Namibia PDNA 2009 - GFDRR

to which losses in trophy fees are passed on to the communities. Overall it is estimated that around N$0.8m (i.e. 20 percent of a
projected total of N$4m) could be lost to conservancies from reduced trophy fees, plus the lost meat income as estimated above.
Overall estimated losses to conservancies are presented in Table 68.
Table 68: Losses to community conservancies in Kavango and Caprivi
Income type Loss Notes
Trophy hunting fees 800,000 20% of N$4m
Trophy hunting meat 800,000 50% of N$1.6m
Conservancy campsites 65,000 Estimated above
Joint venture lodge fees 37,400 8% of gross revenue loss (minus 15% VAT) of 2 Kasika lodges
Total 1,702,400
About a third of the tourist facilities visited reported layingoff
staff during the flooding period. The reported reduction
in wages was N$271,000, and extrapolating for the affected
businesses for which information was not available produces
an overall estimate of around N$350,000 in lost wages.
Other financial losses from tourism to affect local communities
are unlikely to be significant. The handicraft trade was not
reported to have been affected, and the demand for casual
labour and materials such as timber and thatch would, if
anything have probably increased due to the clean-up and
repair needs. Some lodges also provide voluntary support to
local communities, e.g. school construction and maintenance. It
is possible that this support could be affected, but the affect will
probably be limited and no estimate was made.
Disaster Risk Management Issues
Long-term planning at the national level is recommended
for the successful development of tourism in Namibia. Vision
2030 as well as NDP 3 highlights tourism as a growth priority
area. However, the industry should be supported by a clear
tourism strategy based on the reality of demand and broad
policy objectives which can considerably improve forecasts for
tourism rates.
With a high rate of unemployment and the inherent difficulties
faced by agriculture in a semi-arid environment, communitybased
tourism is an important tool in alleviating poverty and
for providing alternative livelihoods, especially in Namibia’s
communal areas. Therefore, it is paramount that communitybased
tourism is financially viable and founded on business and
market principles if it is to bring the desired long term benefits
to local communities.
Some tourism operations in Kavango and Caprivi did have
flood insurance and expect to receive partial compensation
for damage and losses, but the majority did not, and even those
who had it, now face the likelihood that future coverage will
be cancelled. At the same time, access to short-term credit to
cope with interruptions in business was very limited because
lodges are on communal land and therefore are not accepted
by the banks as collateral. Establishing mechanisms of providing
emergency credit facilities to disaster-affected businesses would
be the main area in which Government could assist tourism
operators to be more resilient to future events.
New developments should also have access to better data
on likely flood levels so that they can design structures
appropriately (e.g. raising or relocating buildings). A number of
operators said they had looked at flood levels over the past 20
or so years, but were not prepared for the level this year. For
existing facilities, however, it will probably not be cost effective
to substantially rebuild to higher flood resilience standards
as the structural damage was only minor, and the business
interruption was challenging but not typically disastrous.
For most affected lodges in Kavango and Caprivi, the first
impact of flooding is loss of access across the floodplains. In
some cases this is an annual occurrence. Some owners want
the Government to invest in raising the roads above the flood
levels. Other lodge owners are concerned about the impact of
roads on the natural environment of the floodplains. This is a
complex issue that needs to be dealt with within the context
of comprehensive floodplain management. An alternative
approach is for lodges to prepare to bring visitors in by boat
for a part of the year. A number of higher-end lodges already
do this and were less affected by the flooding as a result.
A couple of lodges near the Okavango and Zambezi Rivers
were affected by localized bank erosion, but engineered
solutions would be prohibitively expensive and negatively
impact the environment. Planting vegetation on exposed banks
has previously been effective for protecting against regular
annual flood erosion and should be encouraged, although it
is likely to be insufficient in the event of repeat floods of the
magnitude of those in 2009.
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