Damning conservation report ‘illegal and unethical’

ELLANIE SMIT WINDHOEKNamibian communal conservancies have condemned an investigation by two environmental journalists into the country’s conservation programme, saying facts were twisted to suit their agenda and that it was conducted unethically and illegally.This is according to a statement signed by seven conservancies mentioned in an investigative report conducted by Dr Adam Cruise and Izzy Sasada regarding the Namibian Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) programme.The report was published after a two-month on-site investigation and visits to 29 environmental conservation areas across Namibia.The report, titled ‘Investigation into Namibia’s conservation model’, claimed that the success of conservation in the country and the economic benefits for poor rural communities are largely a fabrication.“This pair of journalists entered our conservancies and spoke to people without obtaining a research permit from the government or even informing our conservancy offices of their intentions.“Those of us who recall speaking to them and are quoted in their report were misrepresented, as our statements were taken out of context and used to tell a story about Namibia that is untrue,” conservancy representatives said.‘Stolen words’The statement was signed by the Kavango East and West Conservancy and Community Forest Association, the Kunene Community Conservancy Association, the Kunene South Conservancy Association, the Zambezi Chairperson Forum, the Nyae Nyae Conservancy and the N#a Jaqna Conservancy.“While in Namibia, Cruise and Sasada used trickery and deceit to obtain their interviews, and having stolen our words without our consent, they are using their report to bully us into submission. But we will stand by our goal of sustainable rural development; we are proud of our conservation achievements.”The representatives all condemned the methods and the outcomes of the report, saying the authors and the organisations that financed the research have broken Namibian laws and shown extreme disrespect for Namibian people and their rights.“CBNRM is a critical mechanism for linking nature conservation with rural livelihoods and development needs. We therefore resent the deliberate use of the challenges we face – including widespread poverty, terrible drought conditions and human-wildlife conflict – as a means of dismissing our conservation efforts.”ProtestingThe conservancies stressed that without their active participation in anti-poaching patrols, human-wildlife conflict mitigation and awareness creation within their respective communities, there would be no wildlife on communal lands in Namibia.“Yet the eradication of wildlife appears to be a desirable outcome for Cruise and Sasada and the organisations that funded their illegal activities.”They said many of the social problems highlighted in the report are beyond the scope of communal conservancies and their ability to control.“Nonetheless, as community-based institutions, we have an important role to play in bringing our members’ concerns to the attention of government and other stakeholders. While we cannot eliminate all social problems on our own, we aim to use the limited budgets we have to create tangible benefits for our communities.”According to the conservancies, the two journalists dismissed these as being unworthy of consideration, but did not offer alternative or better forms of income that they could use to increase member benefits.“It is clear that they have no interest in improving the lives of the people they interviewed, but rather seek to further impoverish them.“We remain the rightful custodians of free-ranging wildlife on communal lands and we will continue to expand our natural resource-based industries to increase benefit flows to our members. African people have been denigrated, misused and misrepresented for far too long for us to accept more of this appalling treatment at the hand of foreigners. We will not be bullied.”PermitsIn a separate statement, the ?Khoadi //Hôas Conservancy - which also featured in the report - said the journalists sought to undermine the CBNRM in Namibia.“We strenuously object to the way in which our conservancy was portrayed and wish to correct the many errors and misleading statements made in this report. These individuals came into our conservancy without informing us of the true purpose of their activities, and although one of them [Sasada] claimed to be doing ‘research’ on human-wildlife conflict, no research permit was presented.”The ministry of tourism has also described the investigation into Namibia's policies and wildlife management programmes as illegal and unethical.Ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda said no work permit was issued by the home affairs ministry, nor did the Commission for Research approve a research permit.ellanie@namibiansun.com

Damning conservation report ‘illegal and unethical’

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Namibian Sun 2025-03-07

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Damning conservation report ‘illegal and unethical’

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Namibian Sun 2025-03-07

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