Elzanne McCulloch
Celebrating 30 Years of Independence
30 YEARS OF CONSERVATION
T
he constitution adopted when Namibia became independent not only aimed at ensuring the well-being of the residents but, in what was a radical move at the time, also included the protection of the environment. An impressive milestone as the first country in Africa to do so as well as being one of the first in the world.
Apart from incorporating the environment, Namibia was also the first in Africa that allowed residents of communal areas to manage their natural resources through the creation of communal conservancies. This legislation, through cooperation between the government, NGOs and other entities, led to the creation of conservancies to restore and protect populations of wildlife, especially endangered animals. A success story that eventually resulted in Namibia possessing the world’s largest freeroaming populations of cheetah and black rhino living outside of protected areas. Sustainable income can be generated thanks to efforts from communities to conserve these animals and their habitats and through initiatives such as joint ventures with private lodges, ecotourism and
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hunting concessions. That income empowers communities who would otherwise live impoverished lives due to lack of employment in these undeveloped rural areas. The extent to which the country’s natural environment is protected is exceptionally impressive, as to date more than three-quarters of Namibia is under some form of conservation management. Namibia ranks as one of the countries with the most protected land in the world. 20 state-run protected areas are covering about 17 percent of the country’s land surface. These areas conserve biodiversity and the ecosystem by protecting some of the country’s most important habitats and species of national and global significance. Namibia is the only country where the entire coastline is part of a protected area. Stretching a massive 1 570 kilometres from the Kunene River in the north to the Orange River in the south, the area links 12 000 square kilometres of Atlantic coastal belt to almost 110 000 square kilometres of Namib Desert. Apart from state-protected land and conservancies, private landholders in Namibia have played a hugely significant role in the conservation of wildlife and natural habitats by converting commercial farmland into private
