OPUWO: Wildlife crimes remain a significant threat to conservation efforts in Namibia, demanding a coordinated response from multiple agencies and a focus on community empowerment through education. This was the message delivered by Kunene Governor Marius Sheya during a recent event in Opuwo, addressing Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC) mitigation, tourist recovery, and the distribution of wildlife credit grants to Kunene conservancies.
According to Namibia News Agency, the Poverty Orientated Support to Community Conservation in Namibia (POSCCIN) has allocated approximately N. dollars 31 million to implement HWC mitigation strategies across various landscapes. These funds, provided by the KfW Development Bank, will benefit 20 conservancies in their efforts to reduce human-wildlife conflict. During his remarks, Governor Sheya emphasized the necessity of adopting new strategies to combat poaching, highlighting the role of grassroots education in raising public awareness about the importance of wildlife preservatio
n.
Sheya urged leaders to actively engage in discussions about the detrimental effects of poaching, asserting that it is not the sole responsibility of conservation groups. He called for collaborative efforts to educate communities about the value of wildlife, noting that poachers often originate from within these communities. “We must sit down and find ways to collaborate so that communities who do not understand the value of wildlife can start to see their value. This is our problem, the people who poach are people coming from our communities,” Sheya stated.
The governor proposed that anti-poaching strategies and educational initiatives should target young people at the grassroots level. He emphasized the importance of exposing children to wildlife to foster an appreciation for its value and economic contribution. “For a child born in Epupa, who has never seen a rhino, how will he or she appreciate a rhino if we don’t bring the child to the rhino for him to see the value?” Sheya questioned, drawing attent
ion to the allure of financial incentives offered by poachers compared to the intrinsic value of wildlife.
Combating wildlife crime is a cornerstone of Namibian government policy, spearheaded by the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism through the National Wildlife Crime Strategy. The policy involves collaboration with law enforcement agencies and conservation groups. Recently, Minister of Environment Pohamba Shifeta reported that 46 rhinos, including 35 black and 11 white rhinos, have been poached in the Etosha National Park so far in 2024.
