Many of Caprivi's opportunities and constraints are direct consequences of its position, as a remote part of Namibia and especially and as a result of its very central location in southern Africa. The region lies almost exactly half-way between the equator and the southern tip of Africa, as well as being half-way between the east and west coasts.

A survey was carried out in 2009 in the Caprivi region of Namibia to establish the economic benefits that fishing lodges bring to local communities and the local economy. Five fishing lodges were surveyed and estimates for costs, revenues and fish catch were determined. These estimates were in turn used to inform an economic model designed to provide estimates for the net benefits of the operations.

An aerial wildlife census of the Caprivi River Systems in Namibia was conducted between 11 and 20 August 2004. A total count of water bodies and floodplains of the Kavango, Kwandu, Linyanti, Chobe and Zambezi was done to asses the numbers of hippopotamuses, floodplain ungulates, crocodiles, and some large birds. Counting areas were divided into 15km2 blocks and, with the use of GPS and mobile GIS technology, each block was covered intensively.

An environmental profile and atlas of Caprivi. Chapters 3 - 5

An environmental profile and atlas of Caprivi. Chapters 9 - end

Assessment of Non-Wood forest products in eastern Caprivi

The Park was first proclaimed as the Caprivi Game Reserve in 1966 and upgraded to the Caprivi Game Park in 1968. It was gazetted as the Bwabwata National Park in 2007 and incorporated the former Mahango Game Reserve. The Park has had a chequered history as it was declared a military area by the South African Defence Force during Namibia's war of liberation. It was not until after Independence in 1990 that the Park could be properly run as a conservation area.

Game counts in Bwabwata and Caprivi; dry season, live sightings. showing Numbers seen by conservation area, habitat, compared to 2010, population estimates and trends

Game counts in Bwabwata and Caprivi; dry season, live sightings. showing Numbers seen by conservation area, habitat, compared to 2012, population estimates and trends

Game counts in Bwabwata and Caprivi (protected areas only); dry season, live sightings. showing Numbers seen by conservation area, habitat, compared to 2010, population estimates and trends

This paper analyses the Rossing Foundation craft purchase data paid out to individual crafters in Caprivi between June 1998 and the end of 2001 and reviews the livelihood impact of this money. The most important crafts in this commercialisation have been woven products (particularly open palm baskets, but also other woven items and grass and reed mats), wood carvings and clay pots. The majority of the craft makers in the region live in rural areas, and while wood carving appears to be the domain of men, weaving and pottery is carried out almost exclusively by women.

The Kavango–Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) is a multi-objective initiative involving parts of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The concept of major tourism destination based on the extensive network of protected areas and wildlife populations has been discussed and developed over the last decade. Recently, the idea has been revitalised by the ministers of those five countries, who seek to establish a world-class transfrontier conservation area and tourism destination in the Okavango and Zambezi river basin regions of those countries, within the context of sustainable development.

During October and November 2005, we conducted aerial surveys over the Lower Kwando River Basin (LKRB) and the West Caprivi to determine elephant distribution and abundance. This region offers the best potential for restoring elephant and other wildlife populations into the conservation areas of southeast Angola and southwest Zambia.

The paper outlines the production system on the eastern floodplains in the Caprivi paying special attention to the fishing activities. Although there are already some indications that the resource may be overfished, this paper suggests that the situation could become much worse if the current trends continue - continued weakening of the influence of the traditional management systems; increasing availability of fishing inputs; market demand and prices for fish remain strong; and worsening problems in the agricultural sector (e.g. withdrawal of government subsidies for certain inputs, increasing incidence of wildlife/human conflicts, marketing problems). This paper calls for, among other things, further work to investigate the options and feasibility of developing some type of co-management regime (involving fisherfolk, government and other stakeholders in the management of the fishery) to ensure that the fishery is managed sustainably and continues to play an important role in the floodplain livelihood system.

