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Equator Initiative Case StudiesLocal sustainable development solutions for people, nature, and resilient communities
NamibiaTORRA CONSERVANCY
Empowered live
Resilient nation
Empowered live
Resilient nation
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UNDP EQUATOR INITIATIVE CASE STUDY SERIES
Local and indigenous communities across the world are advancing innovative sustainable development solutions that wo
or people and or nature. Few publications or case studies tell the ull story o how such initiatives evolve, the breadth
their impacts, or how they change over time. Fewer still have undertaken to tell these stories with community practition
themselves guiding the narrative.
To mark its 10-year anniversary, the Equator Initiative aims to ll this gap. The ollowing case study is one in a growing ser
that details the work o Equator Prize winners vetted and peer-reviewed best practices in community-based environmenconservation and sustainable livelihoods. These cases are intended to inspire the policy dialogue needed to take local succ
to scale, to improve the global knowledge base on local environment and development solutions, and to serve as models
replication. Case studies are best viewed and understood with reerence to The Power o Local Action: Lessons rom 10 Years
the Equator Prize, a compendium o lessons learned and policy guidance that draws rom the case material.
Click on the map to visit the Equator Initiatives searchable case study database.
EditorsEditor-in-Chie: Joseph Corcoran
Managing Editor: Oliver HughesContributing Editors: Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Erin Lewis, Whitney Wilding
Contributing WritersEdayatu Abieodun Lamptey, Erin Atwell, Toni Blackman, Jonathan Clay, Joseph Corcoran, Larissa Currado, Sarah Gordon, Oliver Hughe
Wen-Juan Jiang, Sonal Kanabar, Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Rachael Lader, Patrick Lee, Erin Lewis, Jona Liebl, Mengning Ma,
Mary McGraw, Gabriele Orlandi, Juliana Quaresma, Peter Schecter, Martin Sommerschuh, Whitney Wilding, Luna Wu
DesignOliver Hughes, Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Amy Korngiebel, Kimberly Koserowski, Erin Lewis, John Mulqueen, Lorena de la Pa
Brandon Payne, Mariajos Satizbal G.
AcknowledgementsThe Equator Initiative acknowledges with gratitude the Torra Conservancy, and especially the inputs and guidance o Sue Snym
(Wilderness Saaris), Ketji Jermain (Community Liaison, Wilderness Saaris), and Lena Florry (Area Manager, Wilderness Saaris). All ph
credits courtesy o Torra Conservancy and Wilderness Saaris. Wilderness Saaris (page 9, top let, top right, bottom right; page 10); Da
Allen (cover page; pages 4; 5; 6; 7; 8; 9, bottom let; 11); Mike Myers (page 12). Maps courtesy o CIA World Factbook and Wikipedia.
Suggested Citation
United Nations Development Programme. 2012. Torra Conservancy, Namibia. Equator Initiative Case Study Series. New York, NY.
http://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/events/2012events/Book_Launch/power%2520of%2520local%2520action%2520final%25202013%25208mb.pdfhttp://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/events/2012events/Book_Launch/power%2520of%2520local%2520action%2520final%25202013%25208mb.pdfhttp://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/events/2012events/Book_Launch/power%2520of%2520local%2520action%2520final%25202013%25208mb.pdfhttp://equatorinitiative.org/index.php?option=com_winners&view=casestudysearch&Itemid=858http://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/events/2012events/Book_Launch/power%2520of%2520local%2520action%2520final%25202013%25208mb.pdfhttp://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/events/2012events/Book_Launch/power%2520of%2520local%2520action%2520final%25202013%25208mb.pdf7/27/2019 Case Studies UNDP: TORRA CONSERVANCY, Namibia
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PROJECT SUMMARYTorra Conservancy, located on communal lands in theKunene region o northwest Namibia, is home to more than1,200 residents, living in small settlements scattered acrossthe 3,493-km2 territory. In 1995, the conservancy began asearch or investors to develop an ecotourism enterprisein the territory, represented by the Ward 11 ResidentsAssociation Trust in negotiations. An eco-lodge wasconstructed in partnership with Wilderness Saaris Namibia,a private tourism operator, the rst joint-venture agreemento its kind in Namibia.
