President Nangolo Mbumba has lauded the progress made through the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) agreement.

Namibia is actively protecting its fragile ecosystems, with 44% of its total surface area now designated as protected areas, conservancies, tourism concessions, and game farms.

Mbumba attributed the achievements to community-based conservation of wildlife, which, as a strategy, has helped the country unlock the vast potential of its natural resources as a means of empowering our local communities. 

Namibia's conservation programme is comprised of 86 registered conservancies and 43 community forests, covering over 180,000 square kilometres and over 227,000 residents.

Additionally, Mbumba noted that legislation grants conservancy communities management rights over wildlife and tourism concessions in national parks, enabling them to capitalise on economic opportunities like eco-tourism and hunting.

This has provided income and job opportunities, especially in vulnerable communities.

"In this manner, communal farmers become direct participants in the conservation and rural development processes, from which they are now able to derive direct income through wildlife and tourism activities. All the revenue generated from hunting is channelled to rural communities through our conservation programmes. This is part of our strategy to deliver on and fulfil our national obligations to the Convention on Biological Diversity and its three objectives: biodiversity conservation, sustainable use and access, and benefit sharing."

Despite progress made in the management of wildlife, illegal hunting, particularly of elephants and rhinos, remains a continent-wide problem.

Mbumba emphasised collaborative efforts to develop crime prevention measures and called on partner countries to allocate adequate human and financial resources to attain the goals and objectives of the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area.

"Collaboration in this regard, particularly through joint intelligence operations, is therefore imperative. Within the context of KAZA, Namibia is actively participating in various efforts coordinated by the KAZA Secretariat to disrupt the illegal wildlife trade and poaching."

Mbumba was speaking at the KAZA-TFCA Summit in Zambia.