The Caprivi Region is well supplied with natural pans and ponds and has numerous old "borrow pits" left from past road construction activities. This makes the Region suited to fish ranching that uses ponds stocked with fingerling to grow larger fish. Such ponds can be either ephemeral, where fish need to be stocked annually and harvested a few months later when the ponds start to dry out, or semi-permanent, where stocking can be less frequent provided naturally produced fingerlings are left in the ponds when harvesting of the larger fish takes place. From 2007, NGOs assisted local people to develop fish ranching activities at 30 sites in Caprivi. This is the only project of this nature in Namibia and has the distinct advantage over fish farming is that inputs are very low (mainly labour to clear ponds of unwanted plants and fish species, feeding with any garden or food waste and harvesting). The existing fish ranching initiative is viable. Annual records from half of the existing ponds show that the commercial value of fish harvested would be about a quarter of a million Namibian Dollars, if the fish had been sold at the Katima Market. As most of the harvest from the fish ranching was consumed locally, this is an amount that people potentially saved in not having to buy food to eat. As Mr Tsukhani from Machita said, "If the fish ranching project continues, our sons will eat". An estimated sales figure from the actual fish sold at all the fish ranching sites in one year was about N$ 40 000. Some of this fish sales income was reinvested in the fish ranching business through the purchase of fishing equipment (e.g. hooks were bought at Lyanzoka) or fish food (e.g. bran at Machita). Other income was invested in education. At Machita village, the fish pond committee opened a Nampost account with the N$ 1 500 they earned from selling big fish and also fingerlings to a neighbour. Most of this fish ranching income (N$ 1 000) was spent on school funds and uniforms for 22 orphans. The price for fish in Caprivi is high (N$ 10/kg at source or N$ 20/kg Katima Market) and market forces have the potential to provide the incentive for continued management of fish ranching at the community level.

Game counts in Bwabwata and Caprivi (conservancies only); dry season, live sightings. showing Numbers seen by conservation area, habitat, compared to 2009, population estimates and trends.

Fact sheets, notice-board posters etc on Balyerwa Conservancy

Fact sheets, notice-board posters etc on Kwandu Conservancy

Fact sheets, notice-board posters etc on Mayuni Conservancy

Fact sheets, notice-board posters etc on Wuparo Conservancy

The Caprivi Region in Namibia is a narrow strip of land extending eastwards from the northeastern corner of the country, and is bordered by Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the south and Zimbabwe to the east. The region is flat and characterised by numerous swamps and slow-flowing rivers. A major swamp system is centred on Lake Liambezi. This lake receives water from several sources. To the west, the Kwando River originates in the Angolan Highlands and forms the boundary between Angola and Zambia. Passing through the Caprivi Strip, the Kwando then percolates through the Linyanti swamps on the Namibia-Botswana border before feeding into Lake Liambezi. Rainfall and run-off from the area to the north of the lake also feed the lake. Floodwaters from the Zambezi enter the lake from the east during high flood years from two directions. The Chobe River reverses flow direction annually when the Zambezi floods and enters the lake from the southeast, while the Bukalo channel enters the northeast of the lake from the Caprivi floodplain. Outflow from the lake via the Chobe River when floodwaters recede is intermittent and dependent on lake level.

This paper examines how rural Caprivians secure their livelihoods, in order to understand how wildlife and other community based natural resource management (CBNRM) initiatives can 'fit in' to current activities and the rural economy. It considers the wide range of resource uses and livelihood strategies employed by rural households: crop production, livestock, wage employment and cash remittances, harvesting of trees, plants and river resources, and wildlife/tourism enterprises. It then assesses how different households combine these various activities, and identifies the main factors affecting their options and choices. Wildlife and other community based natural resource management (CBNRM) initiatives can 'fit in' to current activities and the rural economy. The livelihoods and priorities of different types of households are assessed, and the many positive and negative impacts of CBNRM initiatives identified. The aim is to understand wildlife and CBNRM from householders' perspectives, and recommend how conservancies, and other natural resource management initiatives can be implemented in ways that maximise the positive impacts to rural livelihoods and minimise the negative impacts.

This study investigates why many community-based tourism enterprises in Namibia have experienced difficulties in remaining operational or maintaining standards necessary for attracting tourists, while others have achieved various levels of success.

Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation (IRDNC) works with crafters mainly from western East Caprivi, near Kongola, and West Caprivi and supports the Mashi Craft Market (MCM). This paper analyses the Mashi Craft Market purchase and sales data for individual crafters in Caprivi over three years, from 1999 to 2001, and reviews the livelihood impact of this money.

This report outlines the design objectives and considerations that need to be taken into account in the design of a landfill. Management systems for the control of leachate and groundwater as well as the operations and maintenance are discussed

Poster providing information on Mudumu North Complex

Vulnerability and Adaptation assessment to climate change carried out in preparation of the Second National Communication in meeting Government’s obligations to the UNFCCC. The report addresses the vulnerability of the water and agricultural sectors to climate change, and suggest adaptation measures to cope with the expected impacts. Vulnerability is placed in the socio-economic contexts of rural areas, in particular the Karas and Caprivi regions.

This report, written for the Integrated Community Ecosystem Management (ICEMA)/French Fund for Global Environment (FFEM) project, reviews and makes recommendations for further integration of high value plant species (HVPS) into Community Ecosystem Management in Namibia. As the driest country in sub-equatorial Africa, with an economy based largely on its natural resource assets (farming, mining, fishing and tourism focused on wildlife), Namibia faces major challenges. With policy support, it can also grasp good opportunities related to high value plant species. A focus on high value plant species is timely.

With concerns regarding over-fishing in the Caprivi Region, the search for improvements in the fishery sector may lie in closer examination of the post-harvest sector. Opportunities need to be sought that emphasise maximising the benefits obtained from fish already caught. Improving the efficiency of post-harvest handling, processing and marketing can significantly improve the livelihoods of producers and traders. This paper describes the post-harvest marketing and distribution systems of fish on the eastern floodplains of the Caprivi region. A number of possible intervention points in the post-harvest chain are suggested, described and potential strengths and weaknesses of these interventions identified.

This study has provided baseline data on crocodile numbers from aerial and spotlight counts. These data can be used with the results of future counts to determine population trends. The census has also provided information on their distribution of crocodiles in the Kavango and Caprivi regions. And third, it has resulted in the first population estimate for crocodiles in the north-east wetlands of Namibia.

The wetland grazer populations in the Caprivi have fluctuated over the past century from being relatively abundant to being near extinction. The fluctuations appear to be linked to long term rainfall cycles. Being on the fringe of larger populations in Botswana, they have usually been able to recover from low levels when the rainfall regime is favourable. Today, the population levels of all four species are a matter for concern: puku are almost extinct; waterbuck have been seen sporadically on surveys but, since 1994, there are no records exceeding 20 animals; lechwe have slumped from nearly 13,000 in 1980 to fewer than 200 now; and reedbuck numbers are about 200 at best.

The Okavango River in Namibia, from the Angolan border just northwest of the bridge on the Trans-Caprivi highway south to the Botswana border; the entire length of the Kwandu-Linyanti-Lake Liambezi-Chobe system, including the whole Mamili National Park; and the Zambezi River for its entire length on Namibia’s border, including parts of the adjacent East Caprivi floodplains, were survey from the air in September 2007.

The Caprivi Region is one region in Namibia where the community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) programme has achieved considerable success, in terms of capacity building and natural resource management. However, the conflict between people and wildlife is perceived by local residents to have worsened since the advent of the CBNRM programme. This paper forms part of the WILD Project research, which is a Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) participatory research project investigating the change that the Namibian CBNRM programme has brought to people\'s livelihoods.

The Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) is a multi-objective initiative involving parts of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The concept of a major tourism destination based on the extensive network of protected areas and wildlife populations has been discussed and developed over the last decade

The research was conducted in Salambala and Mayuni Conservancy and at Linyanti, which is a non-conservancy area. The main objective of the study was to look at the use of wild food resources by people as a livelihood activity in rural areas in Caprivi and the factors influencing the use of these resources.

Protected and proclaimed areas in the Caprivi, Namibia, hold most of the economically valuable wildlife species in that region. This wildlife is presently being viewed as a potential resource base to support the many community-based conservation and development programmes in the Caprivi.