NNF Annual Report 2023

Namibia Nature Foundation

2023 Report

Acronyms and Abbreviations

AHTEG

APAC

ATF BHR CBD CBNRM CBO CEO CF CITES CoLAB COP DEFRA DoF EEZ EOA EU FAO

GCF GGF GIZ GMUP

HWCMAP

ICEMA

IDWG

INL IRDNC IUCN IWT

JNCC

KAZA TFCA

KfW

KHSA

MCA

MEFT

MFMR

MPA

Ad Hoc Technical Group on Indicators

African Protected Areas Congress

Albatross Task Force

Brown Hyaena Research

Convention on Biological Diversity

Community Based Natural Resource Management

Community-Based Organisation

Community Extension Officer

Community Forest

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora

Conservation Leveraging Agribusiness in the Zambezi Region

Conference of the Parties

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (UK)

Directorate of Forestry

Exclusive Economic Zone

Ecological Organic Agriculture

European Union

Food and Agriculture Organisation

Green Climate Fund

Go Green Fund

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH

Game Management & Utilisation Plan

Human Wildlife Conflict Management and Action Plans

Integrated Community-Based Ecosystem Management

Institutional Development Working Group

Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs

Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation

International Union for Conservation of Nature

Illegal Wildlife Trade

Joint Nature Conservation Council (UK)

Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area

German Development Bank

Knowledge Hub for Southern Africa

Millennium Challenge Account

Ministry of Environment, Forestry & Tourism

Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources

Marine Protected Area

Multiplier Support Programme

Namibian Association of Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) Support Organisations

Namibian Foundation for the Conservation of Seabirds

Namibian Police Force

Namibia Revenue Agency

Namibia Rays and Sharks

National Botanical Research Institute

Namibian Chamber of Environment

5th National Development Plan

Non-Government Organisation

Namibia Integrated Landscape Approach for Enhancing Livelihoods and Environmental Governance to Eradicate Poverty

Namibian Islands Marine Protected Area

Namibia Nature Foundation

Non-Timber Forest Product

Namibia University of Science and Technology

Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measure

Okavango River Basin Water Commission

Ongava Research Centre

Southern African Development Council

Swiss Development Cooperation

Sustainable Development Goal

Spatial Monitoring & Reporting Tool

Standard Operating Procedure

Save the Rhino Trust

Sustainable Wildlife Management

University of Namibia

United Nations

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

United States Agency for International Development

National Herbarium of Namibia

Wildlife Protection Services

World Wildlife Fund

Young Professional Accountants

Zambezi State Forest Reserve

1 Highlights of 2022/23

Strengthening communitybased organisations

• Continued long-term support for 20 community-based organisations (CBOs) on governance, financial management, natural resource management, and livelihoods

• Assisted CBOs to develop 8 HumanWildlife Conflict Management and Action Plans and 2 Game Management and Utilisation Plans

• Participated in the transformation of ≠Gaingu Conservancy through supporting new leadership to initiate community development projects

• Facilitated exchange visits for 22 farmers from Kavango East to the Zambezi Region to learn about humanwildlife conflict mitigation.

Sustainable forestry

• Supported gazetting the 142,00 hectare

Zambezi State Forest

• Trained 30 government officials from three different departments in forestry protection, leading to greater collaboration to combat the illegal timber trade

• Assisted two community forests to complete timber inventories and identified two emerging community forests

• Trained 300 devil’s claw harvesters, 297 Manketti harvesters, 30 community forest members in making Marula syrup and seven farmers in bee-keeping

Combatting wildlife crime

• Increased capacity for detecting illicit wildlife products at international border points

• Supported law enforcement partners with close to US$ 1 million per year

• Strengthened the Blue Rhino Task Team through partners Rooikat Trust

• 50% reduction in the number of rhinos poached since 2015, continued arrests of rhino poaching suspects

Sustainable agriculture

• Trained 960 farmers in agroecology and conservation agriculture

• Provided in-depth training and mentorship for 45 lead farmers or community extension officers that can teach others in their community

• Assisted 70 households to establish backyard gardens and established 17 cooking and nutrition clubs to improve food security and dietary health

• Established a chilli supply and value chain between farmers and end users and investigated the potential for a cow pea value chain

Freshwater systems and inland fisheries

• 6 new fisheries reserves submitted for gazetting and 5 more requests received from communities wanting fisheries reserves

• Community fisheries documentary The River People won the Gold Award at the International Tourism Film Festival Africa (Conservation/Documentaries category)

• Community fisheries Tackle Box guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures launched to assist establishment of fisheries reserves

• Transboundary Fisheries Framework 2023 launched with Angola, Botswana and Namibia; 8 community transboundary fisheries fora established

Technical services & policy

• Published the 2022 Atlas of Namibia: it’s land, water and life

• Engaged for 9 consultancies, producing 20 technical reports on projects relating to climate change, land restoration and biodiversity conservation

• Secured US$ 3 million together with the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism to strengthen Namibia’s climate adaptation planning

• National Strategy on the Sustainable Management of Bush Resources launched by the Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism at the Biomass Fair in 2022

• Represented on the Ad Hoc Technical Group on Indicators (AHTEG I and II) for the Global Biodiversity Framework Monitoring Framework, and elected as Namibia’s gender focal point for the UN Convention on Biological Diversity

Marine and coastal conservation

• Facilitated amendment of regulations for the 10,000 km2 Namibian Islands Marine Protected Area (NIMPA)

• Trained over 100 fishing industry personnel on the ecosystem approach to fisheries concept

• Supported the establishment of the Namibian Foundation for the Conservation of Seabirds (NAMCOB), a new civil society organisation based in Lüderitz

• Hosted a debate championship on marine conservation for 140 learners from 63 schools in all 14 of Namibia’s regions on World Oceans Day 2022

2 About the Namibia Nature Foundation

The Namibia Nature Foundation (NNF) is Namibia’s leading conservation and sustainable development organisation. For 36 years our organisation has contributed to sustainable development, biodiversity and ecosystem conservation, and the wise and ethical use of natural resources for the benefit of current and future Namibian generations. While grounded in Namibia, our work frequently involves neighbouring countries and includes engaging in global conventions.

Our Focus

Environment and development issues are not neatly compartmentalised. Our goal at the Namibia Nature Foundation (NNF) is to see the integration of different sectors across Namibia’s environmental landscape. To achieve this, we drive integrated solutions and apply an ecosystem approach to our work.

Currently, the NNF is organised into seven programmatic areas of work. Our work on agriculture, freshwater and inland fisheries, forestry, marine and coastal conservation support the development and deployment of solutions for productive and healthy land, river and seascapes. In line with Namibia’s national approach to conservation by placing local communities at the forefront of managing their resources through Community-Based Organisations (CBOs), we work closely with CBO’s across the country. This is complemented by our support for the national effort to combat wildlife crime, which affects CBOs, state and private protected areas throughout Namibia. Finally, we create synergies and identify emerging opportunities through our Technical Services and Policy programme.

The NNF partners with other non-government organisations (NGOs) and educational institutions and can call on a wide range of experienced associates to enhance and complement the NNF team. Our highly collaborative approach ensures wide ranging stakeholder engagement, input from experts and close working relationships with government departments, at both national and local levels. Our expertise and practical experience places us in a position to provide environmental, financial and project management services to our partner organisations and institutions. The outcomes of our work are communicated widely to the public and affected stakeholders through our active communications team on all social media programmes and via our website.

VISION: an equitable, well-informed society living in harmony with the natural richness of our environment.

MISSION: to promote sustainable development, the conservation of biological diversity and natural ecosystems, and the wise and ethical use of natural resources for the benefit of all Namibians, both present and future.

CORE VALUES: Integrity; Teamwork; Accountability; Partnership; Safety, Health and Environment

We drive integrated solutions and apply an ecosystem approach to our work “ “

Foreword by the Board Chairperson

From the ongoing efforts and accomplishments of the NNF, it is evident that despite various challenges, our organisation is thriving and is well equipped to handle the demands of growth and development whilst continuing to deliver impact. Our strategic planning, staff recruitment, and commitment to building partnerships are all commendable initiatives that will ensure the NNF’s future success.

The emphasis on strengthening internal structures to accommodate the expansion and complexity of our work is an essential move. Our progress towards establishing new operational systems continues, while our efforts towards such actions as Green Climate Fund accreditation are becoming tangible. With the addition of new team members, it’s heartening to see a focus on preserving the organisation’s people-first ethos and nature loving spirit.

Our active involvement in international events like the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) African Protected Areas Congress and successful collaboration with like-minded organisations, especially through Maliasili, serve as a testament to the NNF’s resurgent influence in the field of conservation. The recognition of NNF team members in various processes and initiatives both national and international further enhances our reputation.

The completion and distribution of the new Atlas of Namibia: its land, water and life , marks an important milestone for our organisation. It not only helps increase our outreach, but also validates the depth of collaboration and expertise that our team brings together.

The major projects and collaborations we have in the pipeline for the coming year are promising, including the potential signing of the Blue Action Fund and the development of the National Climate Adaptation Plan with the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT). At the same time our ongoing efforts in agriculture, forestry, fisheries (marine and freshwater) and combatting wildlife crime, through stronger Community Based Organisations, continue to demonstrate innovation and integration. All of this experience provides the basis for our input into national and international policies, and increases the value of our technical services.

Overall, the strides made by NNF over the past year are impressive, and our plans for the future reflect our resilience and determination to continue our vital work in conservation.

In reflecting back to 2009 when I took over from Douglas Reisner as Board Chairman, the NNF has come through rough waters when it struggled with limited funding, relationships with government that were not always ideal and staffing problems. It is gratifying to see the growth that has taken place under Angus Middleton’s leadership but, more importantly, the strengthening of our finances and the results-orientated approach to all projects. Present relationships with various ministries are good and cooperation with other national and international NGOs has been strengthened. The growth has been phenomenal: the number and diversity of projects and total funding have increased, which necessitated increased funding management and staff numbers.

Improved but sustainable utilisation of natural resources and a good understanding of natural ecosystems are essential to the success of the NNF. But in this vein, one needs to sound a word of warning. The NNF must not outrun its ability to manage all its projects and associated funds. Staff training is a critical part of a healthy, efficient and happy organisation. As staff numbers increase, the NNF will need to pay more attention to staff wellbeing, satisfaction and growth.

