Indigenous Peoples and Conservation Organizations

The Ju/’hoan in Namibia 133
strapped for time and resources. So the LIFE
Program provided funds to enable the NNFC to
reimburse its representatives when travel was
necessary. NGOs and donors working with community-based
organizations must realize that
meetings will often be held far away from the
local community, in cities and office buildings of
more powerful stakeholders. Community representatives
will need to be compensated for time
spent away from their homes and work. They
will also need resources to be able to hold meetings
with their constituents before they depart
and after they return.
Communication did improve and power relations
became more balanced once MET adopted community-based
conservation as its official policy
in 1996, but obstacles to an honest partnership
remain. Prior to establishing the conservancy,
the NNWMC meetings never resulted in joint
decision making by the local community and
MET. The underlying problem is that the NNFC
lacks the authority to participate in all aspects of
wildlife management, the most obvious being the
lack of control over land. That may begin to
change as the NNFC shows its ability to manage
the conservancy, and as realization deepens in
MET that neither the central government nor the
community can manage wildlife sustainably until
there is communal land tenure.
Finally, while not explicitly analyzed in this case
study, the LIFE technical advisor worked as a
member of a team. The expertise and knowledge
of a diverse group of specialists were needed to
support the integrated conservation and development
program of a conservancy. Because the
Nyae Nyae Conservancy was developed within
the context of a national CBNRM program, it
was also important to facilitate the sharing of
experiences and learning within the network of
communities developing conservancies.
5.7 Replication is not duplication, but
projects have much to learn from
one another.
Visiting the CAMPFIRE Program in Zimbabwe
was a crucial step in the evolution of the Nyae
Nyae Conservancy, because it gave NNFC leaders
and the community rangers confidence in the
enterprise and a better perspective on how they
would do things differently. Now Nyae Nyae has
blazed a trail that can be followed by other communities
in Namibia.
Several factors will make it easier for other
Namibian communities to follow and embellish
the NNFC map. The national program is growing,
and more NGOs and communities are signing
on. As they plan and develop conservancies
there will be greater opportunity to exchange
experiences and skills. The MET is slowly
evolving its methods and philosophy to be better
able to implement the policy. Local government
is increasingly involved and supportive. Specific
tools for awareness building, for using GPS mapping
to promote participation and communication,
and for analyzing institutional capability
have been developed.
Yet one should not presume that progress will be
uniform. Several factors have also made development
of the conservancy in Nyae Nyae easier
than it might be elsewhere. The conservation
goals of the MET—to maintain biological diversity
and ecological processes and to improve the
quality of life for all Namibians—are compatible
with the livelihood strategies of the Ju/’hoan.
Generally, conflicts have not stemmed from differences
in objectives, but from differences in the
means employed to reach those objectives. The
conservancy is an approach, legitimized through
legislation, that both parties have agreed to follow
to reach similar goals.
In other regions of Namibia compatibility of
goals is far less clear. In areas where crop production
is dominant, for example, conflicts are
more prevalent. Furthermore, the specific contexts,
both social and ecological, are different.
Although the conservancy concept still offers a
viable option in these cases, the size and membership
of the conservancy, the ways of benefiting,
the institutional structure, and the definition
of the partnership will vary widely.
Many challenges lie ahead for the Ju/’hoan and
the other communities involved. In some ways,
the most difficult work—ensuring that the community
manages the conservancy sustainably and
delivers benefits equitably—is still ahead. For
that to happen, the government-community partnership
must continue to evolve. Without the
willingness to learn from one another, management
of wildlife and other natural resources is
likely to prove impossible.