Wilderness Saaris Namibia operates and maintainsDamaraland Camp as a protable ecotourism enterprise.Since its opening in 1996, the camp has been staed mainlyby local community members and, since 2002, managed byconservancy residents. Jobs at Damaraland Camp provideincome or 23 ull-time employees and managers, whileTorra Conservancy also generates revenues through rentreceived rom Wilderness Saari Namibia.
KEY FACTS
EQUATOR PRIZE WINNER: 2004
FOUNDED: 1996
LOCATION: Northwest Namibia
BENEFICIARIES: Over 1,000 conservancy members
BIODIVERSITY: 350,000-ha community conservancy
3
TORRA CONSERVANCYNamibia
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Background and Context 4
Key Activities and Innovations 6
Biodiversity Impacts 8
Socioeconomic Impacts 8
Policy Impacts 10
Sustainability 11
Replication 11
Partners 12
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orra Conservancy is located in the vast arid landscape o northwest
Namibia. The conservancy is responsible or the oversight and
management o around 350,000 hectares o spectacular and
cologically unique terrain, and is the setting or a pioneering
ommunity-based approach to wildlie management and
cotourism that has resulted in signicant increases in endemic
nimal populations and simultaneously improved the livelihoods o
ocal communities.
he majority o the conservancy alls in the Khorixas constituency o
he Kunene region, with the northern section alling in the Sesontein
onstituency. The territory under community management orms a
ignicant percentage o land managed or conservation purposes
etween the Kunene and Orange rivers. The conservancy name,orra, translates to red rock and reerences the red basalt rock that
overs much o the land surace. The region is extremely dry, with
nnual rainalls as low as 50 millimeters along much o Namibias
keleton Coast.
he majority o residents in Torra originated rom the Riemvasmaak
ommunity in South Arica. They were orcibly removed rom their
ands in 1973 and 1974 by the South Arican administration during
partheid. A good number o residents are also Damara people,
while others still are more recent immigrants. A little more than
,200 people live in settlements scattered across Torra Conservancy.
he majority o settlements are located along the road rom Khorixas
o Palmwag, the largest o which is Bergsig. Even in this capital ohe territory, there are only a ew small shops and community service
enters.
Project catalysts: poaching, drought and poverty
n the early 1980s, communities in Namibia were witnessing rapid
eclines in wildlie populations due to poaching and droughts, the
atter having intensied in requency and length over the previous
wo decades. The complexion and scale o poaching also changed
n the 1970s. The liberation war being waged in Namibia meant that
rearms were more widely available; weapons which event
made their way into the hands o ivory poachers. This had predict
negative consequences or many wildlie species, particularly la
game. Elephant populations in the Kunene region, or insta
dropped rom an estimated 1,200 in 1970 to only 250 in 1982.
that same period, the number o black rhinos dropped rom 30
65. Similar declines in populations o girae, zebra, springbok,
and other species were observed.
From a socioeconomic perspective, the relocated Riemvasm
population ound it very dicult to make ends meet in
inhospitable landscape. There were little to no available j
transportation was limited, and the basis o the economy
cattle, goat and sheep livestock. Even those venturing into sscale agriculture and the cultivation o ruit and vegetable gar
were conronted with incursions by elephants and predator sp
such as lions and cheetahs. Elephants would raid gardens, dam
property, destroy water installations, and on occasion cause inju
death to local residents.
It was against this context that a wildlie guard system was init
by a Namibian NGO, Integrated Rural Development and Na
Conservation (IRDNC), in partnership with local communitie
reclaim wildlie populations and local livelihoods. The guard sy
involved traditional elders appointing community members aacto wildlie extension ocers, a orm o customary deput
which conerred authority to combat poaching and mopopulations o endemic animals. The model proved remark
successul at reducing incidents o poaching and increasing wi
abundance. This locally-evolved and locally-directed system bec
a cornerstone o Namibias Community-Based Natural Reso
Management Program (CBNRM), today recognized around the w
or its ecacy and the successul devolution o authority.
