Renthia Kaimbi
Trophy hunting pushed conservancy revenue up to N$30 million in the last financial year for communities in the Zambezi, Kavango East and Kavango West regions, a new parliamentary oversight report has found.
The report warns that the system is now too dependent on a single income source and calls for urgent changes to protect both communities and wildlife.
The report, led by Tobie Aupindi, chairperson of the parliamentary standing committee on agriculture, environment and natural resources, follows the committee’s oversight visit in August 2025.
It states that while the community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) programme has empowered rural communities, it is now under pressure from human-wildlife conflict, poaching, governance challenges and illegal land occupation.
In the Zambezi region, 15 conservancies support more than 1 200 jobs, with most funded by trophy hunting.
Mashi Conservancy reported income of more than N$3.3 million in 2024, including N$1.4 million from hunting alone.
Despite this revenue, the committee found that communities receive only a small share of the potential value.
Conservancy committees, with limited negotiation experience and no professional hunting background, often enter agreements that favour private concession holders.
The government-set minimum price of US$17 000 (about N$300 000) for an elephant trophy was criticised as being far below its true market value.
According to the report, conservancies have not developed a single professional trophy hunter, keeping them out of the full value chain.
Human-wildlife conflict remains a major concern.
In Salambala Conservancy, elephants and buffaloes frequently destroy crops, but compensation is slow and limited, which excludes other species.
“The situation is highly frustrating and discouraging for the farmer,” the report says.
Some farmers, left without support, kill problem animals and face arrest.
Salambala’s committee told the delegation that poaching is increasing, driven by household needs as well as commercial motives.
The presence of community members inside core wildlife areas has made the situation worse.
Illegal land occupation is putting further strain on the system.
Salambala lost a court case against illegal settlers, costing it millions and encouraging more encroachment that “disturbs wildlife, creating risks for both humans and animals.”
The committee also noted the benefits of the CBNRM model. Conservancies fund scholarships, build clinics, offer funeral support and distribute game meat.
Muduva Nyangana Conservancy goes beyond national policy by compensating farmers for antelope damage, not only elephant and hippo.
The report recommends building capacity for conservancies to manage concessions themselves, creating a fair pricing framework for trophy hunting and modernising the CBNRM programme to support diversification into phototourism, non-timber forest products and other sustainable businesses.
“The CBNRM programme, world-renowned as it is, needs urgent realignment from its inception concept in 1998 in order to meet the current demand of a fast-changing world,” the committee stated.
“To succeed in the future, conservancies need stronger support, better governance, and new ways to benefit from natural resources in a fast-changing environment,” Aupindi said.
The report outlines steps to strengthen conservation efforts while ensuring communities living with wildlife can earn fair and sustainable benefits.
