Otjozondjupa Regional Council has welcomed the creation of the special wildlife court in the region as a means to speedily handle cases and deter would-be offenders dealing in protected game products.

This sentiment was shared by Otjozondjupa Regional Council Chairperson, Marlene Mbakera, during a courtesy call to the Governor's office by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Constitutional and Legal Affairs at the Otjiwarongo.

According to Mbakera, the region's central location makes it an entry and exit zone for poachers.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism seized about 1,000 illegally cut timber logs last year.

This was revealed in the ministry's Wildlife Protection and Law Enforcement in Namibia report.

While reporting on the successes, the ministerial report indicates numerous challenges still facing the ministry in protecting timber.

These include transport limitations, staff shortages, ineffective permit systems, open transit trucks that allow en-route tampering, difficulties in quantifying timber volumes, and some tree species not being listed on CITES.