In 1996, Namibia passed legislation that recognized the bound
o approved conservancies and granted conditional rights to
areas residents to enter into entrepreneurial ventures in ecotou
Background and Context
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nd sustainable hunting. Previously, tenure uncertainty meant many
ocal residents elt susceptible to eviction rom their lands by either
overnment or outside parties. With legal protections in place,
ommunities were able to undertake alternative livelihood plans
nd make long-term investments in land use planning. With greater
ertainty and newound empowerment, the communities in the
rea which would become the Torra Conservancy became the rst
n Namibia to enter into a joint venture with a private enterprise. In
996, in partnership with Wilderness Saaris Namibia, the communitypened Damaraland Camp: a luxury tented lodge or saaris that has
uickly garnered attention as a top ecotourism destination.
Governance and organizational structure
The conservancy is overseen and administered by a seven-pe
Management Committee. The committee is elected by the
conservancy members every ve years and overseas the saari c
as well as the protection o wildlie through a team o game gu
Financial decisions on how ecotourism revenues are distrib
and invested are also made by the committee ater consulta
with the conservancys orty communities. The majority o decisare guided by inormation obtained through eld and oce
through a monitoring system known as the event book w
covers institutional and natural resource management.
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Key Activities and Innovations
orra Conservancy is located on the communal lands o the Kunene
egion in northwest Namibia. More than 1,200 indigenous peoples
o Damara, Riemvasmaaker, Herero and Ovambo tribal origin and
dentication are spread over the 350,000-hectare territory. The
ast majority o Torra residents earn their living as pastoral armers
o cattle, sheep and goat. Pastoralist activities are supplemented
by small-scale vegetable arming. The conservancy aims to balance
he traditional livelihoods o local residents with an ecotourism
enture that bases its popularity on vibrant wildlie populations. As
o 2006, Torra was home to 700 elephants, more than 1,000 girae,
oughly 75,000 springbok, 15,000 oryx and the worlds largest wild
black rhino population that continues to grow. The conservancy also
boasts populations o hyena, jackal, cheetah, leopard and lion.
A community-private sector partnership or ecotourism
n anticipation o national legislation that would create legal space
or community-based conservancies, in 1995 the communities in
orra undertook a process o identiying investors interested in
eveloping an ecotourism enterprise in the territory. The Ward 11
Residents Association Trust was legally constituted to represent the
ommunity in negotiations. Every household in every settlement o
he territory was able to register association members.
Ater a great deal o interest rom dierent investors, the association
elected Wilderness Saaris Namibia to develop an eco-lodge. Thispartnership represented the rst joint-venture agreement in the
ountry between a community and a private tourism company. The
ontract signed between the two parties provided the community
with a rental ee or the use o the land based on a percentage o
otal revenue, and 10% o the net daily rate on each bednight sold.
he contract also stipulated that local residents be employed in the
odge and be provided with management training. Provision was
lso made or the community to incrementally acquire ownership
o the lodge.
Between 2005 and 2010, the conservancy was given 20% eq
in Damaraland Camp per annum until the eco-lodge was w
community-owned. At this point, Torra Conservancy chose to
60% back to Wilderness Saaris, orming a joint venture eq
partnership.
Damaraland Camp
Wilderness Saaris Namibia operates and maintains Damara
Camp as a viable and protable ecotourism enterprise. S
its opening in 1996, the camp has been staed mainly by
community members and, since 2002, managed by local resid
Jobs at Damaraland Camp provide additional and direct incom30 ull-time employees and managers, 23 o whom are conserv
members. Additional revenues are generated through rent rece
rom Wilderness Saaris Namibia. This rental arrangement is a
element o the land tenure agreement which underpins the
venture.
When constructing Damaraland Camp, the partners gave ca
consideration to principles o ecological integrity and sustainab
Sandbags, eucalyptus poles and reeds were used to reduce the
or cement and other synthetic materials. Structures were desig
in the style o traditional indigenous architecture. Accommoda
are elevated on poles to minimize impact on soils and to allow
spread o vegetation. Solar water pumps were installed and a wwater system established to reduce the amount o water used b
camp. The conservancy also cleared non-native plant species
the camp area and is working to extend this eradication throug
the conservancy.