I must express my thanks and gratitude to the NNF management team, led by Angus Middleton, our Executive Director, and all the staff of the NNF for their hard work and dedication.

Active involvement of the Board with critical and uncomfortable questions at times is essential and necessary to keep members fully informed of activities and to monitor progress. So, as ever, my thanks are due to

the NNF’s Trustees for your active participation in and critical questioning at Board meetings and for the assistance given to the NNF team between meetings. I would like to recognise one of our longest serving Trustees, Dr Sam Heita, who has been steadfast in his support of the NNF but has now after a long and dedicated service chosen not to be re-elected to the Board of Trustees.

3.1 Board of Directors

I wish the NNF Board under the leadership of Mr Manfred Böttger continued success in guiding the Namibia Nature Foundation in its efforts to preserve our natural ecosystems and biodiversity for the benefit of all Namibians, both present and future.

Mr

Mr Angus G. Middleton Executive Director

Dr Simson Ndahupula Heita Farmer

Mr

Dr R. Miller Retired (Outgoing Chair)

Mr Arne Stier Treasurer – Auditor

Dr Pauline Mary Lindeque Vice Chair – Manager at Agra

Kenneth Kibagu Heinrich /Uiseb Deputy Director MEFT Wildlife Monitoring & Research

Dr. Roy Miller Chairman

Manfred Böttger Incoming Chair –Business Executive

Ms Raulin Gisella Gomachas Lawyer

Michael Hill Retired

Foreword by the Executive Director

Angus Middleton Executive Director

In this transformative period, the NNF has strengthened its position in promoting conservation and sustainable development in Namibia. Our efforts in policy advocacy, hands-on initiatives and collaborations have significantly impacted various environmental sectors.

Key achievements include retaining a core focus on biodiversity conservation, underlined by our active participation at the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) and other national and international fora. We are increasingly becoming a pivotal NGO actor in climate change issues, as evidenced by our active participation in the Green Climate Fund Board Meeting and developing Namibia’s National Adaptation Plan. In addition, our technical services have flourished, notably through supporting the development of Namibia’s National Strategy on the Sustainable Management of Bush Resources and the impactful Atlas of Namibia

This has all been underpinned by our programmatic work, where our focus on strengthening Community Based Organisations (CBOs) has led to notable advancements in managing natural resources, diversifying businesses, and enhancing governance across numerous conservancies. In combatting wildlife crime, we’ve made significant strides by improving civil society coordination, supporting government efforts, and building community resilience. This multifaceted approach has contributed to a decline in high-value species poaching.

Our marine and coastal conservation work has notably progressed, with successful initiatives like the Albatross

Task Force dramatically reducing seabird by-catch. We’re also actively engaged in strengthening and expanding marine protected areas and bolstering marine conservation research and collaboration. In freshwater and inland fisheries, our flagship programme in the Kavango Zambezi Trans-frontier Conservation Area has been a policy-relevant, science-based success, with over 20 Community Fisheries Reserves established.

Our sustainable agriculture initiatives continue to make significant impacts, with a focus on agro-ecological practices and organic agriculture, thus improving livelihoods and environmental outcomes. Sustainable forestry efforts have diversified, with notable progress in community forest management and non-timber forest product development.

Whilst we have gown, our financial management remains prudent, showing growth and development with solid external audit results. Resource mobilisation has been a key driver of our success, though it experienced a decrease this year, we anticipate significant project finalisations in the near future. The Go Green Fund managed on behalf of Nedbank Namibia has continued to support innovative environmental projects. Our communications have been effective, increasing our visibility and outreach. To support all of this our team has expanded and developed, reflecting our growing activities and impact.

Adapting to our growth has required a major emphasis on our organisational development, which has focused on strategy, structures, staff and partners. I am extraordinarily grateful for Maliasili’s immeasurable support during this process.

With the lapsing of our previous successful Strategic Plan, we have now finalised our new Strategic Plan (2023-2028), which focuses heavily on integration: laterally across different work programmes and vertically from local to global levels. This in turn requires new internal organisational processes – we have made significant changes to our policies to bring them in line with international best practice. Our Strategy will ultimately be delivered by people. The primary group of people are the NNF staff, so we maintain our focus on attracting and retaining the best possible talent to successfully implement our Strategic Plan over the next five years. We also recognise that we can’t do this alone, so we have placed a large emphasis on maintaining and growing our partnerships right across the spectrum of our work.

In summary, our achievements this year reflect and enormous effort by the Namibia Nature Foundation staff, without whom we would be nothing. Thank you team! The growth and shift of responsibilities towards the NNF Management Team has been a major success, through which I am greatly encouraged that we are building sustainability. Leadership is hard but can be rewarding especially when leading together, my heartfelt thanks to Edla and Frances for their support and guidance as the senior management team.

To our very many and varied partners we remain thankful that you continue to work with us through the ups and downs. As ever, together we are stronger and will go further, thank you.

I would like to acknowledge the NNF Board for all their voluntary help and guidance, which has been invaluable in getting the NNF into this new strategic period in good health. To Dr Sam Heita, our collective thanks for his calm guidance and long years of service to the NNF and our common cause.

Finally, to Dr Roy Miller, with whom I have worked closely over the last decade. His outstanding commitment to and undimmed passion for the environment (particularly in Namibia) and his professional running of the NNF Board have been instrumental in ensuring that collectively we all managed to get the NNF to where it is today. Thank you!

4.1 Senior Management Team

Executive Director

Angus has over 15 years of senior management and organisational leadership in Africa and Europe. He brings a relevant mix of knowledge and technical experience in environmental economics, ecological resource management, agricultural management, and biodiversity policies. He provides overall leadership for the NNF and also works directly on a number of projects, particularly in the field of environmental economics. He holds an MSc in Environmental Policy from Imperial College London and a BSc in Ecological Resource Management from Newcastle University. He has a great passion for the outdoors, a particular interest in raptors, and a love of freshwater angling.

Kaveru Director of Operations

Edla, the Director of Operations, has a deep-rooted passion for conservation and sustainable development, and has spent more than two decades supporting the functions of preserving our planet’s precious ecosystems. She is responsible for providing leadership for the NNF’s financial and operational functions. She holds an MBA and a Bachelor of Commerce degree and has completed various management development programs. She has 25 years experience in financial management and corporate operations of which more than 15 years have been in a leadership role. She was part of the team that successfully implemented the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) Namibia Compact between the years 2009 and 2015. Prior to joining the MCA Namibia team she worked as a financial management specialist on the World Bank-funded Project (Integrated Community-Based Ecosystem Management - ICEMA) and held several positions at the Namibia Nature Foundation during 1998-2005. She has a passion for the development sector in Namibia in general and a special interest in the improvement of livelihoods of rural Namibians through women empowerment.

Director of Programmes

Frances, the Director of Programmes at the NNF, has over 8 years of senior management experience and several years of project management experience. She has a strong background in research and botany having previously headed the National Herbarium of Namibia (WIND) at the National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) and worked at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew in the UK for 10 years in the Africa and Madagascar Regional Team. With a background in botany, she has a broad knowledge of plant ecology and conservation and is extending her knowledge into forestry related issues, with a particular interest in forest management, addressing biodiversity gaps and developing value chains for non timber forest products with Namibian communities. She holds an MSc in Plant Diversity from Reading University and a degree in Environmental Science and Geography with honours in Physical Geography from Rhodes University. Frances is passionate about the environment, especially plants, and always enjoys being in the field.

Angus Middleton

Edla

Frances Chase

4.2 NNF Staff Members

The NNF team boasts financial, operational and project management expertise held by individuals who are passionate about conservation and sustainable development. These team members are committed to excellence

in their work and strive to make a difference in Namibia and the world. The many different personalities and cultural backgrounds of the NNF staff contribute to a diverse and supportive work environment.

PROJECT STAFF : Positions like Program Manager, Program Officer, Project Coordinator, Research Officer etc. can fall under this category. The staff in this category is a specialised group of professionals in one or more areas.

Britta Hackenberg Senior Technical Advisor Management & Projects

Nabot Mbeeli Senior Coordinator CBNRM Projects

Peter Erb Technical Advisor | Combatting Wildlife Crime Projects

Titus Shaanika Albatross Task Force Coordinator Marine Projects

Allen Jiji Senior Regional Project Coordinator CBNRM Projects

John Hazam Senior Technical Advisor CBNRM Projects

Rachel Futter Senior Project Coordinator Combatting Wildlife Crime Projects

Priskilla Nghaangulwa Albatross Task Force Instructor | Marine Projects

Mirja Stoldt Technical Coordinator Technical Services and Climate Change Projects

Carolin Mutorwa Senior Technical Advisor | CBNRM Projects

Clemens Naomab Senior Regional Project Coordinator Combatting Wildlife Crime Projects

Hayley Brand Namibia Sharks and Rays Project Research Assistant Marine Projects

Mareike Voigts Senior Technical Advisor Sustainable Agriculture and Conservation Agriculture Projects

Ingrid Hakalume Sustainable Biomass Project Coordinator Technical Services and Climate Change Projects

Ailla-Tessa Iiyambula

Assistant Project Coordinator | CBNRM Projects

Samantha Matjila Senior Coordinator Marine Projects

Veikko Hainana Livelihood Support Officer Marine Projects

Vera Corry Project Support Officer Sustainable Agriculture and Conservation Agriculture Projects

Rakel Johannes Project Trainee Sustainable Agriculture Projects

Vasco Samwaka Field Coordinator Conservation Agriculture Projects

Phillip Geuse SDC Assistant Project Coordinator Conservation Agriculture Projects

Alice Limani Poniso Assistant Project Coordinator Forestry Projects

Johannes Katjana Project Trainee Conservation Agriculture Projects

Kaino Shilume Forestry Field Coordinator Forestry Projects

Sarlotte Kalenga Monitoring and Evaluation Officer Sustainable Agriculture and Conservation Agriculture Projects

Benitto Ndana Project Trainee Conservation Agriculture Projects

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF: Staff overseeing the administration such as a Manager, Admin Assistant, Supervisor and other support staff.

