WINDHOEK, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Namibia is moving to reform its community-based conservation program, which grants rural communities rights over wildlife, forests and tourism, as it faces mounting challenges including human-wildlife conflict and rising international opposition to its conservation hunting practices.
Speaking at the opening of a national conference in Windhoek on Wednesday, Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism Indileni Daniel said the Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) program remains a cornerstone of Namibia's efforts to link conservation with economic development.
"The success of our communal conservancies, community forests and community associations is testament to our commitment to a diversified economy, where natural resources lead to wealth creation and sustainable livelihoods," Daniel said.
Launched in the 1980s and formalized through legislation in 1996, the CBNRM program has since become one of Africa's most cited conservation models, credited with helping restore wildlife populations, including elephants, cheetahs and black rhinos, in areas once affected by poaching, according to the minister.
The program now includes 87 communal conservancies and 48 community forests, covering about 186,000 square kilometers, or more than 60 percent of Namibia's communal land, and supporting roughly 244,000 residents.
The sector generated about 109 million Namibian dollars (about 6.5 million U.S. dollars) in 2025 and supports more than 2,500 jobs, including community game guards who play a key role in monitoring wildlife and natural resources, the minister said.
However, Daniel acknowledged that the program faces several challenges, including weak governance structures, limited distribution of benefits among community members, and persistent human-wildlife conflict.
Meanwhile, the southern African country is also finalizing a major conservation financing initiative known as Project Finance for Permanence, aimed at securing long-term funding to support community-based conservation. ■