November 26, 2012
By Aileen Lennon (University of Vermont ’13)
It has now been two months since we uprooted ourselves from friends, family and first world luxuries, planting our feet in the fresh sand of Namibia. We have fallen into simple routines that most of us never thought would be a part of our everyday lives, such as unzipping a door to leave our home every morning, admiring a desert view on our walk to the bathroom, and building a fire to cook dinner every night. We have found a home in Namibia among wildlife.
In our daily class discussions and in our assigned readings we learn about this new home. Because this is a conservation program, we learn about the systems in place in Namibia to protect the wildlife, which happens through a technique called Community-based Natural Resource Management. Over 13% of the country is divided into conservancies which are run by the members of these communities. The people come together to preserve the wildlife of their area and capitalize on the opportunities of ecotourism that the wildlife provide. The profits of these endeavors are then distributed to the members, giving them incentive to continually live with animals in their area.
Last week, Torra Conservancy asked Round River to assist them with their annual surveys of the members. Basically, we got the opportunity to go to the homes of community members and ask them about how they felt the conservancy was doing and if they were happy with it. This was a great opportunity to talk with local people and see how they really felt about conservation in the Kunene Region. We are always with the game guards, but their views may be shaped by the fact that they work for these conservancies and value the wildlife for the jobs they have. Many of us found out this week that this view is not the majority.
We divided into three groups, each with a translator to help us conduct the interviews. We were given a sheet of paper with the questions Torra Conservancy wanted us to ask. The members welcomed us into their homes with no questions asked and were very kind. It was humbling to see their houses and how many of them lived; the first exposure to third world living conditions for many of us. Our experiences between members ranged broadly, allowing us new perspectives on matters that we originally saw in one dimension.
Listening to their concerns and their praises for the conservancy made us see that Community-based Natural Resource Management isn’t perfect, but it’s helping. Going home to home, listening to the daily problems and concerns of some of the members was emotionally draining, but was an experience that none of us will ever forget.