Jessica Nowotes Office and Human Resource Manager Administration

Ulrica Abrahams Contracts and Compliance Manager Operations

Sunnypo Imalwa Communications Support Officer | Administration

Sharon Kahunda Grants Officer Operations

Tina Siririka Cleaner Administration

Disney Andreas Communications Officer Administration

Jafet

Tjiramba Driver | Administration

“Barney”

FINANCE STAFF: Staff that is involved in maintaining accounts for the organisation

INTERNS

Our team members are committed to excellence in their work “ “

Natende Paulo Senior Project Accountant | Finance

Christa Katjiruru Finance Manager Finance

Yvonne Ntema Senior Accountant Finance

Petrina Aitembu Senior Project Accountant | Finance

Jasmine Kapuuo Project Accountant Finance

Jolene Both Project Accountant Finance Shirley Zamuee Project Accountant Finance

Friedrich Kambonde Project Accountant Finance

Bia Kotze Bookkeeper Finance

Frans Elias Project Accountant Finance

Maggy Imbili Assistant Accountant Finance

Vistorina Kamati Trainee Accountant Finance

Aili Nauyele Nghiningwas Intern Communications

5 Introduction

This report covers projects and activities completed by the Namibian Nature Foundation (NNF) from March 2022 to August 2023. Each of our seven programmatic core areas focuses on a different aspect of conservation and sustainable development, covering both aquatic and terrestrial environments. We work at local, regional and international scales from training individuals in rural communities through to strengthening national and trans-boundary policies and practices and finally to engaging with global multilateral agreements and developing international partnerships.

5.1 The Namibia Nature Foundation’s Commitment to the UN SDGs

The NNF contributes to achieving 10 of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). Nationally, our work supports Namibia’s Fifth National Development Plan (NDP5) and the Harambee Prosper-

1 NO POVERTY

Diversifying livelihoods and supporting sustainable rural economies are a key part of our projects involving community-based organisations and their members involved in the wildlife economy, forestry, agriculture, and fisheries (marine and freshwater) sectors.

5 GENDER EQUALITY

We train women farmers and plant harvesters to improve their yields and assist them to access markets for their products, while bringing women in to all of our training relating to community conservation and fisheries.

ity Plan II. Our approach to conservation is thus in line with global aspirations of a world living in harmony with nature and Namibia’s Vision 2030.

2 ZERO HUNGER

Our agriculture and freshwater fisheries projects improve the nutritional status of rural households.

7 AFFORDABLE AND CLEAN ENERGY

We are investigating bush biomass as a potential source of energy for Namibia, including assisting NamPower to obtain a grant to build Namibia’s first ever Biomass Power Station

Our approach to conservation is thus in line with global aspirations of a world living in harmony with nature and Namibia’s Vision 2030.

11 SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES

The 2023 call for grant applications through the NNF-hosted Go Green Fund encourages grantees to submit projects for the urban environment.

13 CLIMATE ACTION

Our technical services include several projects that aim to help Namibia adapt to the impacts of climate change at government and civil society levels.

15 LIFE ON LAND

Our support for community-based organisations and combating wildlife crime protect key animal species, while our sustainable forestry projects reduce deforestation.

12 RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION

We promote agricultural, forestry and fishing techniques that minimise ecological impacts (including bycatch in the marine sector).

14 LIFE BELOW WATER

Our projects in the freshwater and marine environments promote sustainable fishing practises and the establishment of freshwater fisheries reserves and marine protected areas.

17 PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE GOALS

All of our projects involve partners within Namibia, including government and civil society, and beyond our borders.

6 Programmatic Core Areas

Each of our core programmatic areas addresses environmental challenges that impact people at the local level and ultimately scale to become the global crises we are experiencing today. The work we do is grounded at the local level where we trial new ideas and learn from the people who work the land, harvest nature’s bounty from the forest and ocean, and manage biodiversity, but it does not stay at this level. We continuously look for ideas that can be scaled up to the landscape level, often crossing Namibia’s borders. At the global scale, we en-

gage with international conservation conventions and other fora where we introduce African ideas into multilateral negotiations and knowledge exchanges.

The NNF programmatic areas overlap extensively, since humans interact with nature as an integrated whole. Consequently, while each programme team has a core focus and set of expertise, they come together under the NNF banner to find ways to integrate our approach to conservation and sustainable development.

COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANISATION STRENGTHENING

Supporting community-based organisations that manage wildlife, forest and fish resources through improving governance of community structures and providing technical expertise in southern Kunene, Erongo, Omaheke, Kavango East, Kavango West and Zambezi.

COMBATTING WILDLIFE CRIME

Supporting the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism and their partners in the Blue Rhino Task Team to combat the full range of wildlife crime. This includes channelling and managing funds for anti-poaching activities, customs strengthening and targeted awareness among communities that live alongside rhinos.

SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY

Working with the Directorate of Forestry in the Ministry of Environment Forestry and Tourism and community forests to support the sustainable management of Namibia’s botanical and forest resources. We also work with private sector partners to support the biomass industry and its sustainability.

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

Supporting small-scale farmers to improve the resilience of their farming systems and promote appropriate value chains by advancing agro-ecological and organic farming practices in Namibia that improve food security and livelihoods while maintaining and improving soil fertility and crop production.

MARINE & COASTAL CONSERVATION

Working with the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources and the marine sector to improve management of marine and coastal ecosystems and extend Namibia’s international reputation as a conservation leader into the marine environment, while increasing societal engagement with the ocean.

FRESHWATER & INLAND FISHERIES

Working with the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources and local fishing communities to support the recovery of freshwater fish stocks and improve the state of riverine ecosystems by strengthening community rights and capacity to manage their own fish resources.

TECHNICAL SERVICES & POLICY

Working with the Directorate of Forestry in the Ministry of Environment Forestry and Tourism and community forests to support the sustainable management of Namibia’s botanical and forest resources. We also work with private sector partners to support the biomass industry and its sustainability.

6.1 Strengthening Community-based Organisations

Community-based organisations (CBOs) are local institutions that have been established by their respective communities to manage plants (community forests) and animals (communal conservancies and community fisheries reserves) on their land for the benefit of their people. These institutions lie at the heart of Namibia’s flagship Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) programme that is supported by government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) such as the NNF and its partners within the Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO). The NNF focuses on strengthening the governance and natural resource management capacities of CBOs while assisting their members to develop sustainable livelihoods and nature-based business enterprises.

Strengthening CBOs requires a long-term approach that works with each institution and its associated community to overcome their specific challenges and capitalise on their opportunities, whilst linking them with CBOs from other areas to learn about innovative ways of addressing common issues. This section of the report focuses on our work with communal conservancies; community forests and fisheries reserves are covered under the Sustainable Forestry and Freshwater Ecosystems and Inland Fisheries sections, respectively.

While each CBO is different, the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to promote good governance and systematic planning processes remain the same across the whole CBNRM programme. The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) developed the SOPs and other compliance metrics to ensure that individual conservancies are properly managed and able to meet their communities’ expectations. Each conservancy has its own constitution and is supervised by a locally elected committee of community members, while conservancy managers and other staff are responsible for daily management activities.

The NNF’s on-going support for 20 communal conservancies in the Omaheke, Kunene South, Erongo and Kavango East and West regions includes increasing the capacity of committees and staff members to comply with the SOPs. Regular activities include producing Game Management and Utilisation Plans (GMUPs), Human-Wildlife Conflict Management and Action Plans (HWCMAPs), holding regular community engagement meetings (including but not limited to Annual General Meetings) and elections, and adhering to sound financial management practices. The NNF also supports the Event Book monitoring system that is used by community game guards and conservancy managers to monitor their natural resources, and provides assistance during annual game counts. This information feeds into the management plans, quota-setting processes for sustainable use, and negotiations with joint venture partners in the hunting and tourism industries.

In this reporting period, the NNF supported conservancies to develop eight HWCMAPs and two GMUPs , including conservancies in the Otjozondjupa Region where we provide occasional support services.

Improving financial management among conservancies remains a high priority for MEFT and NACSO, as CBNRM is premised on the idea that communities benefiting from their natural resources will conserve and manage them sustainably. If funds generated from these resources are misappropriated or mismanaged, local support for CBNRM will diminish leading to lower tolerance for species involved in human-wildlife conflict and increased levels of poaching. The Young Professional Accountants (YPA) programme is the latest initiative to improve financial management by MEFT and its partners in the NACSO Institutional Development Working Group (IDWG), with support from the Community Conservation Fund of Namibia.

The YPA programme serves as an early warning system for financial mismanagement by making an accountant easily accessible to conservancies to provide consistent, cost-effective and sustainable financial management support. Conservancies in the programme are introducing regular financial monitoring systems and shortening financial reporting intervals from annual to monthly and quarterly. To achieve this, the YPA accountants assist them with strong monthly financial management support. This programme equips conservancy committees and staff with financial management and governance skills and tools to effectively manage their finances and produce satisfactory annual financial statements for their members and SOP compliance reporting.

The NNF launched and rolled out the YPA programme in the Kunene South and Erongo regions during this reporting period. The CBO Strengthening team also trialled a peer-to-peer learning approach to the YPA programme in Kavango East and West to allow financial managers in different conservancies to learn from each other.

In conjunction with our work on CBO financial management, the NNF together with partners the Namibian Chamber of Environment (NCE) and the University of Florida conducted an economic performance assessment on ≠Khaodi-//Hôas and Doro !Nawas conservancies in the Kunene South landscape. The purpose of this assessment is to determine the current and potential earning power of each conservancy and generate recommendations for how to improve their performance. More assessments are scheduled for next year after the survey tool is further refined.

Since strengthening CBOs is a continuous, long-term process, dramatic results that clearly show the fruit of this labour are rare. This year, however, the NNF team played a key role in the transformation of ≠Gaingu Conservancy in the Erongo Region. This transformative change was a result of a change in local leadership and focused external support from the NNF and our partners in the NACSO IDWG: the Namibia Development Trust, World Wildlife Fund in Namibia (WWFNamibia) and MEFT.

Prior to this intervention, ≠Gaingu Conservancy was dysfunctional and plagued with poor governance. After a large amount of unaccounted funds was reported, the MEFT placed restrictions on the conservancy bank account and the Namibian Police Force (NamPol) impounded its vehicle and other assets. With funding from the European Union’s (EU) Strengthening Governance of the National CBNRM programme, the NNF and our partners created a road map to transforming ≠Gaingu Conservancy into a functional, fully compliant CBO. This plan focused on implementing key governance and management processes such as electing and training new committee members, and employing and training new staff.

≠Gaingu Conservancy is now at an advanced level of performance, accounting for all its funds, engaging its members, and initiating community development projects and trainings with various private sector partners. The conservancy has initiated backyard gardens for its members funded by the Environment Investment Fund of Namibia, and a rabbit-farming project that will supply a factory in Karibib with rabbit meat. The conservancy has applied for a sea fishing quota to benefit its members and is currently in negotiations to become a shareholder in a new solar farm. ≠Gaingu Conservancy is also investing in decent shelters and stalls for members that display semi-precious gems for sale to tourists, while providing entrepreneurial training for these members to enhance their businesses.

All of these activities have been implemented under the transformative leadership of the new Chairperson, Mr Anthony Jantjies. In stark contrast to its formerly dysfunctional state, ≠Gaingu Conservancy currently hosts exchange visits from other conservancies across the country to share their ideas for increasing their members’ benefits through development projects. The conservancy committee is also leading work and discussions to make the Erongo Regional Conservancy Association functional and active, a process being driven by ≠Gaingu Conservancy manager Mr Neville Hendricks.

The NNF has supported the Erongo Regional Association and the Kunene South Regional Association as a means for CBOs in these areas to discuss common issues and share new ideas. The first biannual meetings for each of these Associations were completed in this reporting period. This is part of the national plan to establish a Namibian CBNRM Association that will strengthen links among CBOs and serve as a platform for them to engage with national government.

The CBO Strengthening team has supported several exchange visits among conservancies that face similar challenges to promote learning and innovation in the CBNRM programme. With funding from the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) Sustainable Wildlife Management (SWM) project for the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA), the NNF supported 22 farmers from George Mukoya and Muduva Nyangana conservancies in Kanvango East Region to visit Wuparo Conservancy in the Zambezi Region. The purpose of the visit was to learn about: 1) chilli

farming as an alternative income generating activity and means of mitigating human-elephant conflict, and 2) using mobile livestock enclosures (kraals) to prevent human-carnivore conflict and improve soil fertility for crop production. These farmers can use the knowledge gained from this visit to reduce their conflict with elephants and carnivores traversing wildlife corridors in the Kavango landscape within the KAZA TFCA, whilst also improving their livelihoods and food security.

In another exchange visit under the FAO SWM project, six people from NNF, Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation (IRDNC), NACSO Natural Resources Working Group and WWF-Namibia visited Habu Village in Botswana. The purpose of the visit was to learn more about the Herding 4 Health programme that combines protecting cattle against large carnivores, improving overall cattle health and preventing disease transmission.

Namibia’s CBNRM programme is extensive, with 86 Conservancies, two Community Associations and 43 Community Forests, covering 188,122 km2. Rural sustainable development and conservation projects rarely occur in areas that are not covered by one or more CBOs, making these institutions linchpins for achieving Namibia’s national goals. The CBO Strengthening team within the NNF is thus an internal focal point for all of our programmatic areas as part of our integrated approach to conservation.

Strengthening each of these CBOs is a monumental task undertaken by a few NGOs under the NACSO umbrella working alongside the MEFT. Obtaining sufficient longterm funding for this crucial task is challenging, as few donors beyond Namibia understand the significant impact that can be achieved if a CBO is fully supported, as demonstrated by ≠Gaingu Conservancy this year. The NNF continues to raise awareness of the CBNRM programme by attending international events such as the first African Protected Areas Congress (APAC) in Kigali, Rwanda in 2022 and the 19th Conference of the Parties for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES COP19) in Panama City, Panama in 2022. Going forward, the NNF continues to look for long-term support partners who understand the importance of CBNRM and will ensure that our staff capacity and expertise continue to meet the needs of the CBOs that we support.

The CBO Strengthening team within the NNF is an internal focal point for all of our programmatic areas as part of our integrated approach to conservation. “ “

6.2 Combatting Wildlife Crime

Wildlife crime and associated illegal wildlife trade (IWT) is worth between USD $7 and $23 billion every year globally, making it the fourth largest form of organised crime. In Namibia high value wildlife products that are sought after by poachers and traffickers include rhino horn, elephant ivory and pangolin scales and meat, while high value plant products include rosewood timber products and succulent plants (sold as whole specimens). Namibia responded to the surge in wildlife crime – reaching a recent high in 2015 – by enlisting a diverse range of public and private actors to protect the species threatened by trade, increase law enforcement capacity and mobilise rural communities to protect their valuable biodiversity.

The scale and complexity of wildlife crime and IWT means that the only effective means of reducing this threat is through strong partnerships across sectors and governance roles. The NNF combatting wildlife crime team therefore works closely with several partners in civil society and the public sector that focus on different aspects of wildlife crime.

Funding for this programme is currently sourced from two grants from the United States Department of State (Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, INL), one from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), one from the B2Gold Rhino Bar Fund and two smaller grants from the North Carolina Zoo. The three substantial US grants have been audited annually and received clean audits for both years. Consequently the team is preparing to manage another large grant from the US INL that will cover two and a half years, starting in 2024.

The NNF manages our combatting wildlife crime portfolio with a small team that works closely with our government partners at MEFT and the Namibian Revenue

Agency (NamRA) to provide them with focussed support to deter poaching and smuggling. The MEFT’s mandate is to conserve the environment of Namibia on behalf of its citizens, which includes managing national parks and coordinating the national black rhino custodian programme. In Namibia, all black rhinos belong to the state, but private landowners and communal conservancies are invited to become custodians of the species by maintaining rhino sub-populations on their lands.

NamRA is the government agency in charge of customs and excise, and therefore has officials posted at every international border. Our support to NamRA thus focuses on training border officials to correctly identify illicit wildlife products that traffickers are attempting to smuggle out of the country. The NNF provided this essential training to all NamRA border officials during this reporting period, thus increasing the chances of arresting wildlife traffickers as part of the overall strategy to deter wildlife crime and illegal trade.

Our partner Rooikat Trust has been very successful in supporting the highly effective coalition of govern-

Rhino data collected by the Rhino Rangers feeds directly into the National Rhino Database, contributing to conservation management strategies.

ment law enforcement agencies, known as the Blue Rhino Task Team. The success of this strong partnership is documented in regular press releases and annual reviews, and includes reducing rhino poaching in the country by 50% since 2015.

In collaboration with Save the Rhino Trust (SRT), the NNF provides support for the Rhino Ranger Programme, a long-running project to protect and monitor desert-adapted black rhinos occurring on communal and government land in northwestern Namibia. In this period, 19 Rhino Rangers from the four NNF supported conservancies signed comprehensive Terms of Reference, defining their pivotal roles in monitoring and protecting rhinos.

The NNF, SRT and IRDNC joined hands in 2017 to establish the Rhino Pride Campaign that is now in its sixth year. The campaign’s central goal is to emphasise the dire consequences of rhino poaching and the potential loss of these majestic creatures from our natural landscapes. The Rhino Rangers and Rhino Pride Campaigns are part of the combined efforts of many stakeholders to conserve black rhino in the Kunene and Erongo communal conservancies. These conservancies recently celebrated three years of zero rhino poaching incidents reported. Rhino poaching over the last five years is 80% lower than the previous five-year period in the same area.

Training and equipping conservancy rangers to monitor and report sightings and incidents are an important part of the fight against wildlife crime and for improving conservation management generally. In this reporting period, 46 conservancy Rhino Rangers from northwestern Namibia and Nyae Nyae Conservancy in the northeast were trained to use the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART). The SMART application is installed on smartphones and then used in the field to log all relevant incidents and sightings (e.g. wildlife sightings, poacher activity, human-wild -

life conflict) with their time and GPS location. Once the data are collated and analysed, the conservancy and their support institutions can identify hotspots of poaching and other events, enabling them to monitor trends over time.

World Female Ranger Day is celebrated on the 23rd of June each year to acknowledge the often-overlooked role of female rangers. In 2023, the NNF marked this day with an event held in the Nyae Nyae Conservancy to showcase 14 courageous female rangers and game guards. Each ranger received tokens of appreciation, thus reinforcing the crucial role of women in wildlife conservation.

Our support for the fight against wildlife crime continues to expand in geographical scope and species covered, as poachers and traffickers start targeting new high-value species. The illegal timber trade and trade in rare succulent plants and reptiles – trafficked as whole live specimens for collectors and as exotic pets, respectively – are among the emerging threats facing Namibia. Our team will thus continue to support successful partnerships against existing threats and look to establish new partnerships and projects to tackle these new challenges.

The presence of wild Rhino populations in an area or park is an important attraction to tourists.

Rhino Rangers undergoing SMART refresher training facilitated by SRT and NNF.

6.3 Sustainable Forestry

The NNF’s Sustainable Forestry programmatic area aims to shift Namibia’s approach towards forestry “Beyond Timber” by supporting the sustainable management of Namibia’s botanical and forest resources. Namibia’s forests and woodlands remain undervalued and consequently threatened. Key hardwood species have been overharvested since timber is perceived as the only valuable forestry product, while large areas have been cleared for agriculture and otherwise degraded. Our programme thus promotes non-timber forest products (NTFPs) such as honey, Manketti and Devil’s claw as alternative livelihood options, while assisting government agencies and community forests to better manage Namibia’s timber resources and reduce illegal harvesting of Namibia’s timber and forest products. Additionally, with our partners, we improve our knowledge of botanical resources to support better decision making in conservation.

On the 15th of May 2023 the MEFT officially gazetted the 142,000-hectare Zambezi State Forest Reserve (ZSFR), a major achievement for the Sustainable Forestry team and the Directorate of Forestry (DoF), supported by the COmON Foundation. Without this gazettement the ZSFR lacked a legal status, which inhibited management activities from DoF and put the reserve and neighbouring community forests under severe pressure due to a range of illicit activities. These include illegal logging of Namibia’s hardwood species, unlawful harvesting of Devil’s claw and unauthorised settlements by both local and foreign nationals. Targeted timber species include Guibourtia coleosperma (African Rosewood), Pterocarpus angolensis (Kiaat) and Baikiaea plurijuga (Zambezian teak).

To effectively address these challenges, it is important to strengthen inter-agency collaboration. Thirty officials from the DoF, MEFT Wildlife Protection Services (WPS), and the Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA) in the Zambezi region were brought together to participate in a Forest Protection workshop. The workshop, supported through the COmON Foundation, exposed participants to existing and new Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), forest legislation, Namibia’s protected plant species, and how to identify authentic and fake permits.

This workshop created a link between officials from DoF, WPS and NamRA who all have roles to play in combatting illegal timber harvesting. After the workshop, participants established a common communica-

tion channel (WhatsApp group) to easily share information about illegal activities. DoF officials used their training to trace the origin of a particular CITES permit and detect a fake CITES permit for timber in transit from Zambia to Namibia.

Community Forests (CFs) are run and managed by local communities and have rights over their plant resources. Most CF members depend on subsistence farming as their main source of livelihood and supplement their livelihoods by harvesting timber for planks, poles, and firewood. Forest inventories are time- and labourintensive activities that must be carried out every five years to determine sustainable timber harvests. Without up to date inventories, harvest permits cannot be issued by DoF thus preventing CF members from using their resources legally.

In this reporting period, the NNF assisted Masida and Sachona CFs with their forest inventories, covering a combined 30,000 hectares. In addition, the team is assisting two communities who want to establish their own CFs with the necessary procedures to gazette their areas, in collaboration with DoF.

The Sustainable Forestry team works closely with CF members who recognise the importance of diversifying their livelihood activities to increase income, build resilience, and reduce pressure on forest resources, but do not always have the knowledge or skills to do so. Our work on non-timber forest products – including honey,

Devil’s Claw and Silver Cluster Leaf ( Terminalia sericea ) – equips community members with knowledge on how to harvest, process, package and sell these products.

Marula ( Sclerocarya birrea ) is abundant in north-central Namibia and is highly valued for its wide range of social, economic, and nutritional significance. Despite its potential and occurrence, the Marula tree has remained underutilised in the Zambezi region, presenting a unique opportunity to stimulate rural development, job creation and market access, ultimately improving social, environmental and financial sustainability.

Twenty-seven participants from four CFs (Lubuta, Sachona, Kwando and Masida) and representatives from adjacent emerging CFs were trained on the significance of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) found in their CFs, particularly how to make syrup or jam from Marula fruit. Both theoretical and practical aspects were covered, including sustainable harvesting practices, fruit preparation with an emphasis on hygiene, fruit processing, and packaging, as well as costing the final product.

Some of the trainees have already prepared their own Marula syrup for household consumption and sale. Notably, Marula syrup produced in Lubuta CF is now for sale at Mashi Crafts in Kongola. The NNF plans to continue working with these trained CF members to build their capacity further so that they can serve as trainers themselves and continue to raise awareness on the value and importance of NTFPs.

While beekeeping and honey production have been successful in central and east Africa, establishing beekeeping enterprises at a subsistence and/or commercial scale in Namibia has been slow. With funding from the COmON Foundation the NNF and bee expert Dr Ortwin Aschenborn implemented a study with farmers in the Mayuni Conservancy and Kwando Conservancy/Community Forest to determine the feasibility of honey production in this area.

Four sites were selected along the Kwando River to conduct a one-year trial. Purpose-built hives suspended on hanging scales were placed close to permanent water, a food source (good vegetation) and away from humans

and livestock. Bee swarms were bought from a local beekeeper and hive weights were recorded fortnightly. Hive weights indicate the potential volume of honey that can be harvested.

The feasibility study showed good honey production in the first year. Seven farmers have now been trained in basic bee biology, beekeeping, beehive inspection, honey harvesting, honey processing and wild swarm capturing. The second year was a much drier year but still produced 53kg of honey (worth ca. N$13,000) for harvesting. The farmers have branded their honey MaKwa Honey after Mayuni Conservancy and Kwandu Conservancy/Community Forest, and labels have been co-designed and printed. The next step is to investigate potential markets in the Zambezi Region and elsewhere, and to establish a honey processing hub equipped with a centrifuge, storage and bottling facility.

In this reporting period, 300 new Devil’s claw harvesters and 297 new Manketti harvesters were trained with support from NILALEG (Namibia Integrated Landscape Approach for Enhancing Livelihoods and Environmental Governance to Eradicate Poverty) and the EU-funded OKACOM project (Okavango River Basin Water Commission) focusing on the Cubango-Okavango River Basin. While the value chain for Devil’s claw is relatively well established, more work is required to estatablish the Manketti value chain, which we are supporting through the GIZ-funded Climate Change and Inclusive Use of Natural Resources project.

The Sustainable Forestry team continues to explore the potential for other botanical products, working with BlueSky Botanics with funding from the GIZ African Botanical Resource Innovation and Value Addition project. The leaves of the Silver Cluster Leaf (Terminalia sericea) are being further investigated for anti-aging properties and could produce a commercially viable product in future. The team achieved a key milestone by becoming fully compliant with Namibia’s Access and Benefit Sharing legislation to ensure that proceeds from T. sericea products are shared equitably with local communities and harvesters. As part of our support package for all NFTPs, we produce guidelines for sustainable harvesting and storage that are distributed to harvesters.

Harvested Rosewood ( Guibourtia coleosperma ) Honey harvesting at Mayuni and Kwando. Harvesting Silver Cluster Leaves leaves in Kongola. caption

6.4 Sustainable Agriculture

Crop farming in north-eastern Namibia is hampered by erratic rainfall and poor soil quality, leading to widespread food insecurity as well as continuous land clearing for fields. Our Sustainable Agriculture programme therefore promotes several agricultural practices that increase soil fertility and long-term harvests. These include practices that align with agroecology and organic farming. These efforts to improve crop and livestock production are complemented by connecting farmers with new markets and improving local knowledge about the nutritional and health benefits of a diverse diet that includes locally produced vegetables. This holistic approach aims to improve livelihoods and human health while simultaneously conserving the environment.

The NNF Sustainable Agriculture programme promotes practices known as agro-ecology and organic farming that work in harmony with nature to increase agricultural production and sustainability. The ultimate goal is to build productive and profitable agricultural systems that are adapted to local conditions and resources, focussing on increasing yields and diversity while reducing the need for land clearing. The programme is based on collaborative partnerships at many levels: within communities, with project teams, between stakeholders in the region and on a national and regional level. The Sustainable Agriculture team uses funding from multiple sources to maximise the training opportunities offered to farmers in several different landscapes to build their capacity as farmers and trainers in sustainable agricultural practices.

The Knowledge Hub of Southern Africa (KHSA) is one of five hubs in Africa that fall under the Knowledge Centres for Organic Agriculture project funded by GIZ. KHSA is managed by the Sustainability Institute in South Africa and is implemented in Zambia, Namibia, Malawi, and South Africa. This Africa-wide project focuses on supporting the organic sector by collecting and validating knowledge pertaining to ecological organic agriculture (EOA), including agro-ecological production practices and knowledge. This validated information is then widely disseminated to promote the adoption of EOA across the continent.

The NNF leads the Namibian component of the KHSA project and has adopted two implementation approaches. The first sector-wide approach engages with academia, media, the commercial beef sector, small-scale farmers and policy makers to increase interest and systemic support for organic agriculture. The second approach, the Multiplier Support Programme (MSP), focuses on training and equipping multipliers (e.g. trainers and lead farmers) in the Zambezi Region.

Farmers that participate in the MSP receive intensive training (six three-day workshops) and long-term mentorship in sustainable agriculture, whilst also acquiring the skillset needed to become Community Extension Officers (CEOs). Each CEO has an in-depth and holistic understanding of these agricultural concepts and is able to plan and implement training events for others in their communities. Between October 2022 and August

2023, 26 CEOs were recruited, trained and equipped. These farmers are thus able to generate income from their services as CEOs while simultaneously improving their own farming practices.

The KAZA ARISE project aims to promote agro-ecological approaches to crop and livestock production while improving food security and wildlife habitat in the Mudumu Complex and Sikunga Conservancy (Zambezi Region). This project falls under the Bengo Engagement Global programme funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development and implemented by WWF Germany. The NNF and IRDNC implement the Namibian component of the KAZA ARISE project, which also includes Zambia and Zimbabwe. In this reporting period, 960 farmers received training, which includes subjects such as seed saving, horticulture, composting and diversified rain-fed crop production, soil fertility management and production of soil amendments. The CEOs capacitated under the KHSA programme assist the NNF field staff to guide and mentor their fellow farmers, thus increasing adoption rates of sustainable agricultural practices.

Agriculture is about more than just production practices – it plays a key role in food security, nutrition and economic development. The Sustainable Agriculture team has thus expanded its focal area to include nutrition awareness and food preparation for a wide variety of vegetables. Over 400 farmers were trained and 17 cooking and nutrition clubs were established in this reporting period. Further, 70 farmers have established backyard gardens that produce fruit and vegetables that can supplement household diets and be sold at local markets.

Establishing agricultural supply chains and market linkages will lead to increased income and economic growth in the Zambezi Region where formal employment opportunities are scarce and household incomes remain low. The team has therefore investigated chilli and cowpea value chains whereby these products can be sold at local, national or international level. In collaboration with the Conservation Leveraging Agribusiness in the Zambezi Region (CoLAB) project (see below) the chilli value chain has been established and crops were grown, harvested and sold in the 2022/23 season.

Chili field in the Mudumu South landscape, producing chili for the export value chain.

Increasing food security through food circles. Producing a wide variety of vegetables and fruit on a small scale with highly efficient water use.

Sikunga Farmer tending to his homemade compost for a sustainable long term soil enhancement.

Phinny Lizazi and fellow nutrition club members sharing a healthy meal and knowledge together.

Yield comparison between conservation agriculture (CA) and traditional agriculture (TA)

Payments to the farmers have already been made for fresh chilli, while the demand for cowpea products is still being tested.

The CoLAB project supported by the COmON Foundation through WWF-Namibia aims to implement an economically sustainable commercial farming model to enhance rural livelihoods and reduce human-wildlife conflict. This project consists of two main components: a horticulture project in Kabulabula Conservancy and a chilli project in the Mudumu Landscape.

Other projects within the Sustainable Agriculture programmatic area include the SDC (Swiss Development Cooperation)-funded initiative that supports food security in Bwabwata National Park, implemented through a partnership with IRDNC, and the Sobbe Cluster funded by the Dreamfund through WWF KAZA. The SDC project supports farmers in Bwabwata National Park to produce rain fed crops and vegetables using a “food circle” design with a focus on water-use efficiency. It will include poultry and honey production in the next phase. The Sobbe Cluster project goal is to create a group of farmers within a fenced-off area along the Sobbe Corridor to protect the corridor from farming activities and agricultural production from wildlife, with IRDNC playing a crucial role in this partnership as well.

One of the key challenges to the Sustainable Agriculture programme is the erratic and often insufficient rainfall in the focal regions, which limits the positive impact of these new approaches to agriculture. The last rainfall season (2022/23) was below average, resulting in a 5.6% decline in the maize yields compared to the previous

season, as reported by farmers implementing conservation agriculture. Since these farmers have limited or no access to irrigation, crop harvests are often determined by rainfall rather than farming practices, although the latter at least lessens the negative impact (e.g. improving soil organic matter content and mulching maintains soil moisture for as long as possible).

The team is expanding the focus of this programme to include more livestock-related projects and activities. In line with this, the NNF has recently joined other NGOs and Namibian research institutions in the InfoRange project that uses a digital tool to enhance livestock and rangeland management. This new project will improve information sharing in the livestock value chain in Namibia by linking farmers with each other, with other value chain actors, and with researchers based in Africa and internationally. The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research and managed by the German Institute for Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture.

Besides expanding the scope of the programme, the team plans to scale up current efforts to reach more farming communities while continuing to deepen the engagement with communities and farmers that are already on board. Given the limitations of short project funding cycles, the team will extend the current approach of using multiple projects with similar objectives to provide long-term, sustainable support to farmers and communities, ultimately having an impact on a landscape level. Moving forward, the NNF will continue to engage with regional and national government entities to create a supportive policy environment for sustainable agricultural practices.

Establishing agricultural supply chains and market linkages will lead to increased income and economic growth in the Zambezi Region. “ “

6.5 Freshwater Ecosystems and Inland Fisheries

Fishing is an important contributor to food security, household income and cultural identity for the communities living alongside the Kavango, Kwando, Zambezi and Chobe rivers in north-eastern Namibia. Fish stocks here and across Africa are under threat due to the commercialisation of fishing, unselective fishing methods and the limited ability of riverine communities to protect their fish stocks from outsiders. Local fishing communities have noticed the trend of declining fish stocks with concern and are now protecting parts of their rivers as legally gazetted community co-managed fisheries reserves. These community-led conservation efforts have resulted in measurably increased fish stocks and increasing species diversity. Communities from neighbouring countries are replicating this Namibian model, thus benefitting the broader Okavango and Zambezi river basins.

The community co-managed fisheries reserves in Namibia are producing excellent results and inspiring other communities to replicate this model. The Sikunga Conservancy’s protected Kalimbeza channel, for example, was declared a strictly no-fishing zone seven years ago. As a result, fishers in other parts of the same river have reported five times higher catch per unit effort than before the reserve was established. Meanwhile in Mayuni Conservancy the Mulumesi or African Pike has returned to the Kwando River after being nearly extirpated by overfishing. They are breeding successfully in the conservancy’s strict no-fishing zone in the Luhingi channel, as evidenced by increased catches of this species in the fishing areas. To date, 20 fisheries reserves in seven conservancies have been officially registered in Namibia.

The strict protection of fisheries reserves relies on constant patrol efforts by community members known as fish guards, while community fish monitors document how these measures affect fishing success on other parts of the river. This community-led, evidence-based approach has been highly successful, as indicated by new conservancies and other countries expressing interest in the model. Six new fisheries reserves in three conservancies were submitted for gazetting in Namibia,

one of which follows the new landscape level approach to have an entire river stretch of 40 km under conservation, with fishing being limited to traditional gear only. Five other conservancies have submitted requests for the NNF to assist them in establishing and registering their reserves.

Protecting fish stocks involves more than just local actors, however, as semi-commercial and commercial fishing operations that use illegal and unsustainable fishing methods are often multinational and well organised. The community fisheries reserves are therefore increasing their collaboration with law enforcement officials, the Ministries of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR) and Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT), and customs officials at international borders. These networks will make illegal fishing and fish trafficking across borders increasingly difficult, thus benefitting local fishing communities.

The success of Namibian fisheries reserves was exhibited in a short documentary called The River People to increase recognition and awareness of this concept throughout Africa and globally. The documentary won the Gold Award at the International Tourism Film Festival Africa in the Conservation/Documentaries

Living, healthy soil supports healthy plants, which can then produce healthy food.

Caption (Kavango Biannual Survey (1))

category and has been officially listed for screening at the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration events. Three of the Namibian fisheries reserves have applied to become ‘other effective area-based conservation measures’ (OECMs) as defined by the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Global recognition should lead to increased funding that will expand the number of communities and rivers that benefit from this approach.

During this reporting period, the NNF Inland Fisheries team focused on expanding this successful model to other Namibian conservancies and to communities in Angola, Botswana and Zambia that live within the KAZA TFCA. The work in Namibia and neighbouring countries is supported by the EU-funded E€OFISH project, The Nature Conservancy, Peace Parks Foundation, OKACOM, WWF Zambia, FAO and the USAID Resilient Waters project.

A major output in this reporting period was the first Transboundary Fisheries Framework 2023 (produced with Namibia, Angola and Botswana) that was finalised and presented at a Southern African Development Council (SADC) fisheries meeting. Attendees at that meeting suggested replicating this approach across the entire SADC region. At the KAZA and river basin level, the community fisheries approach is being promoted through transboundary community fora. Communities

use these fora to exchange knowledge and ideas with those living in other countries. In this period, six community transboundary fora continued to meet and two new ones were established with partners in Angola, Zambia and Botswana. Furthermore, government officials in Angola and Zambia have been involved in virtual and physical training sessions to improve intergovernmental collaboration.

Establishing and monitoring fisheries reserves requires extensive training and capacity building for both government authorities and communities. The importance of monitoring fish stocks, catch rates and socio-economic indicators to demonstrate success is clear from the Namibian experience, but these processes require well-trained and knowledgeable citizen scientists from communities along with trained government officials. To be able to replicate the approach taken, the NNF team developed Standard Operating Procedures and the Tackle Box (a field guide for practitioners) for Namibia, which can be adapted to other KAZA partner countries. The team presented these tools at international events such as the IUCN African Protected Areas Congress (APAC) held in Kigali, Rwanda.

The community-led approach to fish conservation takes time, extensive collaboration across riverine ecosystems and continual financial and technical support. This investment is worth it, since communities and governments that go through this process gain a strong sense of ownership and empowerment to tackle the otherwise intractable problem of overfishing. To continue the momentum gained thus far, the NNF will continue to look for partners and donor agencies that understand the need for a long-term, sustainable approach. In the coming year we will continue to entrench fisheries reserves as part of Namibia’s community conservation model whilst developing more Transboundary Fisheries Frameworks in other parts of KAZA. Ultimately, policies relating to fisheries must be integrated into other community-based conservation policies and practices across all countries.

6.6 Marine and Coastal Conservation

Namibia boasts a 1,572 km coastline with an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) extending 200 nautical miles (about 340km) from the shoreline into the Atlantic Ocean. The Namibian Islands Marine Protected Area (NIMPA) falls under the south-eastern part of the EEZ, covering 400 km of coastline at a size of 9,500 km2. Although the NIMPA is Africa’s second largest Marine Protected Area (MPA), it currently lacks an approved management plan and is ineffectively managed. Societal interest in marine conservation is hampered by lack of education and awareness of the importance of the ocean, and there are few Namibian civil society organisations working in this sector. While we celebrate the reduction of seabird bycatch rates in the fisheries sector, much more needs to be done to create a truly sustainable Blue Economy to benefit current and future generations of Namibians.

The NNF Marine Conservation team facilitated the amendment of the NIMPA regulations while offering support and engaging the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR) to redraft, validate and implement an effective 5-year management plan for the NIMPA. T his is part of the NIMPA+ project – funded by the Blue Action Fund and Oceans 5 – that aims to secure marine biodiversity and ecosystem services in NIMPA, in turn securing income opportunities for coastal communities and diversifying their livelihood opportunities. We are working towards the designation of more MPAs (Marine Protected Areas) and OECMs (other effective area-based conservation measures) at a national level with the goal of protecting 10% of Namibia’s EEZ. Working with the government, the NNF aims to expand this work further to match the global goal conserving 30% of the earth’s land and sea by 2030, as per the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

The work on NIMPA is part of our overarching mission to support integrated approaches to Blue Economy planning supported by One Ocean Hub. This planning process considers all of the economic activities based on Namibia’s marine resources and the important ecosystem services that the ocean provides to society. In this reporting period the team contributed to the Central Marine Spatial Planning process that is being led by MFMR.

Oceans are currently undervalued and not well understood by Namibians, both members of the general

public and policy-makers. The NNF Marine team therefore uses the annual World Oceans Day celebrations to increase societal awareness and knowledge of ocean conservation matters. The June 2022 event brought together 140 teachers and learners from 63 schools from all 14 Namibian regions to participate in a debating championship that used current issues facing the marine environment as the basis for the debate. Debate participants thus gain a deeper understanding of these topics and learn to articulate and present their viewpoints to others. To extend this work to schoolchildren, the team is currently in the process of developing an ocean literacy toolkit with support and input from the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture and other relevant stakeholders. This toolkit will assist educators to incorporate knowledge of the marine environment within the Namibian context into their lessons.

