Namibia launches conservation fund to tackle human-wildlife conflict
Namibia launched an initiative that will contribute to the collective efforts of conserving the environment as well as the conservancies and communities in the rural areas at an event held in Windhoek on Thursday.
The launched initiative, which is a not-for-profit entity, the Community Conservation Fund of Namibia (CCFN), will see its first active project, the "Poverty Oriented Support to Community Conservation," tackle Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC) implemented in the country.
Speaking at the launch, the Minister of Environment and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta said following approximately two years of groundwork for the registration of the CCFN, it is today that they officially launched the fund and its operations.
According to CCFN CEO, Tapiwa Makiwa, the fund was established to be a sustainable funding mechanism to ease the problem of limited funding for community conservation efforts in Namibia.
Furthermore, through raising, administration, growing, and disbursement of funds, CCFN aims to support sustainable conservation development in communal areas, he added.
At the event, while commending the fund for its efforts, Shifeta said statistics show that Namibia has seen an increase in HWC incidents over the last few years due to various factors, the drought being one of them.
"How fitting is it that the first active project that the CCFN shall embark on is designed to address this very challenge," he said.
Meanwhile, the HWC project through CCFN, got an investment boost of five million Euro financed by the German government through KfW.
"This contribution will in no doubt contribute to addressing some of the challenges we have faced with human-wildlife conflict," the minister added.
Through the CCFN, a platform has been provided to enable Namibians to collectively bring together resources and contribute to their own cause and invest in the future of generations to come, Shifeta concluded. (Xinhua)
