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The Torra Conservancy

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• Quick facts and successes • • What happens in a conservancy? •

• Location of torra conservancy •

• Torra is a legal management body run by the community forthe development of its people and the sustainable use of naturalresources.

• Theconservancy is situated in theKuneneRegion,north-westernNamibia.

• ItwasregisteredasaconservancybygovernmentinJune1998.• Torracoversanareaof3,522squarekilometres.• Mostoftheapproximately1,200peoplelivinginTorraarefromthe

Riemvasmaakcommunity.• Wildlife includes elephant, black rhino, lion, leopard, cheetah,

hyaena,giraffe,mountainzebra,springbok,oryxandkudu.• The main economic activities developed by the conservancy are

trophyhunting,tourismandhuntingformeat.• Theconservancyemploys itsowngameguards,hassetaside large

areasoflandforwildlifeandtourismandworkswithgovernmentandNGOstomonitorwildlife.

• Incomes from traditional farming activities are supplemented byincomes– largely in the formof cash–gained fromwildlife andtourism.

• Wildlifemultipliesbecauseitgainsproductivevalueinconservancies.• Naturalresourcesandconservancylandincreaseinvalue.• Theconservancyanditsnaturalresourcesaremanagedbyagroup

electedtoservetheinterestsofitsmembers,• Aforumisprovidedthroughwhichservicesanddevelopmentscan

bechanneledandintegrated.

TorraisinthesouthoftheKuneneRegion.MostoftheconservancyliesintheKhorixasconstituency,whilethenortherntipfallsintheSesfonteinconstituency.The3,522 square kilometres thatmakeupTorra form asignificantpartofalargeswatheoflandmanagedforconservationthatextendsfromtheKuneneRiverinthenorthtotheOrangeRiverinthesouth.TheSkeletonCoastNationalParkliesimmediatelytothewestoftheconservancy,whilethePalmwagandEtendekaTourismConcessionslie to thenorth, and≠Khoadi-//Hôas andDoro !Nawas conservanciesto the east and south.The country-wide veterinary cordon fence thatseparates the conservancy from the Palmwag and Etendeka tourismconcessionsistheonlyfenceinthiswholearea. Torra is part of a very extensive landscape of conservation areas which is

particularly vital for birds and mammals which move nomadically andwidelyinresponsetorainandtheensuingavailabilityofwaterandgrazing.

Communal registered conservancies

Community forests

Freehold conservancies

Protected areas

Tourism concessions

Torra Conservancy

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Walvis Bay

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• THEHISTORYANDbACKGROuNDto torra •

Torrarisesfromgravelplainsclosetosealevelinthewesttoanescarpmentofbasalts in theeastwherealtitudes reach1,600metres.Thesebasaltsunderliemuchoftheconservancy,andweredepositedduringaseriesofvolcaniceruptionswhichoccurredabout125to132millionyearsagowhentheoldcontinentofGondwanasplitapart.Thehardbasaltlayerscap the nearbyEtendekaMountains and litter the landscapewith redrocks,afterwhichtheconservancy(Torra=redrock)isnamed.Inthewetseason,seepagefromtheflat-toppedEtendekasformpoolsofwater,attractingwildlifefromacrossthearidnorth-west.

Theareaisextremelydry,withannualaveragerainfallrangingfrom150millimetres along thehills in the east to just50millimetres along theSkeletonCoast.Mostrainsfallduringoccasionalthunderstormswhichusuallydevelopduringafternoonsinthelatesummer,betweenJanuaryandMarch.Apartfromitsshortage,theotherfundamentalfeatureofrainfallisthatitisextremelyvariable:frommonthtomonth,fromyeartoyear,andalsofromoneplacetoanother.Theareathusexperiencesbothgoodandbadtimes,thelattermanifestingaslongperiodsofextremearidity.

Evaporationratesareveryhigh,rangingfrom2,800millimetres inthewestto3,400millimetresperyearintheeast.TemperaturesarelowerinthewestwherethecoolwindsfromtheAtlanticOceankeeptheaveragetemperatureat17oC,fourdegreescoolerthanintheeasternareasoftheconservancy.Torrareceivesupto50daysoffogayear,mostfrequentlyandvitallyinthewesternlowlandswherethefogthatrollsinfromtheoceanprovidesmoisturetomanyplantsandanimals.

Thesparsevegetationcoverandlowheightofmostplantsarelargelyaconsequenceofaridity,butplantgrowthisalsolimitedbythescarcityofsoilinmostpartsoftheconservancy.Theplainsaredominatedbygrassesand scatteredEuphorbiabushes, an importantbrowse forblack rhino.Several paper-bark tree species characteristically grow on hill slopes.Shallow drainage lines that feed into the Springbokwasser and HuabRiversarehometotheWelwitschia,auniqueplantwithnocloserelativesanywhere in theworld.Relatively tall trees line the larger riverswheretheyarerootedindeepsandybedsthatholdmoistureafter infrequentflows.Ana,mopaneandcamelthorntreesarethemostabundantspecies,and theyprovide important sustenance for theelephants that frequenttheriverbeds.Theelephantsespeciallyliketobashagainsttheanatreestoknocktheirnutritiouspodstotheground.Somepodsgetmissedbytheelephantsandarethenavailabletootherwildlifeandlivestock.

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ManyTorraresidentsoriginatedfromtheRiemvasmaakcommunitynearupingtoninSouthAfrica,fromwheretheywereforciblymovedin1973and1974bytheSouthAfricanadministration.ManyothersareDamarapeoplefromwithinthegeneralarea,whileotherswereforciblyresettledtherewhen theDamaralandhomelandwascreated.Other residentsoftheconservancyaremorerecentimmigrantsfromelsewhereinNamibia.Themain languages spoken areKhoekhoegowab (Damara/Nama) andAfrikaans.

