Benefits Of Community-Based Conservation In Namibia: Lessons From A Dynamic Model

Abstract

Community-based conservation is becoming more common in developing nations as people realize that wildlife conservation and human development need to be achieved simultaneously. In Namibia, this form of conservation has been implemented through locally run groups called “communal conservancies” that grant rural Namibians conditional rights over tourism and resource management. The goal of this paper was to determine whether Namibia’s conservancy model is a successful community-based conservation model in which both conservation and development objectives are being accomplished. To achieve this goal, a literature review was conducted to determine what factors contribute to both successful and unsuccessful implementation of communitybased conservation. Additionally, information pertaining to Namibia’s communal conservancies and their impact on the country’s people, economy, and wildlife was opportunistically collected and evaluated. Although, Namibia’s CBNRM model is not perfect, its progressive approach provides a robust framework for the potential delivery of a variety of conservation and development benefits.