SPAN PROJECT
Ministry of Environment and Tourism
Private Bag 13306
Ministry of Environment & Tourism
Namibia
9000
Namibia’s Parks
Goals and Objectives
The SPAN Project’s goal is:
Sustainable management of renewable natural resources protects biodiversity while contributing to equitable economic and social development
The direct objective is to improve management effectiveness of Namibia’s state protected areas (PAs) for biodiversity conservation.
The Project supports the MET in achieving this objective through tackling park management at three levels.
Component 1 – Systemic Capacity
Under this component the project aims to support the MET’s legal framework under which it can effectively manage the country’s natural resources within Protected Areas. The following activities have been initiated and progress has been made in a number of them.
- Support for Parks and Wildlife Management Bill and Associated New Regulations
- Support for park related policy development – Concessions, Human Wildlife Conflict Management, Park and Neighbours Policy
- Support for Park Management Plans
- New sustainable financing mechanisms for Protected Areas – Treasury submission, Millennium Challenge Account, concessions
- Systematic biodiversity monitoring system and permanent knowledge management system - Coninfo
Component 2 – Institutional Capacity
Under this component the project aims to help the MET in removing the institutional barriers to proper biodiversity management and park management.
Thus far the following activities have been successfully implemented and progress is being reported.
- Institutionalisation of training activities – GIS, First Aid, co-management training, vehicle maintenance, water/fence maintenance etc.
- Incentive mechanisms – Field Staff Award, Park Innovation Grant
- Partnership building /business planning capacity – Etosha Centenary
The following activities have been initiated and are still in progress:
- Support for strategic planning and restructuring process of the MET
- Administrative Reform
- Performance monitoring and evaluation system
- An integrated HIV/AIDS work-place programme for the MET
Component 3 – Field Demonstration Sites
Under this component the project will aim to test various park management and innovation methods in 3 key sites; the Bwabwata-Mudumu-Mamili complex, the Etosha and Skeleton Coast link and the Ais//Ais – Richtersveldt Transfrontier Park and Huns Mountains.
Key elements demonstrated per demo site are:
BMM complex
- Development of effective co-management of natural resources between Park agencies, conservancies and communities and subsequent benefit sharing
Etosha and SkeletonCoast link
- Development of a new type of Park, “Kunene People’s Park”, Partial realignment of PA network to restore traditional wildlife migration routes. Development of a new age “People’s Park” in Kunene region.
- Collaborative management of natural resources and Human Wildlife Conflict management.
Ai//Ais – Richtersveld and Sperrgebiet
- Establishment of a jointly managed park between different land-use sectors, Sperrgebiet National Park
- Effective functioning of a transfrontier park, by linking the Ai//Ais Hotsprings Park with the Richtersveld Park in South Africa.
Financing Barriers
Rapidly increasing financing for PA system: The project has played a catalytic role in the MET’s efforts to dramatically increase Government funding for PAs, through PA economic analysis.
- The park management budget increased by over 130 % within two years of the project existence
- A total of US$ 7.46 million additional funding was sourced for park management and infrastructure consolidation from EU, KfW, USFWS, and international NGOs
- Another significant co-financing (US$ 96.9 million) is in the pipeline from the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA), including a major investment in park infrastructure in SPAN’s field demonstration sites.
Factbox
Namibia is about to proclaim the 26,000 km² Sperrgebiet National Park, increasing Namibia’s PA coverage to about 17% of its surface area. Much of the Sperrgebiet falls under the succulent Karoo biome, one of the world’s few arid biodiversity hotspots. The Sperrgebiet means “forbidden area” in German and has been off limits to the public as a national diamond mining concession area. SPAN Project has assisted with preparing a solid foundation for the new park. This includes development of park management, business, and tourism plans and with a co-management mechanism with stakeholders such as the mining and fishery sectors.
