Environment, Forestry and Tourism minister Pohamba Shifeta said in his end-of-year message on Monday that poaching remains an issue in Namibia, despite the recorded decrease over the year 2023.
About 48 rhinos were poached in 2023, compared to 92 in the previous year, while eight elephants were poached in 2023, compared to four in 2022.
Wildlife conservation continues to face the challenges of poaching, habitat fragmentation and human-wildlife-conflict, issues which continue to reverse the hard-earned achievements in safeguarding wildlife, Shifeta noted.
“To bring poaching under control, we need to stand and work together as stakeholders. Poaching is not the only challenge, but so is human-wildlife conflict. This is due to new smart conservation methods that lead to an increase of wildlife outside national parks. The main reports are crop damage, livestock losses, injuries to people, and in certain circumstances, death. The ministry has paid over N$31.7 million since 2019 in offsetting losses due to human-wildlife conflicts. The stakeholders held conferences to seek solutions to address to conflict,” the minister added.
In 2023, the ministry recorded 85% compliance with the Environmental Management Act, which was enacted to protect the natural environment. The ministry received 1 600 applications for environmental clearance, and 984 clearance certificates were issued. The most common were for infrastructural development, urban development and mining. The high number of applications, Shifeta said, is attributed to the newly- introduced online application system, which will continue in 2024.
The government also completed a number of constructions in national parks, such as Sesriem, Skeleton Coast and Cape Cross, with further plans to develop other national parks across the country in the pipeline.
“The ministry has carried out a number of inspections in order to prevent further illegal activities. The ministry will continue to work with stakeholders in order to combat challenges such as poaching, human wildlife conflict and climate change issues, as tourism remains the key economic factor in Namibia,” he continued. -Nampa