The Albatross Task Force (ATF), supported by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, continues to work with the commercial fishery industry to reduce seabird bycatch rates through the use of bird-scaring lines on demersal hake long-line and trawl fisheries. To support the extension of this work to other fisheries, the ATF team developed a short proposal that secured a small grant from the US Embassy to expand their reach to midwater trawlers (a type of trawl fishing that tows nets through the middle of the water column rather than near the bottom) and fishing vessels targeting Monkfish. This initial assessment involved seven trips on midwater trawlers and one on a Monkfish trawler to

Caption (Kapinga Pond (2))

Caption (Ministers Visit (4))

Caption (Kavango Biannual Survey (3))

Caption (Cape Cormorant)

ATF Instructor collecting data at sea.

determine the level of seabird bycatch caused by these fishing vessels.

In this reporting period, the ATF trained over 200 fishing industry personnel on the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries concept, thus building on established relationships with the fishing industry. This training helps the fishing industry stakeholders to implement mitigation methods such as bird scaring lines that reduced seabird bycatch in longline fisheries by 98.4% in 2021 (Da Rocha, et.al, 20211). People in the industry have commended the ATF for taking a proactive, positive approach to reducing seabird bycatch by working alongside fishing companies and showing them how they could play a role in conservation. The hake fishery has now been certified by the Marine Stewardship Council, which will bring financial rewards by expanding their overseas market.

The work on seabirds is expanding beyond Albatrosses, as the NNF supported the establishment of a new conservation organisation called the Namibian Foundation for the Conservation of Seabirds (NAMCOB). Other supporters include the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds, Debmarine Namdeb Foundation, Namibian Chamber of Environment (NCE), African Penguin Conservation Project, and Maryland Zoo, USA. Based in Lüderitz, NAMCOB will work with the MFMR to monitor key seabird colonies and MPAs, prepare for potential oil spills off Namibia’s coast and engage with the broader community to raise awareness about seabird conservation.

In June 2022, NNF secured funding for the Namibia Rays and Sharks (NaRaS) project from the Shark Conservation Fund to conduct research and make management recommendations for these species (collectively known as chondrichthyans). The NaRaS project will initially assess the diversity and status of chondrichthyans in Namibia, especially in the NIMPA and other potential MPAs. It will also determine the baseline of bycatch numbers for these species in the demersal trawl fisheries. The first publication produced under this project was aimed at educating recreational anglers on the correct identification of sharks, skates and rays, to develop a responsible angler’s code of conduct and provide guidelines on how anglers can contribute to scientific research by measuring the fish that they catch.

During 2024 we will continue to work on finalising and implementing the NIMPA management plan. The research on chondrichthyans and seabirds (led by the NNF NaRaS project and NAMCOB, respectively) in this MPA off the coast of Lüderitz will contribute much needed data for managing these important indicator species. The ATF’s work with the fishing industry will continue training fisheries personnel, while collecting more data on bycatch in midwater and Monkfish fisheries. The ocean literacy toolkit is currently being finalised and will be distributed across the country to increase the societal value attached to the ocean and promote a greater understanding of the marine ecosystem.

1 https://community.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/b/science/posts/22-000-seabirds-saved-in-namibia-every-year-thanksto-the-albatross-task-force-and-fishing-industry

6.7 Technical Services and Policy

The NNF provides technical services to fill knowledge gaps around environmental and socioeconomic issues and contribute to national, regional and international policy discussions. These services are built on our knowledge of local realities drawn from our extensive experience in each of our different programmatic areas. The NNF’s policy-related work involves the three United Nations Rio Conventions: the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Convention to Combat Desertification, and the Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). By actively contributing during the respective Conferences of the Parties (COPs) and other key meetings, the NNF staff have become recognised as experts in these areas. We have played a leading role in creating partnerships with civil society and government ministries to implement these global agreements at the national level.

In this reporting period the NNF was involved in nine projects and produced 20 technical reports. The Atlas of Namibia: its land, water and life was published in this period in collaboration with the Research and Information Services of Namibia and supported by GIZ. This authoritative work, published 20 years after the first Atlas, provides up to date information on Namibia’s physical, human and natural environment. The new Atlas is an important tool for decision-makers, resource managers, researchers, students and the wider public.

Several of our other projects during this period addressed climate change adaptation and financing. Notably, the NNF has secured US$ 3 million with the MEFT from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to strengthen Namibia’s adaptation planning processes. This work builds on the Civil Society Readiness for the Green Climate Fund project, which situated the NNF as a key role player in the climate finance sector in Namibia. Since then, we completed a Climate Adaptation Assessment for the Inclusive Sustainable and Urban Development project led by GIZ, and provided technical support for

a carbon credits pilot project on the NamibRand Nature Reserve.

As an accredited Observer of the GCF, the NNF attended the GCF Board Meeting in Songdo, South Korea and presented a paper on “Locally Led Adaptation in the GCF”. We were also represented on several panels at the COP27 of the UNFCCC in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. The NNF was invited to a side event in the German Pavilion to discuss scaled-up pro-poor and gender-just climate finance with African partners and was part of several events at the Namibian Pavilion on locally led adaptation in the GCF, adaptation in Namibia, the role of partnerships in strengthening country ownership in resource mobilisation, while addressing the triple crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and land degradation.

Caption (spottie)

Are there images of the attended workshops/ conferences that are mentioned here?

Grants Management

The Go Green Fund (GGF) is a Namibian small grants programme funded by Nedbank Namibia and administered by the NNF. These grants provide opportunities for individuals and organisations in Namibia to implement projects that improve livelihoods and support sustainable development. The NNF provides the interface between the Fund and the grant recipients to ensure a high standard of financial reporting and that the projects deliver quality outcomes in all parts of Namibia.

Using bush biomass as a form of green energy has the added benefit of restoring degraded Namibian rangelands and boosting the rural economy, thus creating a rare opportunity for a triple win for climate change, biodiversity and livelihoods. This new opportunity has been taken with both hands by MEFT and NGOs including the NNF. The Minister launched a National Strategy on the Sustainable Management of Bush Resources at the Biomass Fair in 2022. The NNF assisted NamPower to secure grant funding for the Otjikoto Biomass Power Station that will turn encroacher bush biomass into electricity for the national grid.

Additionally, the NNF team created an inventory of ways to add value to bush biomass and an investment guide for those wanting to contribute to the sector in ways that are viable, scalable, gender-sensitive and inclusive on both freehold and communal lands in Namibia. Furthermore, the NNF and the NCE created the National Dialogue Platform on Bush Resources to help stakeholders new to the industry explore its possibilities while also creating greater public awareness about the benefits of this new industry.

Going beyond climate change, the NNF attended the CBD COP15 in Montreal, Canada and the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice held in Geneva, Switzerland. In recognition of our expertise in this field, the MEFT nominated the NNF representative as an expert on the Ad Hoc Technical Group on Indicators (AHTEG I and II) for the Global Biodiversity Framework Monitoring Framework of the CBD, and as Namibia’s gender focal point for the CBD. The NNF has also become a member of the IUCN East and Southern Africa Regional Office and was elected Chair of the IUCN Expert Assessment of the Green List in Namibia.

The lessons learned at the national and international levels were put to good use in the technical reports and assistance the NNF provided under various consultancies. One of these involved preparing the Kavango Green Economy Vision Situation and Scenario-based Analysis for Anchor Consulting.

The NNF continued to contribute to the University of Namibia’s (UNAM) extension of the Katima Mulilo campus, particularly by providing input for the postgraduate curricula offered by the Department of Wild-

life Management and Ecotourism. This department and the Namibia Qualifications Authority approved the BSc curriculum, while the MSc curricula are being revised. The Component 2 Team of the KfW UNAM Project finalised a Strategic Development Plan and Staff Training Concept following the planning workshop in April 2022. Priorities for the next phase include capacity building, networking and improving internal processes and procedures.

In partnership with the KAZA Secretariat and the USAID Resilient Waters project, the NNF developed the KAZA Livelihoods Diversification Strategy. The final product delivered to KAZA in April 2023 provided an integrated framework and strategic priorities for diversifying and supporting the livelihoods of predominately rural communities within the KAZA TFCA.

The “Reducing Pollution for Partnership” project (supported by the Joint Nature Conservation Council (JNCC) and UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)) was very well received by different stakeholders and has opened new doors and networks for further projects on different pollution issues – especially in the urban environment. Unfortunately in the wrap-up meeting with DEFRA and JNCC in July 2022, DEFRA indicated that they had not received the funding they had anticipated and would therefore limit their focus to South Africa and Vietnam in the immediate future.

One of the challenges encountered by any institution engaging with the three Rio Conventions is that they exist in siloes, which makes it difficult to create integrated solutions that address biodiversity, climate change and land degradation together. Since the NNF is involved in all three of these issues through our programmatic areas, we continue to look for opportunities for creating and implementing integrated solutions. When engaging at high-level COPs and other international meetings, the NNF representatives constantly bring our experience at the local and national levels to the fore. There is more scope for collating our lessons learned as an institution and as part of Namibia’s vibrant civil society sector in order to contribute to high-level negotiations. Looking to the future, we will expand our engagement with the climate and biodiversity finance sectors globally while developing closer relationships with Namibia’s environmentally conscious private sector.

Petalidium sesfonteinense (flower) from Sesfontein in the Kaokoveld, Kunene Region

Ten projects that received GGF grants are being administered by the NNF in this reporting period. The overall scope of these projects was biologically and geographically diverse, covering plants and animals in the north-west, north-east, central and southern parts of the country. Independent and government research institutes, conservation NGOs and education centres received funding to expand our knowledge of Namibia’s biodiversity and increase local capacity for research and conservation.

In 2021, the Go-Green Fund call for applications (implemented during 2022-2023) was entitled Discover. The call focused on expedition and exploration in Namibia and supported baseline studies including data collection, inventories and surveys in understudied areas. Several projects focused on documenting Namibia’s plant diversity in some of the more remote parts of the country. Two new plant species were discovered in northwestern Namibia and described in scientific journal articles under the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) Kaokoflora project: Scenecio namibiensis (Asteraceae family) and Petalidium sesfonteinense (Acanthus family). Further, the National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) is implementing two projects relating to plant diversity, one in the Kunene Region and the other in the southern //Karas Region.

Using a GGF grant, the Ongava Research Centre (ORC) produced a guide for collecting bio-indicators, which

Newly described Senecio namibensis in flower from the Khumib River Valley in the Kaokoveld, Kunene Region

are species or other environmental features (e.g. water quality) that are sensitive to changes in the environment and can be collected and stored over time. During the grant period, ORC staff collected 816 indicator samples comprising 8,345 unique specimens as part of the bioindicator collection on the Ongava Game Reserve. The new “Bio-indicators for Beginners – a field sampling guide” will assist other Namibian research institutions to set up similar collections.

Two other projects focus on biodiversity more generally, with the Gobabeb Namib Research Institute investigating the Central Namib Inselbergs and the National Museum of Namibia collecting DNA from animal species across the country. One project led by Stellenbosch University in South Africa will document the species diversity and geographic distribution of termites and their symbiotic fungi throughout Namibia.

Two projects addressed training and capacity building needs. The Namib Desert Environmental Education Trust successfully trained 95 tertiary-level students in Education for Sustainable Development and hosted two leadership events. The Kwando Carnivore Project provided valuable spoor survey and tracking training led by experienced Khwe trackers for community game guards and MEFT personnel. This was part of a baseline spoor survey for cheetah and African wild dog within the Mudumu landscape in the Zambezi Region.

The Good Africa made from recycled material for the awareness event.

The Brown Hyaena Research (BHR) project operating on Namibia’s coast also received support through the GGF in this reporting period. As a result, BHR submitted a scientific paper for review that recommends the development of a carnivore-viewing site in Southern Namibia near seal colonies where brown hyaenas are regularly observed. This aims to improve public perception of brown hyaenas.

A new call for proposals, entitled Green Urbanism , was released in 2023 for projects starting in 2024 on the theme of sustainable urban development. This theme was chosen because most of the GGF funded projects have focused on rural areas and biodiversity thus far, with less attention paid to the urban environment. Namibia is urbanising rapidly, which calls for more emphasis on urban issues such as pollution and green spaces. In assessing this round of proposals, the Fund will distribute the grants as widely as possible to ensure that towns across the country benefit.

The NNF Grants management team draws on the expertise available in the different programmatic areas to help review grant applications and progress reports in their respective fields. As an organisation that implements our own projects, we are ideally placed to assist GGF grantees to deliver quality project outputs that showcase the value of this long-standing grants programme to Namibia.

8 Communicating our work

The Communications team ensures effective and strategic communications relating to the NNF’s vision, mission, values and activities to the media, public, donors, the government and partners. This small but dynamic team provides support and guidance to the NNF project managers and their teams to increase their projects’ visibility. Transcending individual projects, the team is maintaining and further developing the NNF and Love Namibia, Love Nature brand and its associated platforms.

8.1 Amplifying conservation efforts

In this reporting period, the communications team has not had any specific projects following the successful completion of two previous projects in 2021 and 2022:

1) US Embassy Strengthening Democracy in the Namibian CBNRM Programme

This project aimed to scale-up citizen impact, promote democracy, and build capacity in community conservation. Over 300 community members were involved in the project, which included engaging with the Namibian Parliament and forming strong collaborations with key entities that can amplify their voices at the national level.

8.2 Our digital presence

The NNF has developed a strong digital presence using several online platforms to increase stakeholder and public engagement. The website defines the organisation’s mission, vision and objectives. It functions primarily as a source of information pertaining to vacancies, funding opportunities, technical and popular publications, and organisation details.

https://www.nnf.org.na

The NNF’s Facebook page currently has over 9,000 followers, and is used to publish and promote all relevant project activities in the form of pictures, videos, or links that direct users to publications, either on our website or partners’ websites.

https://facebook.com/Namibia.Nature.Foundation. NNF

8.3 Defining the brand

Should this not be removed since its 2021&22?

2) Partnership against poaching and illegal wildlife trade (Ivory and Rhino Horn) - Developing an integrated communications platform

The NNF created a digital strategy for MEFT and their partners in combatting wildlife crime with funding from GIZ. The strategy included establishing the neutral “Love Namibia, Love Nature” brand and platform to raise awareness about wildlife issues and generate pride in Namibia’s conservation efforts. The second phase of the strategy, funded by USAID, promoted the Ministry’s Wildlife Crime Reporting SMS hotline 55555 and showcased community efforts to combat wildlife crime.

Instagram is popular amongst the youth, so the NNF actively shares content on this platform to over 2,500 followers that is especially relevant to young people who are interested in environmental and conservation affairs.

https://instagram.com/namibia_nature_foundation

Twitter (rebranded as X) is frequently used by politicians, diplomats, and researchers. The NNF uses Twitter to engage in environmental and conservation conversations, especially to reflect on its past and present project work. https://twitter.com/NNF_Namibia

Many of the projects implemented by the NNF require a digital record of what was implemented. Some of these videos are professionally developed and shared on the NNF YouTube channel for public consumption.

https://www.youtube.com/user/NamibiaNatureFDN

In both online and off-line communications activities, we display prominent logos that are branded with either the NNF logo or the Love Namibia, Love Nature logo, depending on the context. The NNF logo reflects the scope and volume of the work in conserva¬tion and sustainable development. The rhino and the elephant are key conservation species in Namibia, while the green reflects conservation on the land and the blue represents the sky and water. Our slogan is “Committed to Conservation”. The Love Namibia, Love Nature logo includes Namibia’s national plant – the Welwitschia – signifying the relevance of this platform to the whole nation.

Cover of the published book, Bio-Indicators for beginners

A field Sampling Guide

Routine tick sampling from a darted blue wildebeest on the Okonjima Nature Reserve

UNAM Ogongo students measuring the waste generated by the group during the environmental audit session at NaDEET Centre

9 Environmental and Social Safeguards

As the NNF grows in terms of complexity and scope, it is vitally important that all our activities continue to contribute to Namibia’s conservation efforts and the social well being of the communities we work with. To ensure sustainable, positive and impactful outcomes of our projects and activities, the NNF has developed an Environmental and Social Policy that creates a transparent and coherent mechanism and governance framework to assess, mitigate and manage environmental and social risks. Implementing this policy will ensure the protection of the environment and promotion of human rights, equality and inclusiveness across all of our programmes.

Following the Environment and Social Policy, the NNF developed a number of safeguarding instruments (grievance mechanisms, stakeholder engagement plan and risk registers) and screening tools. These are designed to ensure that environmental and social risks are addressed throughout the development, implementation and closure of our projects. During this reporting period, we have embedded these safeguarding tools in two of our projects: KAZA ARISE and NIMPA+, in line with their respective donor requirements.

One of the safeguarding tools embedded within the projects is the grievance mechanism. The grievance mechanism ensures that project beneficiaries, stakeholders or partners can anonymously report any suspected wrongdoing, express complaints or breach of the NNF policies, operations, and environmental and social principles by any of our teams. Reports can relate to finances, human resources, procurement, programme quality, and safety and security.

To ensure the effectiveness of the grievance mechanism, various channels have been established to lodge

a complaint. Nine ombudspersons were democratically elected by the project beneficiaries in the abovementioned projects to receive grievances on behalf of the communities and channel it through to the NNF. In addition, various materials have been developed and activities conducted to raise awareness among the NNF staff, project beneficiaries and relevant stakeholders about the safeguarding tools.

The ultimate objective is to seamlessly integrate the NNF’s environmental and social policy considerations across all of our programmatic areas and associated projects. In the forthcoming year, our efforts will focus on broadening community and stakeholder engagement in the execution of our activities, thereby fostering an inclusive approach. Our commitment extends to the cultivation of adaptive management practices, ensuring a responsive and dynamic policy framework. Central to this aspiration is the unwavering dedication to amplifying community voices, ensuring we proactively address their needs and challenges throughout the implementation of our activities.

10 Financial Reports

The NNF’s Annual Financial Statements are prepared for our core operating finances and against our Institutional (core) budget. This does not directly include

the individual projects that we implement and/or manage, many of which are audited separately in accordance with individual donor rules and stipulations.

10.1 Basis of Presentation of Financial Statements

The summarised financial statements for the years ended 28 February 2022 and 29 February 2023 are the responsibility of the Trustees. The statements have been prepared in accordance with the framework concepts as well as the measurement and recognition requirements of the Namibian Statement of Generally Accepted Accounting practice-NAC 001: Financial Reporting for Small and Medium Sized Entities. They do not include all the information required for full annual financial statements and should be read in conjunction

with the annual financial statements of the Namibia Nature Foundation as at and for the year ended 28 February 2023.

The summarised financial statements have been derived from and are consistent in all material respects with the audited financial statements but are themselves not audited. A copy of the audit report and a full set of the audited annual financial statements are available on request (info@nnf.org.na) or on our website at www.nnf.org.na

10.2 Summarised Financial Statements

Insert relevant tables

11 Organisation information

HEAD OFFICE

Namibia Nature Foundation

Registration no: 00504971-011

76&78 Frans Indongo Road, Windhoek West

Tel: +264 61 248 345

P O Box 245, Windhoek, Namibia

REGIONAL OFFICES

Swakopmund Office

6 Hidipo Hamutenya Street, Swakopmund

Tel: Contact head office

Nkurenkuru Office

Erf 547 Extension 2, Nkurenkuru

Tel: Contact head office

Angola

Ohangwena

Omusati Oshana Oshikoto

Kunene

Rundu Office

Erf 1329, Industrial area, Rundu

Tel: Contact head office

Kongola Office

Shop no. 3, Zambezi Trans-Caprivi highway

Tel: Contact head office

Katima Mulilo Office

Ministry of Fisheries building, Katima Mulilo

Tel: Contact head office

AUDITORS

SGA 24 Orban Str, Klein Windhoek, Windhoek, Namibia

P.O. Box 30, Windhoek, Namibia

Katima Mulilo Kongola

Nkurenkuru Zambezi

Rundu

Kavango West Kavango East

Otjozondjupa

Omaheke

Swakopmund

Erongo

Windhoek Khomas

Atlantic Ocean

Hardap

Botswana

Zambia

Notes

NNF office location

Karas