“My family is proud of the work that I do in the conservancy. I have the privilege of sharing my experience with them and in future, one of my children will follow in my footsteps and pursue a career in conservation.” - Allan Silubanga, Manager, Sobbe Conservancy, 2020
Being a manager for the conservancy is making a difference in my life because I can support my family and I enjoy my work. I am gaining experience and learning how to better manage and protect our natural resources.
There have been some incidents of subsistence poaching in the conservancy from both members and non-members and this may be attributed to locals not fully understanding the negative effects of poaching and the laws that are in place. The conservancy is increasing its efforts to address the matter by conducting meetings to raise awareness on the issues of poaching and wildlife crime.
During the lockdown period and currently, the game guards continued conducting their patrols and this brought the poaching situation under control. The locals are actively part of the anti-poaching activities as they report any suspicious activity in the area. We encourage members to participate in the protection of our natural resources.
Nature is important because this is where the income for the conservancy comes from. Nature gives us fresh air. Listening to the songs of the birds and seeing animals come close to us, gives us a chance to interact with our natural environment.
Due to COVID, three quarters of the conservancy activities were not taking place. Currently, the future is a push and pull. The situation is at least manageable now with the Conservation Relief, Recovery and Resilient Facility for conservation activities to continue. The funds will be used on major activities such as game guard patrols, AGM and awareness raising activities. The conservancy received N$ 150 000 at the beginning of July.
As a community, we should not solely rely on the government for development, we should use our natural resources to bring income and development in our community. We should join hands, work together and do our part, in that way we are all contributing to the future of our environment and people.
Once the COVID situation is under control, I would like to encourage tourists not shy away from traveling to our country. People here have something special to offer the tourists and we want to share our beautiful culture. They can come and enjoy the fresh air, the different animals and birds, and the beauty of nature.