Since 2010, the lodge has been upgraded, with both Wilder
Saaris and the conservancy investing capital or the upgrade
conservancy used unds raised rom the sale o 60% equity to the
company to settle their portion o the shareholders contribu
one o the rst instances in Namibia o a conservancy reinvesti
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n ecotourism project without donor unding or loans. Also in 2010,
orra Conservancy was assisted by Wilderness Saaris to raise a bank
oan o NAD 500,000 based on the collateral o their shareholding
n the eco-lodge. This money was used to build the Damaraland
Adventurer Camp, a secondary ecotourism operation, and is the
rst instance o a Namibian conservancy raising their own unds or
onstruction purposes.
Hunting quotas and live game sales
Ater three years o successul ecotourism partnership with
Wilderness Saari Namibia, the conservancy branched out into
ustainable hunting in 1999. Each conservancy is granted an annual
unt quota. By selling this hunt quota at competitive rates, the
onservancy has been able to augment its revenue streams. Ater its
rst three years, the hunting enterprise represented more than one
hird o conservancy cash income, bringing in roughly USD 30,000
n 2002 alone. The venture has proven extremely lucrative or the
ocal community without impacting the long-term sustainability o
wildlie populations.
orra Conservancy was also the rst communal conservancy in the
ountry to carry out live game sales to other conservation areas in
eed o stock to repopulate their lands. The annual trapping and
ale o live animals all in accordance with legal quotas provides
he conservancy with an additional source o prot. The practice has
lso played an important unction in repopulating other protected
reas. The conservancy has had notable success in this regard with
pringbok.
Wildlie monitoring
The conservancy employs six trained game guards. This t
gathers inormation and data on wildlie sightings, incid
o human-wildlie confict, incidents o poaching, and o
noteworthy activities in the conservation area. Guards also co
reports rom local households and pastoralists rom the urt
reaches o the conservancy to eectively and accurately mon
wildlie and natural resource use in the territory. All six guards retheir ndings directly to the Torra Management Committee.
active management approach allows or the kind o responsive
and fexibility that permits, or example, hunting and consump
quotas or certain amilies or communities that may be particu
isolated or marginalized.
Benet sharing
In 2003, prots rom Torra Conservancy activities were equit
distributed as a one-time cash dividend (o NAD 630
approximately USD 75, roughly equivalent to a months wage
all 300 adult members o the community. Conservancy income
since been invested in conservancy running costs and commu
development projects, such as building roads, constructing wate
holes, and providing clean water access. Ecotourism generates d
income or residents employed by the eco-lodge, and indirectl
local service providers.
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Impacts
BIODIVERSITY IMPACTSTorra Conservancy is a red-rock landscape, rich in biodiversity.
Because o arid weather conditions and the scarcity o soil, vegetation
s sparse and most plants are low-lying. The plains are dominated by
grasses and Euphorbia bushes, while paper-bark trees grow on hill
lopes. The territory is also home to some very unique biodiversity,
notably including the welwitschia plant which is ound nowhere else
on the planet. Ana, mopane and camel thorn trees are among the
more abundant species in the area.
Poaching and extensive droughts were key drivers o biodiversity
oss and dwindling wildlie populations throughout northwest
Namibia in the 1960s and 1970s. Several populations o fagshippecies such as the elephant and black rhino were in sharp
decline and on the verge o extinction. While national parks had been
established, the migrating nature o many endemic species meant
hat herds were let vulnerable and unprotected or large periods o
he year. Community-based conservancies run by groups like Torra
Conservancy proved to be the vital link capable o reestablishing
hriving wildlie numbers and ensuring the sae passage o migrating
nimals throughout the year.
