Place, Prospects and Power: Community-Based Conservation, Partnerships, and Ecotourism Enterprise in Namibia

Abstract

"Namibia's community-based natural resource management program (CBRNM) and communal conservancies have gained international acclaim for rural poverty alleviation and wildlife conservation on the commons. Community-based ecotourism enterprise development, premised on a stunning wildlife spectacle for international, up market tourism, has played a central role in the generation of community revenues, employment and additional benefits.

"The paper presents the evolution of institutional linkages and partnerships for community-based conservation in Namibia. The place and prospects for ecotourism joint venture enterprises with communal conservancies are given particular attention. The case of Torra Conservancy in the Kunene region of northwest Namibia is profiled as a model. Prospects for replicating the Torra model are evaluated, especially through examining the case of the Ehi-rovipuka Conservancy. Power relationships between and among private enterprise, community, and the state in the ecotourism partnerships are elucidated.

"The paper applies data acquired through a participatory rural appraisal (PRA) approach conducted in Namibia as part of recent doctoral research. Findings demonstrate some tangible successes in community- based ecotourism enterprise development, as well as related issues in benefits distribution and power brokering. It is concluded that joint ventures in ecotourism enterprise development can contribute successfully to community-based conservation. But, issues of power sharing, governance and competition necessitate the further evolution of commons institutions to capture future, sustainable benefits from community-based conservation premised on wildlife and related ecotourism development."