Windhoek — The European Union has provided a grant of N$11 million to the Ministry of Environment and Tourism for a project 'enhancing wildlife-based economy in rural areas'.

The grant will involve the purchase and translocation of 2 300 wild animals to communal conservancies. "It will make these conservancies far more attractive for tourists when they have game," said Colgar Sikopo, Deputy Director for Parks and Wildlife Management in the Ministry at the signing ceremony with the European Union and the National Planning Commission this week. "The species to be caught are kudu, oryx, eland, wildebeest, zebra and giraffe. Some communal conservancies already have good game stock and we will buy game from them as well," Colgar said. Part of the grant funding will be used to develop a southern part of the Okavango Region called Mangetti Game Camp as a protected area, covering 44 000 hectares.

"The area will be developed with tourism facilities and administration offices. It will be co-managed with the Ukwangali traditional authority," Sikopo said. There are already 50 communal conservancies in Namibia, from which rural people benefit through tourism, trophy hunting and making and selling of traditional crafts. Just two weeks ago, the Ministry proclaimed a large part of the Caprivi Region as the Bwabwata National Park, which stretches from Divundu in the west to the Kwando River in the east near Kongola.

"The new park however does not include the existing Mamili Park," Sikopo told The Namibian.