2018-02-20Staff Report 2 Query: The Ministry of Environment and Tourism seems to want to take over the whole country and turn it into a park. There is almost nowhere to go anymore, where you don’t need a permit and vast areas of the country are cut off from citizens. What kind of country is Namibia becoming and for who? Response: The Ministry of Environment and Tourism is not setting up National Parks everywhere in the country as insinuated. National Parks cover only 17 percent of the land surface. Community conservancies cover approximately 19 percent and do not take away land from the communities and no entry permits are required. Community conservancies remain 100 percent communal land in which the Ministry’s only interest is the conservation of biodiversity, and communities in return have rights to utilise the wildlife in addition to other forms of land use. Query: The Rules must apply to all conservancies and not only to some. Things are not done in the right way in the Zambezi region. The conservancies in Mudumu North and south are under pressure when something goes wrong, but conservancies in Chobe East and West complex are treated special, even if something goes wrong. Why? Minister please ask your staff and explain why it is like that, are we not all citizens of this country? And Query: The Zambezi Region CBNRM division, some staff are not listening to members’ views during the AGM and general meetings - but are rather doing things only in their interest and community members are fighting amongst themselves. We also know their activities, but we are still compiling the report for them to be investigated as soon as possible. Response: The rules and regulations regarding the management of conservancies apply to all conservancies and none should be given special preferences. Action was taken by the Ministry in conservancies in the Chobe east and west where the rules and guidelines were contravened. Any report of the Ministry’s staff members not applying the rules and guidelines of conservancies as well as not taking the views of conservancy members in their Annual General Meetings or other engagement will not be tolerated. Conservancy members are urged to report such cases in writing to the office of the Permanent Secretary with facts and necessary evidence where possible. • Mr Romeo Muyunda, Chief Public Relations Officer, Ministry of Environment and Tourism, E-mail Address: Romeo.muyunda@met.gov.na 2018-02-20Staff Report 2
