By Wezi Tjaronda WINDHOEK Ondjou Conservancy members are working around the clock to have the conservancy launched soon. Gazetted in November 2006, the conservancy in Gam, Tsumkwe constituency, derives its name from the cultural attachment of the community to the elephant, one of the vast wildlife species in the area. The goal of the conservancy, whose process of registration started in 2001, is to harmonize relations between game and humans by creating avenues for direct and indirect benefits-flow into the community and also to restore ownership of natural resources in the area to the majority of the country currently living in poverty. Although poaching is rife in the area, it is hoped that, with the conservancy concept, people will learn to conserve wildlife species. Contrary to belief that the Gam area does not have wildlife, a recent game count proved that the area has abundant wildlife. It also borders the Nyae Nyae Conservancy, also in Tsumkwe Constituency, which has a diversity of wildlife and birds. A brief on the conservancy says Gam has vast potential for investment because of its vast numbers of game, unspoilt spectacular landscape, unique vegetation, birds, medicinal plants, wild fruits and a warm-cultured people. The conservancy held meetings on Saturday and Sunday for the community and its leaders to chart the way forward for the conservancy. Amongst others, the meetings were aimed at informing the community on developments in the conservancy after it was gazetted. The Saturday meeting was attended by Heads of Government Departments working in Gam, traditional, church and youth leaders, the Local Development Committee and Conservancy Management Committee, among many others. This meeting was tasked with looking at tentative dates during which the conservancy will be launched and also selection of a coordinating committee for the event that has been scheduled for end May. The information-sharing session for the community on Sunday was, however, dominated by questions surrounding Human Wildlife Conflict and benefit-sharing. Many wanted to understand the benefits of conserving the very animals that would kill their livestock and also their crop fields. Onjou is among 50 communal area conservancies that have been gazetted so far in a concept that enables communities to conserve wildlife and other resources with the idea of benefiting from them. A report titled Communal Area Conservancies: A Review of Progress and Challenges in 2005, indicates that income and benefits generated through conservancies have grown steadily from N$600ÃÆ’Æ‘ÀÃ…ÃÆ”šÃ‚ 000 to N$14 million in a space of seven years. This income represents 69 percent of the total Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) income of N$20 million. This growth, according to the report released in February, is attributed to the growth of the tourism industry. Among many other benefits derived from conservancies are direct and indirect benefits. Direct benefits include game meat and meat products distribution, cash payments for conservancies that are well established and are generating sufficient income, infrastructure development such as lodges and camp sites, job opportunities, entrepreneurship, capacity-building, diversification of income-generation and sustainable management and utilization of resources. Jacob Kolbooi of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism in Tsumkwe told the meeting that the conservancy committee needed support from other community members to make it a reality. He encouraged the community to be part of the conservation initiative to enable them derive benefits from the conservancy which he said could include game, trophy-hunting, crafts-production and many others, as an additional income from cattle-farming. He allayed fears of some community members who feel that conservation will overtake cattle-farming, saying: “Farming in not excluded. You will farm as usual, only that you will be conserving wildlife and other natural resources as well.” After the launch, the conservancy, with the help of MET officials, will embark on a management plan alongside zoning of the conservancy for it to have wildlife, farming and forest zones. However, Conservancy Chairman, Jonas Kauheva, expressed concern that community meetings were not well attended. He said the conservancy, which many did not seem to understand as yet, has assisted in many ways in the development of community by buying diesel for water pumps, buying equipment for rural schools and employing people, especially the youth. “It improves the living standards of the people through many ways,” Kauheva added.