Conservancy on track

PLANS to establish a conservancy in the Berseba constituency in the Karas Region are at an advanced stage.

Last week, traditional leaders and community members gathered for a three-day conservancy education workshop to provide a broader perspective and understanding of the conservancy concept. The workshop was conducted by the Namibian Development Trust (NDT), in conjunction with the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET).Participants were also informed of the processes to be followed before a conservancy could be registered.In an interview with The Namibian, the NDT Regional Programme Director, Ulrich Davids, said that the application for registering the conservancy would be submitted within three months.Davids urged the community not to see the conservancy idea as a “stumbling block”, but rather as a move to take ownership by managing the natural resources of the region.While a committee will be established to spearhead the application and registration conservancy process, the absence of a recognised traditional authority in the Berseba constituency is of concern, he noted.”We need to gather around the negotiation table with relevant stakeholders to find ways to proceed with the establishment of a conservancy in the Berseba constituency in the absence of a recognised traditional authority,” he said.The workshop was conducted by the Namibian Development Trust (NDT), in conjunction with the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET).Participants were also informed of the processes to be followed before a conservancy could be registered.In an interview with The Namibian, the NDT Regional Programme Director, Ulrich Davids, said that the application for registering the conservancy would be submitted within three months.Davids urged the community not to see the conservancy idea as a “stumbling block”, but rather as a move to take ownership by managing the natural resources of the region.While a committee will be established to spearhead the application and registration conservancy process, the absence of a recognised traditional authority in the Berseba constituency is of concern, he noted.”We need to gather around the negotiation table with relevant stakeholders to find ways to proceed with the establishment of a conservancy in the Berseba constituency in the absence of a recognised traditional authority,” he said.