Integrating Livestock Production with Wildlife Management in Communal Conservancies in the Zambezi region: Exploration Trip to Kenya

The Livestock/Wildlife Integration programme in Communal Conservancies started off with a pilot project in Dzoti Conservancies in April last year and one of the objectives were to visit areas outside Namibia to learn from other countries. As Kenya was identified as a potential case study to learn from, the Namibian participants from Dzoti Conservancy travelled to Livingstone in Zambia from where they flew to Nairobi for a study tour. WWF in Kenya hosted the group on the first day, from where they proceeded to Mara Siana Conservancy where the manager briefed the delegation on their current activities and the challenges the conservancy was facing. During the one-week tour, the team also visited Enokwisho, Naboisho Conservancy, Oloisukut Conservancy and Masai Mara Game Reserve.

A number of good examples and lessons were picked up during the trip including strong monitoring techniques for both livestock and wildlife, having all cattle farmers adopting grazing plans, livestock being herded all the time, land owners donating land to conservation and tourism joint ventures yielding even more profit to farmers when farmers increase the land they give to conservation. Although challenges such as human wildlife conflict, poaching, diseases and a few people refusing the conservancy programme, the Kenyan lessons led to the following great recommendations for implementation in Dzoti Conservancy;

• Setting rules and fines to be incorporated in the grazing plan
• Strengthen livestock herding and develop mechanism for mitigation approaches towards human wildlife conflict
• Explore the fattening program for livestock before being sold, as practiced in Kenya
• Work closely with veterinary specialists and seek opportunities to train local livestock farmers
• Seek for interested investor(s) to build a slaughter house in Dzoti Conservancy
• Many more integrated land management techniques to be explored further.