Transcript of the opening address at the Hardap Administrative Region dialogue.

Transcript of the opening address at the Hardap Administrative Region dialogue.

The date is May 21st 2019. In Mariental, the Hardap Administrative Region Dialogue has been convened, with an agenda of discussing the growing issue of human-wildlife conflict in the region. Members of the Hardap Regional Council have agreed to meet up with relevant local leaders on this day, as a way to hear the concerns of Hardap’s stakeholders.




The dialogue has agreed to take action and pass policy papers to be executed by the relevant departments and divisions of the Hardap Regional Council, such that it may fulfill the mandate of the Hardap Regional Council. These are to:

• Ensure socio-economic development

• Ensure sustainable utilization of natural resources

• Enhance political stability through local empowerment

• Facilitate infrastructural development

• Bring services closer to the people and

• Plan, facilitate and coordinate regional development, contribute and advice on policies within the unitary framework

The region has a population of about 79 000 citizens. 28% of the population is urban, whereas the rest lead a more rural lifestyle. Of the rural population, business and tourism are a common sources of income. About a third of households depend on farming as their main source of income, through farming land, raising livestock, subsistence farming or working as farm workers. Farming is practiced where water for irrigation is available. The Hardap dam is used for irrigation, whereas Stampriet has a bit of ground water to use for farming.



As we can see, the majority of land in Hardap is used for commercial farming.

Recently, visitors have been flocking to Namib Sky Ballooning to view a stunning type of natural phenomenon - aurora borealis, at this time of year, at this time of day, in this part of the country, localised entirely within our own Sesriem. Ecotourism has become a fixture of the economy, with our unique combination of unspoiled wildlife and decent infrastructure making Namibia’s animals one of the most accessible to the world. However, the maintenance of natural areas has led to wildlife encroaching onto human used land. There have been instances of, for example, elephants exploring villages to find water in their boreholes, various large predators stealing livestock from herds, and wild animals grazing on crops. The animals that move in and out of the unfenced conservation areas are the culprits. As we can see here, here are some examples of Namibians being affected by Human Wildlife Conflict.

*A video is shown on the projector, by NASCO*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=505&v=eAHSuA2ap1s

We hope that the participants of this dialogue are able to create an impetus for policy to seek a balance between our people’s needs, and the needs of the environment, which are enshrined within our constitution.