Species recovery in the conservancy
Torra Conservancy is situated between two important national
parks: the coastal Skeleton National Park to the west, and the EtoshaNational Park to the east. Spanning more than 352,000 hectares,
he conservancy contains a number o diverse landscapes and
ecosystems, rom desert lowlands to mountainous highlands. The
onservancy is also home to an equally diverse range o animals,
birds, insects and vegetation. Among these endemic species, many
were previously threatened and endangered. One example is the
Hartmanns mountain zebra, a rare sighting in the early 1980s, but
species that is now making an impressive recovery. Plains zebra
oo have been growing in number within the conservancy, rom
n estimated 450 in 1982 to 1,700 in 2006. Another species on the
rebound is the south-western black rhino; once critically endangdue to demand or its horns, its status has since been elevate
endangered. The work o Torra and neighbouring conservancie
played an important role in this.
Another positive result o the conservancys work has been reco
o the local elephant population, which had dropped rom 1
animals in 1970 to just 250 in 1982. Since the wildlie guard system
been implemented in Torra Conservancy, the elephant popula
has grown, stabilized, and is now estimated at 700 animals. Si
trends have been recorded with antelope species such as sprin
and oryx, which had allen to 650 and 400 animals respective
the early 1980s. As o 2004, numbers in those populations had
dramatically to 74,000 springbok and 15,300 oryx.
Although reliable historic estimates are not available or many o
species considered hard to track like lion, cheetah, leopard, h
and jackal, their populations are considered healthy and gro
throughout the conservancy and surrounding areas. For exam
the cheetah population in Namibia that was once consid
threatened has today grown to be the worlds largest, a
estimated 2,500. Other species now ound in abundance withi
conservancy include warthog, klipspringer, kudu, duiker, steen
and ostrich.
SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS
Torra Conservancy contains dry, arid and largely unproductive
that is not suited to conventional arming. Pastoralism practic
the region are an adaptation; a response to the need to move an
between areas where it had rained and grazing was possible. W
pastoralism is still practised, there are a number o settlements
rely on pumped water and other inrastructure. The local popula
still relies on livestock rearing including goats, at-tailed sh
cattle, donkeys and horses though there is signicant variati
ownership between amilies. The poorer o residents likely keep
than ten animals, while wealthier armers tend to several hund
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A high percentage o households supplement their incomes with
emittances rom amily members that have moved to urban centers
and have higher earning capacity.
O all new sources o income since incorporating as a conservancy,he Damaraland Camp has been the most lucrative. Since opening
n 1996, the luxury tented lodge has become one o Namibias most
popular saari destinations. Camp revenues help cover the running
costs o the conservancy through salaries and other expenses.
Employment and income rom ecotourism
Damaraland Camp currently employs 30 individuals, 23 o whom
77%) are rom the Torra Conservancy. The building o the camp
equired 2030 casual labourers, some o whom went on to nd
permanent employment in the camp, or in other Wilderness Saaris
camps in Namibia. The Conservancy itsel employs approximately
nine local people in administration and management, while
emporary sta are also employed during the hunting season.
The management committee ensures that some orm o
employment is oered to at least one amily member rom all o the
mall communities in the conservancy territory. This rotating system
o employment and remuneration aims to equitably distribute
cash income and benets rom the ecotourism enterprise. Salaries
eceived by workers are signicantly higher than average household
earnings rom the traditional income-generating activities o
pastoralism and small-scale arming (see Table 1 or a comparison
o average incomes or camp sta and non-camp sta conservancy
members.)
Sta costs (salaries paid to conservancy members, sta m
housing, training, uniorm, etc.) increased rom NAD 537
(around USD 61,000) in 2007-8 to a high o NAD 804,499
91,000) in 2009-10 (all gures Snyman, 2012a). Combined
estimated values or local services and goods (e.g. laundry, rubremoval, rewood), and the annual Joint Venture payments mad
Wilderness Saaris, the Torra Conservancy received a total o NA
million (USD 746,000) in the period 2005-11. (A drop in paymen
2010-11 is explained by a 10% all in occupancy rates or that
explained by the 2010 Soccer World Cup in neighbouring S
Arica and general economic actors.)
Employment opportunities and the prospect o better income
helped to reduce out-migration by youth who might otherwis
9
Table 1: Average income amounts (NAD), 2009
Staf Community
Average annual household income 26,556.84 17,044.56
Average monthly household income 2,213.07 1,420.38
Average daily household income 73.77 47.34
Source: Snyman, 2012a.
