LAC wants gov't to protect conservancies
5 June 2009
The Economist
By: Clemencia Jacobs
Poverty is a huge problem in the Nyae Nyae Conservancy, according to Norman Tjombe, director of the Legal Assistance Centre (LAC), and the recent invasion of the area by Otjiherero farmers will negate the few gains the conservancy has achieved since its establishment.
Inadequate protection has been provided to conservancies by the government, Tjombe told the Economist, adding that there is a need for strengthening the laws governing the establishment of conservancies to ensure clear property rights for the concerned communities.
“It serves no purpose that communities work very hard to conserve their areas but are unable to enforce rules to protect these areas,” he said.
During the Easter holiday, farmers from Gam cut through a veterinary cordon fence, a move that allowed for more than 1 000 cattle to graze in the Nyae Nyae Conservancy. This was in transgression of various laws including the Animal Diseases and Parasites Act, the Traditional Authorities Act, the Communal Land Reform Act, as well as the Forest Act.
The LAC is assisting the conservancy to take legal action against the invaders. Tjombe said the LAC has received instructions from the Traditional Authority and the Nyae Nyae Conservancy to institute legal action against the invading farmers.
“The Traditional Authority and the conservancy took such steps to consider legal action as this was not the first time that livestock farmers invaded the area and the damages suffered in the area are also enormous,” he said.
Zeka Alberto, project lawyer in the Land, Environment and Development Project of the LAC, said the organisation is still assessing the damage caused by the invasion.
He said the conservancy has exclusive tourism rights in the area and sells Devil’s Claw to a specific niche market.
“Due to the invasion, [it] cannot sell Devil’s Claw this year.
The conservancy also derives money from trophy hunting but this has also been affected as 1 100 cattle are competing with wildlife in the area for resources such as water. People do not want to go to the conservancy for hunting purposes as the animals have been displaced. The conservancy is losing out on money it could have generated,” he said.
The Nyae Nyae Conservancy generates income through a joint venture trophy hunting concession, a joint venture lodge, a craft centre, Devil’s Claw harvesting and two community camps. It had a population of 2 300 in 2007.
Read More Articles from other News Agencies.