NAM-PLACE Project

 

What is NAM-PLACE?

A new initiative to lift conservation barriers and advocate for the establishment of a large-scale network of protected landscapes in order to address imminent threats to habitat and species loss at a landscape level.
Launched in 2011 the project is hosted by the Directorate of Environmental Affairs within Namibia's Ministry of Environment and Tourism, funded through the Global Environment Facility and administered by United Nations Development Programme.

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Goals & objectives

 
Goal: Namibia’s biodiversity and ecosystem values are conserved and provide sustainable benefit flows at local, national and global levels through the establishment of Protected Landscape Conservation Areas.
 
Objective: Protected Landscape Conservation Areas are established and ensure that land uses in areas adjacent to existing Protected Areas are compatible with biodiversity conservation objectives, and corridors are established to sustain the viability of wildlife populations.

The landscapes

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Mudumu landscape  Greater Fish River landscape Greater Sossusvlei-Namib landscape Greater Waterberg landscape Windhoek Green Belt landscape

 

Project components

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» Download the GEF project document

The NAM-PLACE project's Goals and Objectives will be achieved through four components:

Component 1: Establish new Protected Landscape Conservation Areas (PLCAs)

Expected outcomes:
Protected Landscape Conservation Areas
Current Park Area
PLCA PA addition
Mudumu 1,054 1,469
Greater Waterberg
405 7,500
Greater Sossusvlei
49,000 173
Greater Fish River Canyon
4,420 5,750
Windhoek Green Belt
40 658
TOTAL 54,919 15,550


  • 5 sites constituting additional 15,550 km2
  • Each PLCA will comprise a current State Protected Area (PA) at the core, and adjacent Communal Conservancies and Private Reserves/ land areas operating with shared biodiversity management objectives and frameworks and compatible land use.
Expected outputs:
  • A framework for the formalisation of existing protected landscape conservation areas developed.
  • National level best practices guidelines for PLCA establishment developed based on existing collaborative management arrangements.
  • 5 PLCAs formalised and boundaries agreed through deed/trust with constitutions developed.
  • Landscape specific codes of practices developed for each PLCA in order to create site specificand national level standards. (Including best practices for adaptive management based on monitoring data generated from activities in the PLCAs‘ management partnership plans).

Component 2: Collaborative Governance for PLCAs

Expected outcomes:
  • Adaptive collaborative management frameworks for 5 PLCAs operationalised in line with agreed national framework for PLCAs. This reduces biodiversity pressure and improves status as follows:
    • maintenance of wildlife populations at landscape level;
    • security for wildlife movements across land units and water and range access;
    • compatibility of land uses in adjacent land units with overall biodiversity management goals;
    • containment of threats such as predator control, overstocking with livestock/game, and tourism impacts.
  • Collaborative oversight by individual PLCA authorities, supported by a National PLCA Coordination Unit, assures best practice in PLCA management in line with related national polices and legislation.
  • PLCAs are being adaptively managed to cope with the predicted impact of climate change (shifting biodiversity, integrate sustainable land management, water management strategies; integrated fire management strategies).
Expected outputs:
  • Strategic plans approved for PLCAs defining management objectives, standards, rules and procedures for PA functions. (participatory PA planning, joint enforcement, monitoring, dispute resolution).
  • Management and work plans for each individual landholdings (e.g. conservancy, private farm, etc.) forming part of a PLCA in place.
  • 5 PLCA management plans prepared, roles and responsibilities agreed, land use zones and resource use agreed. (PLCA management plans and activities address biodiversity conservation objectives, background environmental variability and long-term climate change (integrated fire and water management, landscape and biodiversity monitoring).
  • Adaptive collaborative management committees in place and operational in PLCAs (PA authority and all landholder groups); PLCA management capacity emplaced (covering inter alia self- regulation, and enforcement mechanisms;, e.g. visitor control, wildlife sale and introduction, hunting practices, integrated fire and water management and monitoring. National PLCA Coordination Unit established with members represented from each PLCA, incorporating government, community and private sector stakeholders.
  • PLCA infrastructure in place (guard posts, realigned boundary fences, fire management equipment and fire breaks, water points and visitor interpretation centres).

Component 3: Incentives and Market transformation

Expected outcomes:
  • Production practices on community and private lands within 5 PLCAs are compatible with best practices in biodiversity management objectives while providing livelihoods to stakeholders. Ongoing paradigm shift from unsustainable to sustainable natural resource use (tourism, game products, revenue diversification) sustained.
  • PLCA management costs are underwritten by stakeholders through an agreed financial management system with appropriate revenue/ benefit sharing mechanisms in place.
Expected outputs:
  • Business plans developed for 5 PLCAs (costs quantified for management; and non-state appropriated revenue options are defined for each PLCA) SEA completed for tourism development in 5 PLCAs and recommendations applied (with respect to wildlife stocking, infrastructure location, visitor controls).
  • Biodiversity status/ pressure indicators and management objectives integrated into national tourism venture certification system. Supply chains established for game produced under biodiversity friendly production systems (zoning of hunting; offtakes account for inter and intra specific impacts at ecosystem level); certification and verification system developed for appropriate supply chains and new market opportunities are mobilised.
  • Cost and benefit sharing arrangements negotiated and agreed to cover PLCA common management costs and to ensure equitable benefit sharing amongst stakeholders (state/conservancies/ and private landholders).

Component 4: Project management

Management in support of the three components.

Partners & Donors

The implementing partner for NAM-PLACE is the Ministry of Environment & Tourism. Other partners are the Ministry of Finance, the private sector, local communities and conservancies.

NAM-PLACE is funded by the Global Environment Facility, through the United Nations Development Programme, to the amount of US$4.5 million.