 of land (15 % of total)

State Parks 13.7 m ha

Communal

Conservancies10.5 m ha

Freehold Conservancies

4.3 m ha

Hunting farms 3.5 m ha

Private Reserves 0.5 m ha

COMMUNITY BASED TOURISMIN Namibia

1. Background & Context2. Different CBT /

APPROACHES– Achievements– Best Practices

Overview of Tourism in Namibia

• Travel & Tourism economy contributed 16% to Namibia’s GDP in 2006: N$3.7 billion.

• Accounts for 18,840 jobs ( Fulltime & Part-time) which is 18% of total employment in Namibia.

• Expected growth of the tourism sector will be 6.9% pa

• Visitors in 2005 = 777 890

Overview of CBT in Namibia• Generated an income of N$26 834 772 in

2006 which is 0.725% of total tourism income.• Accounted for 5 772 jobs ( Fulltime & Part-

time) which is 30,6% of total tourism employment in Namibia. Jobs in 2000 = 498

• Growth over time: 1996 (N$568 850) to 2006 N$26 834 772) = 4 617%

• Visitors in 2006 = appr. 110 000

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 and natural resources:

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

Rights of Conservancies

What is CBT?What is CBT?

Lodges

Tours

Info &bookings

Guides

CraftCultural

Trophyhunting

Campsites

Approaches/ProcessesApproaches/Processes

1. Planning– Tourism plan

– Business plan

– Design plan

– Construction schedule & budget

– Funding

– Legal requirements

2. Development– Management structures

– Training

– Construction

– Contracts & agreements

3. Operational– Finance & admin

– Marketing

– Monitoring & Mentorship

4. Future– Business review

– New product dev.

Barriers

• Separation of CBT from mainstream

• Insufficient business service providers

• NGO’s lack business & tourism orientation

• Unwillingness of Private sector to use CBTEs

• Access to capital• Land insecurity• Lack of incentives for

investing

 

Failures

Donor dependency- Lack of exit strategy Sustainability of enterprises Community management vs.

Entrepreneurship• Development approach vs. Business

approach• Some products do not meet market standards

Community Income Generating Approaches

• Lodges• Community Lodges of Namibia• Community Based Tourism

Enterprises• Trophy Hunting• Private Concessions

Approaches - CBT Support

• NACOBTA founded in 1995 by local communities who wanted to develop tourism enterprises in communal areas.

• 32 Active Member Enterprises - Campsites, rest-camps, traditional villages, craft centres, information centres, museums and local tour guides

• Range of business & advocacy support services provided to enterprises.

• Broker Partnership deals between Private sector and communities – Joint Ventures

• Integrate sustainable enterprises into mainstream tourism

Successes & Benefits

• 54 CBTEs are operating and generated N$ 3,748,481million in 2006

• Jobs ’00=498; ’03=3 173; ’04=3 267 ’05=5 526; ’06=5 772

• 13 Joint Venture Partnerships Generated N$ 10,794,688 million in 2006;

• Trophy Hunting generated N$6,113,923 million in 2006

• Other CBNRM income N$ 6,177,680 million

Successes & BenefitsSuccesses & Benefits

• CBT Profile has been uplifted – some good products

• Private Sector awareness of community tourism has been raised

• Best approaches and processes in place

• Products have been upgraded to meet market standards

• Ongoing capacity building

CBNRM Program Benefits 1994 - 2006

0

4,000,000

8,000,000

12,000,000

16,000,000

20,000,000

24,000,000

28,000,000

32,000,000

Year

N$

Conservancy Non-Financial Benefits

NR-based Household/Wage Income

Conservancy / Enterprise Committee Income

CBNRM Program 2006 - Source of Benefits

Veld products0%

Shoot and Sell2%

Premium Hunting0%

Live Game Sale0%Thatching Grass

9%Interest Earned

1%Own Use Game3%

Game Meat Dist.3%

Crafts2%

Game Donation3%

Joint Venture Tourism40%

Trophy Hunting23%

Campsites/CBTEs14%

Torra Conservancy - Damaraland Camp

Wilderness Safaris Namibia

Product = “low impact, high income photographic safaris”

Damaraland Camp

16 Bed up market lodge

25 full time staff (x 2 managers)

Represents 40% of Torra Conservancy

income.

Outsourced laundry, firewood & security.

Torra Conservancy,Registered 1998

Area: 352.000ha,Population: 1200

Livelihood: Livestock, mainly goats.

Cash income: < US$300pa

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

US$

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Year

Torra Conservancy - Damaraland Camp

Conservancy

Wages

Anabeb Conservancy – Khowarib CampsiteAnabeb

Conservancy

Registered: 2003

Area: 157,000ha

Population: 2000

Livelihoods: Livestock, mainly

goats.

Cash income: <US$300pa

Khowarib Campsite

4 sites on banks of Khowarib Schlucht (Gorge)

Private tented camp developed by Operator

3 Full time staff

Developed with grant support of US$50,000

Projected Income 2008 Approx. US$10,000pa (wages US$3500, conservancy US$5,000)

African Eagle Safaris

Tour Operator – French Market

Developing tour with fixed tent accommodation.

Pays monthly rental, contributes to management costs, per passenger levy, marketing and quality control.

• Capacity levels – management skills, literacy,

• Staff turnover• Management approach - broad• Isolation from mainstream• Freebees not always appreciated• Limited resources for marketing & product

development• Supply vs demand• Open ended support• NGO support – not always business oriented

Challenges……

Way forwards

• Development of Mentorship Program as well as assistance from the Private Sector Operators.

• The Introduction of a Fee For Service Concept

• Diversification of funding sources for the support of community based tourism development in Namibia

• Obtain positive input from Private Sector Operators in the Development of tourism SMEs

Tourist informationTourist information

• UisUis

• AusAus

Cultural attractions and craftCultural attractions and craft

• Tsandi HomesteadTsandi Homestead

• King Nehale cultural centreKing Nehale cultural centre

Hoada Campsite

Khowarib Campsite

Thank you !