Community Forests in Namibia: Ensuring Sustainable Local-level Forest Management

The document examines the role of community forests in Namibia's community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) framework. While these forests have increased local ownership and reduced large-scale illegal logging, they struggle with incomplete management plans and a heavy reliance on donor funding. The authors recommend strengthening the capacity of Forest Management Committees (FMCs), improving the quality of forest management plans, and exploring synergies with conservancies to enhance financial viability.

• Namibia's community forests cover 2.55 million hectares, with 13 established in 2006 and an additional 19 gazetted in 2012.
• The implementation of community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) has fostered a greater sense of local ownership and reduced large-scale illegal logging, although small-scale wood theft persists due to limited monitoring capacity.
• Forest management plans are often absent, incomplete, or vague, leading the Directorate of Forestry (DoF) to use 'block permits' to set harvest levels, which keeps decision-making power with the government rather than the local Forest Management Committees (FMCs).
• Community forests generally have lower revenue potential than conservancies, which rely on tourism and hunting; their primary value is in supporting rural livelihoods through fuel wood, building materials, and medicinal plants like devil’s claw.
• There is a critical need for self-sustaining financial models to reduce dependence on donors and allow for the consistent remuneration of FMC members to reduce high staff turnover.

APA

Benkenstein, A., Hengari, S., & Mbongo, W. (2014). Community Forests in Namibia: Ensuring Sustainable Local-level Forest Management. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Policy-Briefing-119.pdf

Chicago

Benkenstein, Alex, Simeon Hengari, and Werner Mbongo. Community Forests in Namibia: Ensuring Sustainable Local-level Forest Management. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2014. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Policy-Briefing-119.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Benkenstein |first1=Alex |last2=Hengari |first2=Simeon |last3=Mbongo |first3=Werner |title=Community Forests in Namibia: Ensuring Sustainable Local-level Forest Management |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=December 2014 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Policy-Briefing-119.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{benkenstein2014community, author = {Benkenstein, Alex and Hengari, Simeon and Mbongo, Werner}, title = {{Community Forests in Namibia: Ensuring Sustainable Local-level Forest Management}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2014}, month = dec, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Policy-Briefing-119.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }