Community Borehole Project – Namibia

Water for the community – Borehole construction

Borehole project: Kasika Conservancy, Zambezi region, Namibia

CCFA is pleased to have supported this community conservation initiative to provide safe and convenient access to water as well as assisting communities in their efforts to grow crops for subsistence farming (with a focus on fish and mielies), to feed their families and perhaps in the future create a living that extends further than the grant system.

Donate here

After the successful completion of the first borehole in November 2020 in the Maliyazwa Village, CCFA wishes to provide further communities with four more much-needed boreholes. The additional boreholes will be piped to at least 8 strategically positioned outlets in order to allow for even distribution within the community, serving at least 400 people. The nearest river is a great distance away from the community and the presence of wild animals such as hippo and crocodiles in the river and on the river banks, makes collecting water there a life threatening task. Many community members have already lost their lives over trying to access this water source.

Donate here

First borehole construction completed, November 2020

Mr Libuku’s village (Maliyazwa) is home to a community of approximately 40 people, who are now able to access water safely, thanks to the recent construction of a borehole in their village. This is a pure luxury for the community who had previously resorted to descending 10 metres into a collapsed water well to collect water to fulfil their basic needs for survival. Standing on the collapsed edges of the well to access water was a life threatening feat in that there were no reinforcements surrounding the structure. The water table had dropped due to drought conditions, hence the need to descend at least 10 metres below ground level.

The recent borehole construction at Libuku Village has provided the many elderly people, as well as those in poor health living there, with easier access to water. The act of collecting water from a well and walking far distances to a water source, was not available to these physically challenged community members. Now, water points are located closer to the homestead and the borehole has been fitted with a sediment filter (a bidden wrapped around the intake pipe) to keep larger debris out of the water.

Human Elephant Coexistence – Namibia

ELEPHANT CONSERVATION AND HUMAN ELEPHANT CONFLICT MITIGATION PROGRAMME

CCFA is pleased to have supported an initiative that is creating harmony between communities and wildlife in the Kunene region of Namibia.

Ombonde People’s Park, located in the Kunene region, is home to desert-adapted elephant, black rhino, giraffe, lion and cheetah – all vulnerable or threatened in Africa. The Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation’s (IRDNC) Elephant conservation and human-elephant mitigation programme, aims to prevent poaching in the area, while enhancing and building on community ownership of wildlife and natural resources. This is an authentic partnership between community conservancies and the government.

Drought is a constant threat that affects basic living standards and survival. It creates social strains such as unemployment, hunger and an increase in human-wildlife conflict scenarios. Many predators have moved closer to the homesteads, preying on livestock and destroying gardens because they are struggling to source water and food in their own habitats. Similarly, some farmers are encroaching on core wildlife zones in search of better grazing opportunities for their livestock.

There are currently 674 conservancy members working towards the common goal to live peacefully alongside wildlife by employing sustainable livelihood practices.

Various meetings held between January 2018 and August 2019, facilitated by the IRDNC team members, focused on plans to introduce a community garden and erect a solar-powered electric fence to protect it from elephants and other wildlife.

Funding for the project was approved after we received a project outline and application at the 2018 Conservation Lab. It is a project that is aligned with our overarching ethos: Working with local communities to preserve conservation.

CCFA previously donated U$25 000 toward the cost of erecting an electric fence around the community’s food garden which is about 140 625 m² (14 hectares). In addition to the fence, we also secured a commitment from the local council to provide water to the conservancy, to ensure the farming project is sustainable and improves the lives of the community.

The electric fence is comprised of 3 live strands and 2 earth wires. The energiser is a powerful unit, with 8 Joules stored energy – strong enough to deter elephants. It includes a solar PV panel and cover and operates independently of any grid.

The easy to assemble and maintain system, was installed by the community and overseen by the IRDNC Human Wildlife Support team. The community was tasked to nominate a ‘tech savvy’ community member to be trained on how to install the fence and operate the ‘fence tester’ apparatus to allow for fuss-free maintenance. There will be community ownership regarding the upkeep of the property.

Although this practical intervention – the installation of an electric fence – has addressed one of the major problems faced by the community, ongoing strategic interaction between the IRDNC and surrounding communities will continue in the form of:

Continuing to identify community concerns around the encroaching elephant population, in order to formulate effective actions towards a more peaceful co-existence.
Creating and maintaining awareness about the negative impact of elephant poaching as well as the economic and environmental benefits of cohabiting peacefully with the elephants
Monitoring of elephant populations and their movements
Gathering data around elephant conflict and determining the cost of any damage to properties and farming livestock to find creative solutions to mitigate these situations
Incentivising communities by adding value through tourism, offering training that will enable them to find jobs in the wildlife tourism industry.

Latest Update

Great strides have been made in the Kunene Region of Namibia to help create harmonious living conditions between the 674 Ongongo conservancy members – living within the Ombonde People’s Park – and neighbouring wildlife.

The problem

Drought remains the main environmental problem experienced by the Ongongo conservancy. It impacts basic survival and living standards, creates social strains such as unemployment and hunger and increases human-wildlife conflict scenarios. Many predators have moved closer to the homesteads because they are struggling to source water and food in their own habitats and, similarly, some farmers are encroaching on core wildlife zones in search of better grazing opportunities for their livestock.

