An initiative to establish a wildlife conservation park which will see large tracts of communal land in Kunene falling into private hands and conservancies, has ignited an uproar as certain quarters fear losing their ancestral and grazing land.
Some communities and conservancies in the region, in petitions seen by this paper, have outrightly rejected the planned park which seeks to protect certain portions of communal land where wild animals roam freely.
The land in question will, however, not be fenced off, but will have unique demarcations that will set it apart through a system called zonation.
Those propagating for the park say it will create employment, be managed by the locals, and generate revenue for community projects.
Documents seen by New Era show that the Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation (IRDNC) organisation is facilitating the project. It will be funded by foreign investors.
They are supported by factions from the affected villages and conservancies.
The park’s draft management plan was developed by the Ehirovipuka and Omatendeka conservancies and their traditional authorities under the umbrella of the Kunene Regional Conservancy Association.
The IRDNC provided technical assistance, documents show.
To be known as Ombonde People’s Park (OPP), the enterprise was birthed in 2016 and to be located in Kunene.
It extends to approximately 114 000 hectares. The sought-after area is seen as an important biodiversity area with largely undisturbed wildlife habitat.
The envisaged park will share borders with the #Khoadi-//Hoas Conservancy and the Hobatere tourism concession area to the east, Etendeka tourism concession area on the south, to the west on Anabeb conservancy, and to the north on the multiple use zones of the Ehirovipuka and Omatendeka conservancies.
“The park consolidates the core wildlife areas of Ehirovipuka and Omatendeka conservancies into a protected area that will link other important wildlife areas and protected areas to ensure landscape level protection for key species such as black rhinoceros, elephant, giraffe, lion, black-faced impala, mountain zebra and others,” reads a section of the draft proposed management plan.
The OPP, its advocates say, serves as a corridor for wildlife populations from the Etosha National Park, the Hobatere tourism concession area through to Etendeka, the Palmwag concession areas and the Skeleton Coast Park.
Surrounding conservancies such as #Khoadi-//Hoas, Torra, Anabeb and Sesfontein also form part of the park’s agenda.
Theft
For some quarters of the Ehirovipuka conservancy, what appears to be a bona fide project on paper has ulterior motives. Proper consultations were also not done to take them into confidence, they firmly hold.
According to them, the little grazing and ancestral land that they are left with is under threat.
In no uncertain terms, they say, their communal land needs no protection.
“Ombonde proposed park will be regarded as Erindi in the making, which means our land is being sold to foreigners under the table… the whole nation is fighting to regain their ancestral land. Thus, we do not want to give away the little land we have been left with by our forefathers,” the community said in a petition dated 17 June 2021.
That position remains the same to this day.
Residents of the Ehirovipuka conservancy share a border with the notorious veterinary cordon fence, also known as the red line, which divides the north from the south.
“The only land that we are left with is very scarce and narrow as it is bordered by the Etosha National Park and the Hobatere concession (area) (and the red line). We cannot entertain another protected area within our area of jurisdiction anymore… adding up a third park to the area will totally disadvantage the inhabitants and farmers extensively,” the petitioners charged.
Should the OPP become a reality, they added, future farming generations will have no grazing areas left.
Not alone
Late last year, concerned community members and traditional authorities from Puros, Anabib and Sesfontein converged in Khowarib, to, among others, unpack the people’s park issue with a view to have a common position.
They too, in a petition to environment minister Pohamba Shifeta, claim to be in the dark.
Efforts to get comment from the minister were futile.
In no uncertain terms, they also distanced themselves from the scheme.
“The ‘so-called’ people’s park boundaries were not the decision of the communities and their leadership. It was pre-audited, and the communities were just informed on a selective approach (selected youth, women and headmen).
“Therefore, the people’s park is the initiative of the IRDNC and their unknown stakeholders who are funding them. The IRDNC used a selective approach, which they used during the establishment of the conservancies now again (with) the ‘so-called’ people’s park,” Shifeta was informed.
Like Ehirovipuka, the community is also grappling with insufficient grazing land, which they share with wild animals.
The planned park will only add insult to injury, it appears.
“We are currently encircled by the Hobatere (and) Palmwag concession (areas) in the south and the Skeleton Coast Park in the west of the Sesfontein constituency, which had already taken vast portions of our land for domestic farming purposes, and denied us its use even during droughts,” the community asserted.
Not only have they lost their rangeland to the national park or concession areas, “our domestic animals have been shot and killed before who had entered the park, and we don’t want that repeated.
“The IRDNC is using the power of donor fund(ing) to oppress the weak community and its leaders,” they lamented, before requesting the minister to intervene through holding an information-sharing session.
Beyond reproach
Meanwhile, IRDNC boss and seasoned conservationist John Kasaona refuted the claims, saying the development is beyond reproach and seeks to unchain the communities from the jaws of poverty.
Kasaona maintained that the initiative is not being shoved down the communities’ throats, as claimed.
Instead, he said, extensive consultations have been held since 2016, and will continue.
“How have the consultations been selective? We have been consulting since 2016. We have held several meetings with traditional leaders and community members, where constituency councillors and the police were present. We are in the second phase, and will continue to consult,” he added.
Ultimately, the affected communities will have the last say.
“The people’s park will belong to the community. The money generated from the park will go to the community. We are not forcing the communities to accept the park. If they say ‘yes’, we will continue. If the say ‘no’, we will move on to other areas like Otjinungua, where communities are interested in such initiatives,” Kasaona said last week.
He noted that it is not surprising that certain sections of the community are against the development.
“People with cattle in our communities think they are more important than others. But our young people are unemployed, just in bars drinking and hopeless. Through such projects, we want to create opportunities for our people,” Kasaona added.
It was the case when conservancies were first conceptualised in the late 90s, he said.
The rationale behind the park, he explained, is to continue protecting specially-protected species and the furtherance of government’s anti-poaching efforts.
He dismissed claims that the envisaged park will encroach on grazing land.
“The park will be established where people hardly settle or graze their animals. They only go there during extreme drought situations,” he said.
“We are not fencing off the land. We are just saying there is an opportunity that can advance our people. Currently, tourists just drive through that area, free of charge. What we want to do is to at least charge a fee that we give back to the community as they don’t benefit anything at the moment,” he reasoned.
Rules
If it becomes a reality, access for tourists will only be allowed from the Palmfontein and Omungunda control points, where they will be expected to pay a certain fee, the draft plan shows.
There are proposed rules for conservancy members residing at the park.
“No unauthorised grazing by livestock will be allowed in the park. Conservancy members may be granted permission to enter the park for temporary grazing purposes under specified circumstances. Livestock owners, who are members of the Ehirovipuka or Omatendeka conservancies, in times of extreme drought, should jointly engage their conservancies to request access to grazing in the park,” reads one of the rules.
Additionally, no new permanent structures from cement, bricks or stones may be erected without the permission of park management.
“No trees may be cut for fencing posts or homesteads (or for any other purpose) without the permission of park management. No boreholes may be drilled without the permission of park management... no donkeys or horses may enter the park unless approved by park management,” the draft plan further reads.
The management plan is valid from 2019 to 2023.
Sources who spoke to New Era on condition of anonymity confirmed that a new management plan is underway after the current one allegedly gives more powers to conservancies than traditional leaders.
The latter group is the custodian of communal land, on behalf of the State.