Generous grant for planned wildlife Etosha-Skeleton Coast corridor

Namibia's protection of wildlife has received a boost through secured funding for the next fifty years and beyond, to establish a conservation “bridge” or corridor from the western area of the Etosha National Park to the Skeleton Coast in the north-western Kunene Region.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) announced on 22 January 2024 that a grant agreement was signed with the Legacy Landscapes Fund (LLF) for one million US dollar annually for at least fifty years to the region, which has several protected areas, communal conservancies and their buffer zones.

This will provide significant funding for the envisaged conservation area “Skeleton Coast-Etosha bridge”.

“This long-term funding will contribute to the effective management of the Namibian conservation hotspot, bolstering much-needed climate resilience efforts, boosting local livelihoods, and protecting vulnerable wildlife species,” said Stefanie Lang, executive director of LLF.

The WWF will implement the project with Namibia’s Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation (IRDNC) in support of the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT).

The WWF and IRDNC will work closely with local partners, rural communities, and conservancies,” Lang noted.

The conservation bridge will pass through several conservation areas and connects two national parks (Etosha and Skeleton Coast) and embraces the first “People’s Park” – a new conservation category. The People's Park will expand the formalisation of community conservation. Kunene has 14 local communal conservancies.

The LLF grant of an initial 20 million US$ will be complemented by match-funding from the Rob Walton Foundation, a private philanthropic donor.

Brigitte Weidlich