19 September 2008
The German government has increased its contribution to the Bwabwata, Mudumu, Mamili (BMM) National Parks' project because of its good progress.
Speaking at the handing-over of 10 Nissan pick-up trucks by the German Government to the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Charge d'Affaires of the German Embassy, Matthias Hansen, said the initial value of the project was about N$30.2 million, and will now be increased to about N$35.4 million.
"We hope that the project, which started as a bilateral project, will in due time turn into a regional one, establishing a transboundary park system under the Southern African Development Community (SADC) regional umbrella and incorporating other conservation areas in neighbouring Botswana, Zambia and Angola," he said.
The main purpose of the project is to improve the management and infrastructure of the BMM Parks, and thereby also contribute to Namibia's implementation of its bilateral obligations under the Kavango and Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area initiative.
According to Hansen, the project is supporting efforts by MET to conserve Namibia's unique biodiversity through the establishment of a system of protected areas, specifically targeted at these parks.
The primary task is to develop comprehensive and integrated management plans for the parks, including neighbouring conservancies.
The aim, he explained, is to reconcile the - at times conflicting - interest of preserving biodiversity, exploiting tourism potential and satisfying the basic needs of the local communities.
According to the the diplomat, the participation of those local communities will be crucial for the success of the programme.
In addition to the management aspect, the project provides indispensable infrastructure for the management of the parks like offices, housing, vehicles as well as boats.
In the second phase, the park's infrastructure will be further upgraded for the purposes of tourism.
The Namibian and German governments signed the BMM project in 2004, and it was then implemented by the Directorate of Parks and Wildlife Management within the Ministry of Environment and Tourism.
Project management and technical assistance is provided in partnership with a local firm, Caprivi Parks Consultants (CPD).
The Bwabwata National Park is the former Caprivi Game Park, and includes the former Mahango Game Park and the Kwando Triangle on the western bank of the Kwando River, which has been incorporated into the park.
The park was proclaimed as the Bwabwata National Park in November 2007, and covers parts of both the Kavango and Caprivi regions.
The Mudumu National Park is situated on the eastern banks of the Kwando River in the Caprivi Region, while the Mamili National Park, also known as Nkasa Lupala National Park, includes the Nkasa and Lupala islands where the name is derived from.
It is situated on the Kwando-Linyanti River, and is the largest conserved wetland area in Namibia.
Nampa
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