The easy to assemble and maintain fence was installed by the 20-strong team, overseen by the IRDNC Human Wildlife Support team.

Designed to deter the elephants, the fence comprises 3 live strands and 2 earth wires. The energizer is a powerful unit with 8 joules stored energy and comes with a solar PV panel and cover and operates independently of any grid.

The solution

This particular project focused on assisting the community, especially the women, by erecting an electric fence around the community garden to deter elephants – and other animals – from ruining their crops.

Transferring of skills

The community were educated about the hazards of the ‘live’ fence and how to avoid contact with electricity. Two community members have been trained to monitor and guard the fence while another two are now competent to offer technical support and fence maintenance.

Next steps

Although this practical intervention has addressed one of the major problems faced by the community, ongoing strategic interaction between the IRDNC and surrounding communities will continue in the form of:

Identifying community concerns around the encroaching elephant population to help formulate effective actions that will allow a peaceful co-existence
Creating and maintaining awareness about the negative impact of elephant poaching as well as the economic and environmental benefits of cohabiting peacefully with the elephants
Monitoring the elephant populations and their movements
Gathering data around elephant conflict to determine the cost of any damage to properties and farming livestock to find creative solutions to mitigate these situations
Incentivising communities by adding value through tourism – offering training to enable them to find employment within the wildlife tourism industry.

Despite the impact on supply chains due to Covid-19 restrictions and subsequent lockdowns, the necessary materials were procured and 20 residents (15 men and 5 women) were nominated to help with the construction, this included:

Sourcing fencing poles
Collecting and dressing the poles
Digging holes and cement corner posts (5), gate posts (1) and stays (12)
Cleaning of the fence line
Stringing and fastening wires
Closing the fence for small stock

Donate to this cause

Nearly all the countries in the world have promised to improve the planet and the lives of its citizens by 2030.

They’ve committed themselves to 17 life-changing goals, outlined by the UN in 2015. These Global Goals, also known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), include ending extreme poverty, giving people better healthcare, and achieving equality for women. The aim is for all countries to work together to ensure no one is left behind.

This project is aligned with the following goals:

Integrated Rural Development – Namibia

INTEGRATED RURAL DEVELOPMENT & NATURE CONSERVATION (IRDNC)

The People’s Park – one million hectares under protection

CCFA, together with partner, TUSK Trust, is pleased to have supported a conservation initiative in the Kunene region of Namibia. Ombonde People’s Park is a progressive version of a national park that has the potential, in phases, to put one million hectares of Namibia’s spectacular Kunene region under protection.

The Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation (IRDNC) – the implementing partner for the People’s Park – has received funding from Tusk, the Oak Foundation and ourselves to finalise the management plans and a third conservancy has signed up. They are waiting for the new Wildlife Act to be passed, which will ensure the people’s Park model can be rolled out even further, depending on budget.

In a royal show of support for this initiative, HRH Prince William visited Kunene in September 2018 where he met with community leaders and government officials and was given an update of the project.

TUSK’s mission is to amplify the impact of progressive conservation initiatives across Africa. The charity identifies and invests in the best projects and partners with them in the long term. TUSK approached CCFA because we are aligned in terms of believing that, ‘successful conservation is only possible if it is implemented at grass roots level.’ The donation totaled $64,750 (R1.2 million)

Kunene is home to desert-adapted elephant, black rhino, giraffe, lion and cheetah, all vulnerable or threatened in Africa. What makes the People’s Park different from conventional national parks is that it builds on and enhances community ownership of wildlife and natural resources. The People’s Park is another authentic partnership between community conservancies and the government.

Even prior to COVID-19 the area was in trouble. There has been a serious drought which has put community-based conservation in the region under severe threat. A series of domestic stock invasions into communal conservancies, core wildlife conservation and tourism zones, including black rhino habitats had also taken place.

Herders have been implicated in rhino poaching (amongst others) and pasture intended for wildlife has been degraded. Successful court actions against the invaders over a four-year period, coupled with meetings with traditional leaders, have broadly countered this threat. However, there is nothing to prevent similar occurrences in the future in drought-prone Kunene.

Tusk identified two of the worst affected conservancies to CCFA – Ehirovipuka and Omatendeka, then initiated and worked with IRDNC to find legal and mutually beneficial ways to consolidate the integrity of their exclusive wildlife and tourism zones. Majority support by conservancy members – including women, youth and traditional leaders – has been achieved by a community-based and led process over the past year.

The development of the Ombonde People’s Park as a land tenure model for Ehirovipuka and Omatendeka’s exclusive wildlife and tourism zones, could link the Skeleton Coast Park with Etosha National Park and even with Iona National Park in Angola. This would provide sustainable long-term protection for critically endangered rhino, elephant and other wildlife habitats and ensure that tourism, to these areas, directly benefits those communities that live with and near their wildlife.

The People’s Park model could be adapted and used elsewhere in Namibia and in other African countries. The project demonstrates a new way for communities to benefit from living sustainably with wildlife while, at the same time, strengthening wildlife conservation.

Tusk has worked with Garth Owen Smith (Winner of the 2015 Prince William Award) and Dr Margie Jacobsohn of IRDNC over the last few years providing the necessary funding to underwrite the community engagement and political process.