THE Ministry of Lands and Resettlement is in the process of devising integrated regional land-use plans for all 13 political regions, which is simultaneously done with the drafting of a policy framework as guidelines for the implementation of these plans.

The Karas regional plan has been finalised, while the Hardap plan is nearly complete. For these, the ministry has spent N$4 million and N$3,3 million respectively.

The permanent secretary of the ministry, Lidwina Shapwa, said a tender has been awarded to Stubenrauch Planning Consultants, AHT, Geocarta and the Southern Africa Institute for Environmental Assessment to develop a similar land-use plan for Kavango.

The Kavango plan will be undertaken on a sectoral basis.

Shapwa said there was a draft development plan for Kavango drawn up in 2000/01 which was an attempt to coordinate development planning there. Similarly, there were studies into development options for that region.

What the consulting companies will now do is to consider the previous work done and integrate those with current considerations, but Shapwa said judging from the previous interrogations, the Kavango Region is more complex than Karas and Hardap because of its vastness, its agro-ecological diversity, its wider communal land, and its cultural ethnic diversity.

The land-use plans consider natural resource development and environmental conservation; integrated development projects; legislative objectives and needs of individual land users; partnerships between Government, traditional authorities, and the private sector; institutional structured needed; and proposals made at all levels.