COVID-19 Conservation Relief, Recovery & Resilience Facility (CRRRF)
On the 5th May 2020, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) Launched the Conservation Relief, Recovery and Resilient Facility (COVID-19 Facility). The Facility aims to provide financial relief to CBNRM institutions affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. A task Team, which includes Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation (IRDNC), has been appointed by the MEFT in order to ensure coordination in resource mobilisation and funds disbursal.
The objective of the facility is to ensure the continuation of antipoaching activities, mitigation of human wildlife conflict, preservation of natural resources, the management of wildlife and minimum job losses in the sector. The underlying goal is to ensure that CBNRM entities are able to weather the storm as a result of the pandemic and are in a position to recover as quickly as possible in a post COVID-19 era. At its inception the Facility aimed to provide financial relief quarterly for a period of up to one year.
The first quarter started in May 2020 and the final quarter April 2021. A total amount of N$ 6,339,168 was made towards the CRRRF second quarter disbursements to conservancies and about N$ 5,843,976.04 towards business and SME support. Key partners participating and contributing to the facility are:
- Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia (EIF)
- Namibia Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO)
- Community Conservation Fund of Namibia (CCFN)
- World Wildlife Fund Namibia (WWF)
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
- NedBank Namibia
- Namibia Nature Foundation
- B2Gold
- IRDNC
- Namibia Chamber of Environment
- The Nature Conservacy (TNC)
- Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
- KfW Development Bank
- Tourism Supporting Conservation Trust (TOSCO)
- Nyae Nyae Development Foundation of Namibia (NNDFN) and
- Laurie
