The National Planning Commission (NPC), the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) and the KfW Development Bank have signed a N$60 million grant to support the sustainable management of Namibia’s national parks.
In the agreement, KfW Development Bank is representing the German Development Cooperation (GIZ).
According to the parties, the funds will help establish a Sustainable Financing Mechanism for the country’s state-protected areas, strengthening conservation efforts and improving local livelihoods.
“On 13 September 2024, the National Planning Commission of Namibia together with the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism and KfW Development Bank, on behalf of German Development Cooperation, signed a grant agreement to the value of €3 million (equivalent to approximately N$60 million) to establish a Sustainable Financing Mechanism to support Namibia’s state-protected areas (national parks),” the parties said.
The funding will be used to conserve biodiversity and maintain functioning ecosystems, while also benefiting communities adjacent to protected areas through tourism concessions, human-wildlife conflict management, and conservation initiatives.
“The financial contribution complements the MEFT’s own budget allocation via the Game Products Trust Fund (GPTF) towards its state-protected area network,” they said.
The release further states that the grant is expected to open new income opportunities for communities through nature-based tourism, sustainable value chains, and biodiversity-related job creation.
It is part of Namibia’s broader effort to protect its natural resources and promote economic development through conservation.
“With an innovative approach referred to as “Integrated Park Management”, the MEFT seeks to achieve biodiversity conservation on the one hand and poverty reduction through job creation via tourism on the other. Communal conservancies and local communities are involved in the planning, development and management of the national parks and protected areas,” they said.
Moreover, it is reported that the initiative not only focuses on integrating park management and poverty reduction but will also involve local communities in park planning and conservation, incentivising sustainable management of natural resources.
