While the rejection of a proposal to reopen the ivory trade for one-off sales by Tanzania and Zambia was hailed as a victory for conservationists, the reasons behind its rejection are generally bad news for the wildlife of Africa. In order to find a real cause for celebration, we must look at the country of Namibia, where the war against poachers is being comprehensively won by the authorities.

Namibia has set an example that if other countries were to follow, then it would give an excellent chance that Africa’s most endangered species can be pulled back from the brink of extinction.

In the past 20 years, Namibia has achieved enviable successes in terms of biodiversity conservation. This record of achievement is not only a benefit in itself, providing a demonstration that the downfall of many species in Africa is not inevitable, but is has allowed the Namibian government to look at its conservation policies in the long term rather than merely focusing on day-to-day battles.

The Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) was created to promote biodiversity conservation in the Namibian environment through sustainable utilisation of natural resources and tourism development.

So rather than trying to put a halt to the illegal trade by tackling and prosecuting the poachers and smugglers, MET allowed Namibia to develop real alternatives to the illegal trade and thus eliminate the need for its citizens to turn to poaching and smuggling in the first place.

The country has an extensive and internationally renowned protected area network. This is made up of various National Parks, and other areas where the wildlife within can be closely monitored and protected from harm.

But more importantly, most of the land within Namibia’s diversified protected area network has pragmatic conservation management objectives. This means that instead of locking away their flora and fauna in an attempt to prevent any harm coming to them, any protection measures go hand in hand with tourism related economic activity that is centred around the wildlife.

By providing sustainable sources of income that rely on conserving its wildlife, the Namibian government has provided its people with a motivation to protect rather than exploit the species living there.

The effect of this can be observed in the people’s interactions with wildlife outside of the protection areas.

Wildlife on freehold land has also increased over the past 20 years and in places are at such high levels that they can support quality wildlife-based tourism. This has seen wildlife bring maximum social and economic benefit to the country’s citizens.

Park entrance fees collected are now close to N$50 million annually, this amount having increased several folds since the country gained independence.

Namibia’s wildlife and spectacular landscapes are the main draw cards for Namibia’s growing tourism industry, which creates direct employment for about 20 000 people, while this increases to 77 000 jobs if the entire tourism economy is considered.

The country has good growth potential to further expand its tourism industry, in fact the World Travel and Tourism Council regard it as one of the top 10 countries in this respect in their 2008 assessment.

Just as important as the real results, Namibia’s record has earned the country an excellent international reputation.

This has led to, among other benefits such as attracting generous donor and private sector investments, rural community participation in biodiversity conservation and benefits.

While Tanzania and Zambia’s poor record in relation to conservation torpedoed their proposals to sell ivory, Namibia’s record has allowed them to not only generate revenue through sustainable use of their wildlife in tourism, but it is one of the few countries in the world allowed to sell black rhino and elephant products.

In 2004, MET’s proposal to CITES to establish an annual export quota of five black rhinoceros hunting trophies was adopted by consensus.

The ministry is currently able to generate income from the trophy hunting of the black rhino.

Revenue generated from trophy hunting of rhino is re-invested into conservation and rural development through the Game Products Trust Fund.

All of the benefits experienced by the people are also fed back into real results for the countries wildlife, and the facts are impressive.

Namibia holds a third of all the black rhinos remaining in Africa, and over 95 percent of the south-western subspecies (Diceros bicornis bicornis).

As a result of poaching in the 1970s, the Namibian black rhino population was estimated at just over 350 individuals.

Through careful management, the situation was reverted and the total population has continued to grow at just over 5 percent per annum.

Currently, the black rhino population is estimated at 1 450 individuals.

The population has increased by slightly over 75 percent since 1990.

Through MET custodianship programme, the black rhino range was significantly expanded outside protected areas to include freehold land and conservancies.

Namibia also has a healthy and growing elephant population with almost no incidents of poaching despite many of these animals living outside protected areas.

Namibia’s conservation efforts still become more remarkable as more news emerges about the dangerous levels of some species in Africa.

Since independence, no known species have become extinct, and there are signs that rare and endangered species are increasing in numbers and expanding back into areas where they had previously become eliminated.

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