Fig. 1: Payments received by the conservancy (NAD), 2007
0
200,000
400,000
600,000
800,000
1,000,000
1,200,000
1,400,000
1,600,000
2007-8 2008-9 2009-10 2010-11
Joint venture payments
Sta costs (salaries paid to conservancy members, etc.)
Total payments (including local services and goods)
Source: Snyman, 2012a.
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rawn to cities in search o gainul employment. With each sta
member at Damaraland Camp supporting an average o six people
Snyman, 2012a), the camp indirectly benets around 139 members
Torra Conservancy, or 12% o the total population, excluding the
utsourcing o services (such as road maintenance and laundry) that
lso impact on local people.
Hunting quotas and the sale o live game have also bolstered local
ncomes. Torra Conservancy obtains annual quotas rom the Ministry Environment and Tourism or the hunting o trophy species and
or more common game species that may be hunted by residents
without permits. The quotas are designed to ensure that a very small
ercentage o mature animals are hunted. The conservancy is then
ble to sell the trophy species quota in part or in whole to Namibia
Hunting Saaris.
orra Conservancy has also pioneered the sale o live game to
ommunal area conservancies that are in need o transplants to
epopulate a numbers o certain dwindling species. The rst sale o
ve game in Namibia was between Torra and Nyae Nyae Conservancy
n 2002. In two stages, 441 springbok were captured and sent to a
reehold conservancy which in turn provided Nyae Nyae with 226ed hartebeest in exchange or the springbok. A subsequent sale o
63 springbok earned Torra Conservancy USD 37,000.
he successul establishment and unctioning o the conservancy is
ependent on the commitment and support o community members
within the territory. With the recovery o oryx and springbok
opulations, residents have beneted rom own-use hunting quotas
nd meat distributed ater community hunts. Coolers have also
een given out to reduce meat spoilage. The conservancy has also
invested in local inrastructure and service provision. A commu
center and kindergarten have been built. In its rst three yea
operation, the conservancy provided USD 3,600 to local school
POLICY IMPACTS
The leadership o communities in the early 1980s to stem
widespread loss o wildlie in the Kunene region laid the ound
or several important policy changes over the ollowing 25 yThis model o community stewardship as expressed through
wildlie guard system achieved regional and national recogn
as a new way o organizing natural resource management.
ecacy o local community eorts to protect and preserve wi
and natural resources quickly garnered the attention o nat
NGOs, USAID, World Wildlie Fund and the national governmen
Ater achieving independence in 1990, one o the most pres
challenges or Namibia was addressing the state o the environm
sustainable development, and building an inclusive econom
a population with relatively ew income-generating options
initiative o community-based initiatives like the one that w
become Torra Conservancy led to the national Community-BNatural Resource Management program. The latter was le
established with the passing o the Nature Conservation Amend
Act o 1996 which explicitly provides communities with rights to
and wildlie use or communal benet. Torra was one o the
groups in Namibia to be granted ormal recognition as a conserv
under the new law. As o 2012, there were seventy-six regist
communal conservancies in Namibia.
10
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Sustainability and Replication
SUSTAINABILITYorra Conservancy has been sel-sucient, unctioning without the
ssistance o external donors since 2001. This has been made possible
hrough revenues generated by the saari camp, controlled trophy
unting, and live game sales. Damaraland Camp is a top destination
or adventure ecotourism in southern Arica. The conservancy is
ntirely community owned and operated. All salaried conservancy
ta are local community members.
Ater nearly thirty years o saeguarding wildlie rom poachers and
teen years o managing the ocial conservancy, Torra has proven
tsel to be a reliable steward o its land by ensuring the maintenance
wildlie populations while simultaneously providing local
esidents with sucient access to water resources and protection
rom predator losses.
he partnership with Wilderness Saaris Namibia has provided
he community with access to technical skills training and the
ommercial, nancial and managerial knowledge benets that
ome with a private sector partner. Technical support and capacity
uilding are also provided by the Namibia Community-Based
ourism Organization and the Namibia Nature Foundation. Several
ther partners, notably including IRDNC, provide Torra with
etworking and knowledge-sharing support as it relates to wildlie
management.
orra Conservancy has had to respond to several new challenges.
One ongoing issue has been growth in predator species such as
heetahs and lions. While rom a conservation perspective this is
ositive, rom the community perspective, and notably rom those
armers engaged in raising livestock, this poses a threat to sustainable
velihoods. As populations o predator species grow, so do attacks
n cattle and other livestock, which translates to lost earning
apacity and income or local armers. Attacks like these oten lead
o what are called revenge killings or simply create tension between
onservation eorts and people-centered development priorities.
This can have the eect o undermining eorts or coexistenoutweigh the economic incentives being derived rom ecotou
To address this issue, Torra Conservancy has developed a na
compensation scheme to reduce the loss on local armers o
stock losses due to predators.
Another sustainability challenge will be addressing the calls
the community or greater nancial transparency. Communica
channels between the management committee, sta and memb
resident settlements will need to be maintained, i not strengthe
in the coming years. I these channels o communication are clos
will be dicult to advance towards shared objectives, and a com
vision and trust will be eroded. To build trust in the community
conservancy will need to continue developing new employm
and income-generating opportunities and maintain econ
incentives or conservation. There remains considerable scop
sustainable economic development in the territory, including
expansion o ecotourism, small-scale businesses and the prov
o local support services.
In terms o long-term environmental sustainability, there is a
to expand conservation and natural resource management bey
the boundaries o the conservancy. The migratory nature o wi
in the area necessitates landscape-level and regionally-integr
conservation strategies. Beyond wildlie, there is a need or bro
natural resource management strategies in water and grassland
REPLICATION
The steps taken by the leaders o the Torra Conservancy to pres
wildlie and natural landscapes led to more than 40 other commun
ollowing suit, and today orm the basis or the national approa
natural resource management that both encourages and empo
local communities to be the stewards o their traditional land
2012, there were 76 registered communal conservancies in Nam
covering a total o 155,205 km2.
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PARTNERS
Wilderness Saaris: joint venture partner in construction,
marketing, and management o Damaraland Camp in
1996; provides lease ees to Torra Conservancy or exclusive
development rights o a lodge in a 10 hectare radius and
traversing rights in the conservancy.
Save the Rhino: trains game guards in the monitoring o black
rhino.
The Namibian Association o Community Based Natural Resource
Management Support Organisations (NASCO): provides Torra
with advice on governance and institutional issues, natural
resource management and nancial and business planning.
Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conserva
(IRDNC): assisted in obtaining legal conservancy status;
given training in management and monitoring systems, as
as technical assistance in negotiating with private sector.
WWFs LIFE Project: has provided applied research in the s
and biological elds to develop appropriate and relevant na
resource management strategies, or program monitoring
or monitoring the natural resource base.
Ministry o Environment and Tourism: provides tech
consulting on resource management; grants annual hun
quotas, and grants concessions or business development.
7/27/2019 Case Studies UNDP: TORRA CONSERVANCY, Namibia
13/13
FURTHER REFERENCE
Snyman, S. 2012a. Ecotourism joint ventures between the private sector and communities: An updated analysis o the Torra Conserv
and Damaraland Camp partnership, Namibia Tourism Management Perspectives 4 (2012) 127135
sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211973612000554
Snyman, S. 2012b. The role o tourism employment in poverty reduction and community perceptions o conservation and touris
southern Arica, Journal o Sustainable Tourism, 20:3, 395-416. tandonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09669582.2012.657202
Mulong, S and Murphy, C. 2003. Spending the money: The experience o conservancy benet distribution in Namibia up to mid-2
Directorate o Environmental Aairs, Namibia, Research Discussion Paper, No. 63
equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/2004winners/Torra_Conservancy/benet_distribution_torra.pdHoole, A.F. 2010. Place Power Prognosis: community-based conservation, partnerships and ecotourism enterprise in Nam
International Journal o the Commons. Vol. 4, No 1, pp. 7899
thecommonsjournal.org/index.php/ijc/article/view/112/129
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o recognize and advance local sustainable development solutions or people, nature and resilient communities.
2012 by Equator Initiative
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