NAMIBIA'S protected areas could soon cover 18 per cent of its land surface with the proposed proclamation of the Sperrgebiet and the establishment of the Kunene People's Park.

Andy Thompson, a tourism specialist of the Strengthening of Protect Areas Network (SPAN) project, says at the moment Namibia's 20 national parks cover 13 per cent of the country's land surface.

He presented the findings of a study comparing Namibia's and New Zealand's approaches to tourism in protected areas in Windhoek this week.

Thompson said just like Namibia, New Zealand's tourism strategy entails a world-class visitor experience, protecting the environment and encouraging the tourism sector and communities to work together for mutual benefit.

However, Thompson said New Zealand's protected areas covered more than 30 per cent of the country.

That country's investment in parks was also much higher than in Namibia.

On the negative side, about 65 species in have become extinct in New Zealand in the last 700 years, Thompson said.

One lesson learned from New Zealand, Thompson said, was that tourism could threaten conservation.

Examples included birds breeding on the seashore that were disturbed by visitors, whales getting hurt by motorboats and tourists straying from designated paths in protected areas.