The Process of developing the Biocultural Community Protocol of the OvaHerero of the Kaokoland in Namibia and Angola

The OvaHerero people of Namibia and Angola developed a Biocultural Community Protocol (BCP) between 2022 and 2024 to protect their traditional knowledge and land rights from threats like climate change and modernisation. Supported by Natural Justice and International Rivers, the process involved a six-phase approach including community buy-in, capacity building, research across 34 villages and museums, and multiple validation rounds. The final BCP, launched in June 2024 and translated into OtjiHerero, serves as a tool for internal governance and a requirement for external parties to ensure free, prior, and informed consent.

• The OvaHerero people of Kaokoland, semi-nomadic pastoralists in Namibia and Angola, developed a Biocultural Community Protocol (BCP) to safeguard their traditional knowledge and cultural practices against threats from climate change, modernisation, and infrastructure developments.

APA

Prince, N. (2024). The Process of developing the Biocultural Community Protocol of the OvaHerero of the Kaokoland in Namibia and Angola. Natural Justice. https://naturaljustice.org/biocultural-community-protocols-a-powerful-tool-to-affirm-and-protect-indigenous-peoples-rights/

Chicago

Prince, Natasha. The Process of developing the Biocultural Community Protocol of the OvaHerero of the Kaokoland in Namibia and Angola. Natural Justice, 2024. https://naturaljustice.org/biocultural-community-protocols-a-powerful-tool-to-affirm-and-protect-indigenous-peoples-rights/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Prince |first1=Natasha |title=The Process of developing the Biocultural Community Protocol of the OvaHerero of the Kaokoland in Namibia and Angola |publisher=Natural Justice |date=23 July 2024 |url=https://naturaljustice.org/biocultural-community-protocols-a-powerful-tool-to-affirm-and-protect-indigenous-peoples-rights/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{prince2024process, author = {Prince, Natasha}, title = {{The Process of developing the Biocultural Community Protocol of the OvaHerero of the Kaokoland in Namibia and Angola}}, institution = {Natural Justice}, year = {2024}, month = jul, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/biocultural-community-protocols-a-powerful-tool-to-affirm-and-protect-indigenous-peoples-rights/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }