Will the ongoing drought be a problem worth solving to the Joint Cabinet Crisis?
“The current situation is dire,” said the delegate Laura Macalister Brown, what she was referring to was the current state of Namibia. Locals, specifically farmers, were facing more and more clashes with the wildlife of Namibia, a problem tackled by the Joint Cabinet Crisis(Namibia).
The delegates of the Joint Cabinet Crisis initially started off the debate with discussing sustainable solutions on solving the ongoing conflict between locals and the animals in Hardap. A large majority of the time spent on first council session comprised of delegates discussing the agenda and what solution should be taken, with many supporting eco-tourism.
Eco-tourism was argued as the most sustainable as it allows Namibia to protect its wildlife while enjoying the economic benefits of tourism. This solution was both directly and indirectly discussed (mostly directly) , especially since it aligns well with the JCC’s stance to balance both environmental development and economic gain. The delegate Denis Hesemanns mentioned that ecotourism would act as “an alternative source of employment other than farming” and that the “land can be purchased once we’ve received cooperation from farmers so that the land can be made better use of.”
However, this discussion of eco-tourism during the first council session indirectly led to a lack of focus on solving short term problems such as the drought.
Despite this, the ongoing drought is one of the most crucial problems faced by locals and wildlife in that area. Not only has the drought has pushed animals to move out of their territories, but it has also, in turn, increased the potential of humans coming into contact with wildlife. With this increase comes an increase in the risks of human-wildlife conflicts taking place, especially since most locals are already living in close proximity to these animals.
Later on, during the second council session, the council managed to move onto the issue on conservancy and come up with amendments to the current Huibes Conservancy Constitution. Amendments were necessary due to the locals' anger towards not being able to prevent animals from damaging their minimal amount of crops. This was essentially made worse by the drought which further reduced their resources. After numerous unmoderated caucuses, the council brought up numerous changes to be made to appease the locals. There would be exceptions made to clause 14.1 in the Constitution “All animals are to be protected within the conservancy, and no harm can come to any animal within the conservancy.”
Locals would have the ability to take action against animals that attack them but only for certain cases where the damage inflicted by these animals have reached an unreasonable extent. In other words, locals now have the right to protect themselves should the wildlife carry out attacks against them and to safeguard their livelihood of agriculture especially in their battle against the drought.
Towards the end of the council session, the council got back on track and, as a whole, worked together to discuss ways to help out the farmers who were facing detrimental impacts as a result of the drought.
One of the notable solutions brought up to assist farmers was drip irrigation. A method where water is allowed to drip slowly to the roots of plants, either from above the soil surface or buried below the surface. This would essentially play a part in reducing the amount of water and nutrients farmers use. This was a measure implemented to provide support, in the form of suggestions, for the farmers in this dire time of drought.
Although council session was initially redundant, the debate managed to progress. Meaningful progress was made in resolving the issue of human-wildlife conflict in Namibia and the environment as a whole.
“The current situation is dire,” said the delegate Laura Macalister Brown, what she was referring to was the current state of Namibia. Locals, specifically farmers, were facing more and more clashes with the wildlife of Namibia, a problem tackled by the Joint Cabinet Crisis(Namibia).
The delegates of the Joint Cabinet Crisis initially started off the debate with discussing sustainable solutions on solving the ongoing conflict between locals and the animals in Hardap. A large majority of the time spent on first council session comprised of delegates discussing the agenda and what solution should be taken, with many supporting eco-tourism.
Eco-tourism was argued as the most sustainable as it allows Namibia to protect its wildlife while enjoying the economic benefits of tourism. This solution was both directly and indirectly discussed (mostly directly) , especially since it aligns well with the JCC’s stance to balance both environmental development and economic gain. The delegate Denis Hesemanns mentioned that ecotourism would act as “an alternative source of employment other than farming” and that the “land can be purchased once we’ve received cooperation from farmers so that the land can be made better use of.”
However, this discussion of eco-tourism during the first council session indirectly led to a lack of focus on solving short term problems such as the drought.
Despite this, the ongoing drought is one of the most crucial problems faced by locals and wildlife in that area. Not only has the drought has pushed animals to move out of their territories, but it has also, in turn, increased the potential of humans coming into contact with wildlife. With this increase comes an increase in the risks of human-wildlife conflicts taking place, especially since most locals are already living in close proximity to these animals.
Later on, during the second council session, the council managed to move onto the issue on conservancy and come up with amendments to the current Huibes Conservancy Constitution. Amendments were necessary due to the locals' anger towards not being able to prevent animals from damaging their minimal amount of crops. This was essentially made worse by the drought which further reduced their resources. After numerous unmoderated caucuses, the council brought up numerous changes to be made to appease the locals. There would be exceptions made to clause 14.1 in the Constitution “All animals are to be protected within the conservancy, and no harm can come to any animal within the conservancy.”
Locals would have the ability to take action against animals that attack them but only for certain cases where the damage inflicted by these animals have reached an unreasonable extent. In other words, locals now have the right to protect themselves should the wildlife carry out attacks against them and to safeguard their livelihood of agriculture especially in their battle against the drought.
Towards the end of the council session, the council got back on track and, as a whole, worked together to discuss ways to help out the farmers who were facing detrimental impacts as a result of the drought.
One of the notable solutions brought up to assist farmers was drip irrigation. A method where water is allowed to drip slowly to the roots of plants, either from above the soil surface or buried below the surface. This would essentially play a part in reducing the amount of water and nutrients farmers use. This was a measure implemented to provide support, in the form of suggestions, for the farmers in this dire time of drought.
Although council session was initially redundant, the debate managed to progress. Meaningful progress was made in resolving the issue of human-wildlife conflict in Namibia and the environment as a whole.
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