State of Protected Area in Namibia 2010

Given the important nature of the national PAs, there is a need to document the contribution of our PAs and the recent progress of PA management in one publication, which has not, until now, been done. For this reason, the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET), with the support of the UNDP/GEF-supported Strengthening the Protected Area Network (SPAN) Project, has compiled the fi rst-ever State of Protected Areas in Namibia report. This will provide the Government, parliamentarians, donors, Namibian public and other interested parties with a comprehensive picture of the status of Namibia’s PA network. It provides a snapshot of up-to-date information about our 20 formal PAs, drawing largely on data collected over the past five years. The eight chapters outline the history of PAs, from the proclamation of the Etosha and Namib-Naukluft parks more than a century ago, to recent trends, achievements, challenges and future plans.

The 20 state-run PAs cover an area of 135 906.29 km². Namibia has taken its own approach to the designation of its PAs and does not strictly follow PA categories recommended by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The IUCN categories are based on a hierarchy of protection levels, so for example National Parks have the second-highest level of protection. The Nature Conservation Ordinance establishes only two types of state-run PAs: game parks and nature reserves. Both are set aside for the same conservation and recreational purposes. There is no further delineation between the two categories in terms of protection status and management objectives. However, in order to indicate that some parks have a higher conservation importance than others, Namibia has named six of its 20 PAs as national parks. Although allowing considerable flexibility in what may be permitted in different PAs, including national parks, this system can be confusing and is under review.

Downloads

• Stete of Parks Namibia 2010