Staff Writer
The newly launched Sustainable Wildlife Management Legal Hub will help identify gaps in laws and strengthen natural resource governance.
Justice and labour relations minister Fillemon Wise Immanuel said this while launching the hub on Friday.
“This Legal Hub will serve as a dedicated platform to display laws and policies that protect our biodiversity and the people who live alongside it,” he said.
Immanuel said the platform is designed to go beyond storing laws and will help link policy with implementation.
“It is not merely a library of statutes but a dynamic platform designed to bridge the gap between policy and practice,” he said.
He said the hub will make legal information easier to access and understand while supporting reforms in wildlife management, land use and conservation.
He stressed that communities must understand their rights and responsibilities.
“The law should not be a barrier to conservation; instead, it should be the scaffolding that supports it,” he said.
Immanuel also raised concern about wildlife crime.
“Wildlife crimes do not respect borders,” he said.
He said the hub will support efforts to improve legal systems and address these challenges.
He added that the government has approved a review of the compensation system for human-wildlife conflict to improve support for affected communities.
Environment, forestry and tourism minister Indileni Daniel said the launch marks progress in natural resource governance.
She said the platform will improve transparency and access to legal information.
“This website enhances transparency, improves access to and understanding of legal instruments… and provides a platform for legal analysis,” she said.
Namibia has about 45% of its land under protection, including national parks, private reserves and communal conservancies.
Wildlife and tourism contribute between 14% and 15% to the economy.
Daniel said community-based conservation has helped restore wildlife and support livelihoods.
Nearly one in four rural Namibians is part of a conservancy.
The Legal Hub forms part of the Sustainable Wildlife Management Programme, supported by international partners.
“This important milestone is testament to the government’s unwavering commitment to creating an enabling environment for sustainable management of natural resources,” said the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) officer in charge, Ferdinard Mwapopi.
He said the platform will improve access to laws and support policy coordination.
“Wildlife is not only a national treasure but also a vital component of our socio-economic foundation,” he said.
Mwapopi said the programme operates in several countries and supports conservation and livelihoods.
He said it will help Namibia meet international environmental commitments.
FAO’s sustainable wildlife management regional coordinator in KAZA Ben Cooper Heermans said the programme focuses on both community work and legal reforms.
“These challenges include human wildlife conflict, animal and zoonotic diseases, unsustainable harvest, rangeland degradation and increasing drought events,” he said.
He said the programme supports community projects, wildlife monitoring and agriculture.
“Over 11 000 animals have been counted through community wildlife monitoring efforts,” he said.
He said the Legal Hub supports policy reforms and has contributed to updates in wildlife laws in the region.
The platform aims to support conservation, strengthen laws and improve livelihoods.
