Green economy opens new path to rural jobs

Namibia’s community-based conservation model is increasingly turning wildlife, forests, and natural resources into jobs, income, and business opportunities for rural communities, while the government is also expanding green employment through waste management, land restoration, and sustainable resource use.

Environment, forestry and tourism minister Indileni Daniel said the ministry’s programmes are designed to ensure that communities do not merely protect natural resources, but also own, use and benefit from them through employment, tourism partnerships, sustainable hunting, forestry enterprises and the commercialisation of natural products.

She responded to questions raised in Parliament on the ministry's key priorities, including supporting community-based conservation to ensure communities benefit from wildlife and creating green jobs through sustainable economic opportunities. 

Daniel said that through the Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) programme, communities benefit from communal conservancies, community forests, tourism concessions and partnerships, while community game guards are employed to patrol conservancies, combat poaching and help manage human-wildlife conflict.

She said the approach has generated a range of socio-economic benefits, including employment in tourism and conservation, income from concession fees and profit-sharing, revenue from natural products and funding for community development projects.

Nature-based tourism has been a major driver of rural development, with conservancies entering joint ventures with private tourism operators to establish lodges, campsites and tourism activities.

These partnerships create jobs for local residents as guides, hospitality workers and conservation personnel, while generating direct income for communities.

According to Daniel, forests are also opening economic opportunities beyond wildlife. Communities can benefit from timber, firewood, thatch grass, wild fruits, medicinal plants and construction poles, while some areas produce charcoal where bush encroachment is a concern.

She said that the ministry is promoting value addition to these resources, including honey processing plants in community forests in the Zambezi Region and a wood carpentry workshop in Mpungu that directly employs more than 20 community members.

Daniel further said that the ministry-supported initiatives in recycling and waste management have backed community-based waste collection, separation and recycling projects.

These programmes have created employment opportunities, particularly for young people and informal waste collectors, while promoting environmental sustainability in urban and peri-urban areas.

She said that sustainable agroforestry and land restoration programmes are similarly being used to tackle land degradation while strengthening food security. Through community forest initiatives and climate-resilient agriculture projects, farmers are supported to integrate tree planting with crop and livestock production.

These programmes create employment in areas such as nursery management, tree planting and land rehabilitation while strengthening rural livelihoods.

Bush control activities are providing another source of green employment. The removal of encroaching bush helps restore rangelands, while the resulting biomass can be channelled into value chains such as charcoal production.

Namibia has also implemented bio-trade programmes focused on the sustainable harvesting and commercialisation of indigenous natural products. The programmes aim to reduce poverty, conserve biodiversity and promote a green economy.

Daniel said partnerships with organisations such as the Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia have helped finance green enterprises and support small and medium-sized businesses operating in these sectors.

Conservation revenues are also being channelled into social development, including school infrastructure, scholarships, clinics, water infrastructure and funeral support.

Sustainable hunting remains another component of the community conservation model. Conservancies receive regulated hunting quotas set by the ministry, allowing communities to generate income while also obtaining meat.

The minister said the combined initiatives are strengthening community ownership, developing skills and improving natural resource management while creating sustainable economic opportunities.

“Overall, these initiatives have not only supported biodiversity conservation but have also improved livelihoods and created sustainable economic opportunities for local communities,” Daniel said.

The programmes demonstrate the government’s broader push to link environmental protection with economic opportunity, using Namibia’s wildlife, forests and other natural resources to create employment while addressing environmental challenges.