When Namibia gained independence in 1990, teenager Pascolena Florry was herding goats in the country’s dry, desolate Northern Savannah. Her job, unpaid and dangerous, was to protect her parents’ livestock from preying jackals and leopards. She saw wildlife as the enemy, and many of the other indigenous inhabitants of Namibia’s rural communal lands shared her view. Wildlife poaching was commonplace. Fifteen years later, 31-year-old Pascolena’s life and outlook are very different. She has built a previously undreamed of career in tourism and is the first black Namibian to be appointed manager of a guest lodge. Her village, and hundreds of others, have directly benefited from government efforts to devolve wildlife management and tourism development on communal lands to conservancies run by indigenous peoples. “Now we see the wildlife as our way of creating jobs and opportunities as the tourism industry grows,” she says. “The future is better with wildlife around, not only for jobs, but also for the environment”.
Wildlife had been considered the enemy by Pascolena Florry and many others in Namibia since the 1990s; however, things changed 15 years later as they realized the potential of wildlife management and tourism, and how it could be used to create jobs and improve the environment.
Pascolena Florry, in her childhood saw wild animals as her enemy, but in her teenage that belief is completely changed and, with the government efforts to devolve wildlife, she considers wildlife to be an important factor in creating jobs, promoting tourism, and environment in general.
Many villagers have directly benefited from government efforts to devolve wildlife management and tourism development on communal lands to conservancies run by indigenous people; therefore, the future id better with wildlife around not only for jobs but also for the environment.
Pascolena Florry entry to tourism industry paved the way for Namibia dwellers overall growth in terms of career growth and opportunities, who earlier were afraid of wildlife.
Many village have direct benefited from government efforts to develop both wildlife management and tourism development on communal lands to conservancies run by local folks; therefore, the future is better with wildlife around not only for jobs but also for the environment.