The Director of Forestry in the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism, Johnson Ndokosho, has issued a stern warning that the directorate will not renew tree harvesting permits for farms in breach of harvesting quotas. 

Ndokosho made this warning during a community meeting underway at Outjo in the Kunene Region, which is aimed at engaging with charcoal farmers and workers who are affected by the ban on production on their farms.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism (MEFT) has handed over 20 boreholes, constructed at various locations in the country's north, to the Ministry of Agriculture.

The boreholes were constructed under the Namibia Integrated Landscape Approach for Enhancing Livelihoods and Environmental Governance to Eradicate Poverty (NILALEG) project.

The project itself was funded by the global environmental facility within the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Romeo Muyunda, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism, has confirmed the water situation at Ngenda.

Muyunda stated that samples were taken from the water treatment plant in 2023 for testing, and it was determined that the water posed a low health risk.

According to the report, the iron levels were found to be 1.72 milligrammes per litre. It is scientifically recognised that drinking water with iron levels up to 2 milligrammes per litre does not pose a risk.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism has launched the Namibia Integrated Landscape Approach for Enhancing Livelihoods and Environmental Governance to Eradicate Poverty project. 

Supported by the Global Environment Facility and the UNDP, the project aims to promote sustainable landscape management, reduce poverty with nature-based livelihoods, protect forests, and achieve land degradation neutrality.

The Minister of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta, has urged the tourism industry and reservation services to up their service delivery to grow the industry.
 
Shifeta said this during the opening of the 2024 Namibia Tourism Expo.
 
Pohamba says tourism-related industries such as accommodation establishments, transport, food and beverage services, and travel agencies cannot afford to offer poor services. 
 
He says the expo is an opportunity for exhibitors to showcase their products and increase tourism activities.

Hundreds of hippos are stranded and trapped in the mud waters along the Chobe and Linyanti rivers in the Zambezi Region.

The river received low rainfall this year compared to previous years.

Most parts of the Chobe and Linyanti rivers bordering Botswana and Namibia's Zambezi Region have started drying up due to insufficient rainfall.

In previous years, the Chobe River got inflows of flood water; this year, the situation is different. 

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism is expected to spend about N$47 million on renovating entrance gates and sanitation facilities at the Etosha and Hardap National Parks. 

The gates receiving face lifts are the Anderson, Von Lindqeuist, and King Nehale Lya Mpingana gates. 

Additionally, eight sanitation facilities at the park will also be upgraded to "comfort stops," comprising toilets, picnic areas, information displays, viewing platforms, and adequate parking areas. 

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism says Germany's decision to restrict or ban the import of hunting trophies could harm Namibia's conservation efforts. 

Hunters from Germany and elsewhere flock to Namibia during hunting season to do trophy hunting, spending top dollar in search of a prized trophy. 

Once the animals are hunted, the taxidermists get involved to prepare the trophy before it is exported to the hunter. 

The body of a villager from Nongozi was retrieved from a swamp in the Nkasa-Rupara National Park in the Zambezi Region on Tuesday. 

The 29-year-old  Samupwa Lubinda's body was already in a state of early decomposition when it was retrieved. 

According to a police report, Lubinda drowned during a fishing excursion with two other men in the park on Sunday.

It is alleged that when they were busy removing fish from the nets, they saw anti-poaching officials and jumped into the water.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism is currently conducting an assessment to determine the extent of rhino poaching. In light of the recent poaching incidents in the park, the ministry has also requested an urgent high-level meeting with the security cluster.

To date, a total of 28 rhinos have been poached in Namibia. Out of these, 19 were poached in the Etosha National Park, while the remaining 10 were discovered during dehorning operations throughout the month of March.