Developing the Biodiversity Economy in selected Landscapes in Namibia

The livelihood of 70% of the Namibian population is dependent on natural resources – but biodiversity and protected areas are under increasing pressure from population growth, unsustainable farming practices and climate change. The project builds on Namibia’s success story in nature conservation. The protected areas of the country encompass more than 40% of the land area, but these areas are fragmented and there is a lack of coordination between funding and the different types of protected areas. The project transforms the protected areas into a system of well-coordinated landscapes and gives them a conservation value through sustainable economic use. The focus is on sectors that are directly dependent on the conservation of biodiversity, such as tourism. At the national level, the project supports the institutionalisation of the biodiversity economy approach, enabling broad-based implementation and its financing.

Project data

Countries
Namibia
IKI funding
5,000,000.00 €
Duration
08/2019 till 04/2024
Status
open
Implementing organisation
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
Political Partner
  • Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism - Namibia
Implementing Partner
  • Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism - Namibia

State of implementation/results

  • Representatives of the Namibian Parliament, of Ministries, of local communities and of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) participated in an exposure trip to learn about the benefits the Geopark concept for Brandberg can bring to local communities. An assessment on how to mainstream biodiversity economy into the Namibian Geopark concept was done.
  • Pohamba Penomwenyo Shifeta, Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, has expressed support for the designation of Brandberg as a Geopark and for the promotion of national tourism.
  • Initiated by World Wide Fund for Nature, GIZ and Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation, the Legacy Landscape Fund’s (LLF’s) approved project of so-called “perpetual funding” has been increased to 50 Mio. USD over now 50 years, with the OPP at the heart. The LLF funding provides crucial and unusually long-term financing.
  • A routes and tracks concept is being implemented for Geopark and OPP which improves sustainable tourism access to the landscapes, while providing local jobs through provision of services.
  • 45 conservancy members were repeatedly capacitated in sustainable devil’s claw harvesting according to the Good Agricultural Collection Practices (GACP)+ standard.
  • 20 community members capacitated in innovative crafts making displayed their products in a crafts exhibition.
  • 32 community members were capacitated in tour guiding, how to conduct ethical elephant tracking as well as in English.
  • 20 members of the Herero community are supported in establishing Namibia’s first Herero Living Museum.
  • Establishment of the organic fresh produce supply chain is progressing, with Namibian Wildlife Resorts gained as a customer. 18 local farmers were trained in organic agriculture.
  • 8 campsites are being supported to upgrade or start their businesses, incl. infrastructure, financial management, hospitality, signage, marketing. They function as landscape / biodiversity economy hubs.
  • Community game guards from the conservancies are being capacitated to step up the management of the OPP landscape.
  • Several tourism investors are being engaged for camp and lodge sites identified for OPP. One Joint Venture between Ehi-Rovipuka and a tourism operator was facilitated.
  • Digital applications have potential for biodiversity-based value chains. Four venture teams comprising of entrepreneurs and companies from Namibia, other African countries and Europe have developed biodiversity-based digital business models and are preparing for market entry, including Spherie, who presented their new product Skytrip at the ITB Berlin.
  • In collaboration with the Namibian University of Science and Technology and the United Nations University for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and of Resources two courses on ecosystem services were offered to students.
  • With significant input from the project, the biodiversity economy approach was anchored in the National Bio-economy Strategy.

Latest Update:
03/2024

Legend:

  • Current Project
  • Previous project
  • Follow-up project
  • Topic
  • Country selection

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