Conservancies and in particular "Communal Conservancies" are fixed boundary areas of #Namibia that provide #legal frameworks for the #protection of people and the wildlife within that area. The protection was mutual once the conservancy was formalized in that the wildlife was no longer poached but protected on the basis that greater value was accrued through #tourism.
Namibia currently has 86 such conservancy areas covering 20% of its geographic area with an estimated 228 000 people resident in these areas which represents some 9% of Namibia's population. As of last year (2019), conservancy management was allocating 50% of revenue to local development projects that are aimed at enriching the lives of the community inhabitants. Jobs numbering some 4 900, range from tour guides to hospitality positions such as front desk clerks, cooks and bar staff. There are disputes as to how much revenue is created through conservancy operations country-wide but figures ranging from N$500 million upwards are not numbers to be sneezed at.
#Covid_19 has as we know disrupted everything and thus the conservancies have not been spared. These conservancies and the resultant communities now have zero income with the global #lockdowns and resultant border closures that have put tourism and thus incomes into sleep modes. In response, the government has created a conservation relief, recovery and resilience fund to be administered by the Environmental Investment Fund as the secretariat. The fund currently sits at N$125 million but is this enough to weather the pandemic storm??
The conversation continues: www.rdjconsulting.co.za
http://www.nacso.org.na/conservancies
https://www.namibian.com.na/185849/archive-read/Give-50pct-to-members
https://www.namibian.com.na/90829/read/Conservancies-could-lose-N$125-million