SPAN PROJECT
Ministry of Environment and Tourism
Directorate of Parks and Wildlife Management
Private Bag 13306
Namibia
What is SPAN?
Strengthening the Protected Area Network (SPAN)Project is a Namibian 6 - year project officially started in 2006. It is a project of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET), and housed within the Directorate of Parks and Wildlife Management. The project is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Background
Namibia lies at the heart of the species - rich Namib - Karoo - Kaokoveld Desert Ecoregion (WWW Global 200 Ecoregions). The country also has two globally significant "biodiversity hotspots"; namely the Sperrgebiet and Namib Escarpment. It has a high level of endemism and is an evolutionary hub for groups of organisms like melons, succulent plants, solifuges, geckos and tortoises. Namibia's conservation efforts have made the country the stronghold for populations of mega fauna such as black rhinoceros (almost a third of the world population) and cheetah.
The country has established an impressive system of Protected Areas (PAs), managed by the State, which constitutes a cornerstone of its conservation programme. This system comprises 20 national PAs, covering 13.8% of the terrestrial area (114,000 sq). There is huge potential for these areas to be woven into a tight, cohesive and effective network of PAs, providing an effective buffer against threats to biodiversity. However, several barriers hinder movement toward improving PA management effectiveness. These include: a fragmented policy framework; weak institutional capacities, weak human capacities for PA operations, incomplete bio - geographic coverage, and the absence of tested mechanisms for public - private - community partnerships.
Intervention was needed to lift these barriers to improve management effectiveness in the PA system.
The SPAN Project was conceived as a means to address this need. The project focuses on three broad intervention areas: 1) strengthening systemic capacity, namely the enabling legal/policy environment and financial mechanisms for PA management; 2) strengthening the institutional capacity for PA management; and 3) demonstrating new ways of PA management at four field demonstration sites (Bwabwata - Mudumu - Mamili Complex, Etosha - Skeleton Coast Link, /Ai - /Ais and Sperrgebiet). Activities under each component focus on the removal of barriers hindering the management performance of the PA System.
| Funding Agencies | Links on the | SPAN Website | |||
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