Around1,200peoplenowliveinsettlementsscatteredacrosstheTorraconservancy.MostofthemainsettlementsarealongthemainroadfromKhorixas tobergsig andPalmwag.Thebiggest settlement and ‘capital’ofTorra is bergsig, where there are a few small shops and tyre-repairservices, a clinic, the conservancyoffice, a kindergarten and the JakobbassonCombinedSchool.

ThepeoplewhoweremovedtoTorrafounditveryhardtoekeoutanexistence in thisenvironment.Therewerevirtuallyno jobs in theareaandmostpeoplefarmedwithahandfulofcattle,sheepandgoats,anduseddonkeysfortransport.TheRiemvasmakersstartedsmallfruitandvegetablegardensclosetotheirnewsettlementswherewaterwasavailable.However,theysharedtheareawithelephantsandpredatorssuchaslions.Theelephantsraidedtheirgardens,damagedwaterinstallationsintheirquestfordrinkingwaterandsometimesinjuredorkilledlocalpeople.

During the early 1980s therewas amajordrought throughoutnorth-westNamibiaandmuchofthelivestockdied.Predators,suchaslions,increasedbecauselotsoffoodwasavailableintheformofweakordeadlivestock.Atthesametimepoachingforivoryandrhinohorn,andalsoformeat,wasrampantinthearea.

boththedroughtandpoachingcausedgamenumberstodeclinedrastically.ThisledlocalconservationistGarthOwen-Smith,thenworkingfortheNamibiaWildlife Trust, and a government nature conservator, ChrisEyre,todiscussthedeclinewithlocaltraditionalleaders.Theheadmenwereasconcernedastheywereaboutthedecreaseinwildlife.Togethertheydecidedtoinstituteasystemofcommunitygameguardstotrytostopthepoaching.

Thebottletree(above),paper-barktreesandtheWelwitchiaaresomeofthespecialdesertadaptedplantsfoundinTorra.

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The game guards reported to local headmen, looked out for signs ofpoaching, andkepta countof all thewildlifeor signsofwildlife theysawwhileoutherdingtheirlivestock.Protectionofferedbygameguards,increased patrols by government conservators, surveillance of specialspecies suchasblackrhinobySavetheRhinoTrust(SRT),andbetterrainfallmeantthatbytheearly1990sgamenumberswerebeginningtorecover.

Inthemid-1990s,variousinvestorswereapproachedbythelocalNGOIntegrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation (IRDNC)to develop a lodge in Torra area because of the spectacular sceneryand increasingabundanceofwildlife. In1995 theWard11Residents’Association Trust was constituted as a legal body to represent thecommunityinnegotiationswithinvestors.EveryhouseholdwasvisitedbyateamtoregistermembersoftheAssociation.ThesouthernAfricantourismcompanyWildernessSafariswaslaterchosenbytheAssociationtodevelopa lodge,andtheresultwas the formationofNamibia’sfirstjoint-venture agreement between a community and a private tourismcompany.Developing the agreementwas a drawn-out process since itinvolvedmanystakeholders, someofwhomwerenewtotheprocessesinvolved.Thenegotiationswerefacilitatedbyagovernmenteconomist,IRDNCandtheLegalAssistanceCentre.

The Residents’Trust andWilderness finally signed a contract for thedevelopmentofalodgecalledDamaralandCamp.Thecontractprovidedthecommunitywitharentalfeefortheuseofthelandand10%ofthenetdailyrateoneachbednightsold.Inaddition,thecontractstipulatedthat local people be employed in the lodge and trained tomanageriallevels, and that laundrywouldbe subcontracted locally.Provisionwasalsomadeforthecommunitytograduallyacquireownershipofthelodge.

As the negotiations with Wilderness Safaris were taking place, theNamibian government was developing new legislation for localcommunitiestogainrightsoverwildlifeandtourismontheirlandiftheyformedamanagementbodycalledaconservancy.TorrawasoneofthefirstcommunitiestoestablishaconservancyandapplytotheMinistryofEnvironment&Tourism(MET)forformalregistration.Thisprocesswasmadeeasierbecausethecommunitywasalreadyorganizedthroughthe

blackrhinosinnorth-westernNamibiahaveincreasedtobecomethelargestfree-roamingpopulationintheworld.AfterthePalmwagTourismConcession,Torraholdsmoreblackrhinosthananyotherconservationareaincommunalland.

Residents’Trust.Onceregistered,theconservancywasabletoacquireatrophyhuntingquotafromMET,afterwhichitenteredintoacontractwithaprofessionalhunterin1999.

The people of Torra have come a long way since they were forciblyresettled,strugglingtosurviveinaremoteandharshlyaridenvironmentwithdangerouswildlife.TorrahasevolvedintooneofthemostsuccessfulconservanciesinNamibia.Populationsofelephant,lion,blackrhinoandotherwildlifehave increasedandconsiderable incomehasbeenearnedfromtourism,trophyandmeathuntingandthelivesalesofwildlife.

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Thevariedtopographyandhabitatsprovideshometoadiverseassemblageofanimalsandplants.ThewesternlowlandsarecharacterisedbyspeciesoftheNamib,whiletheeasternmountainouslandscapehasparticularlyhighconcentrationsofendemicspecies.Thesearespeciesthatoccuronly,orverylargelyinNamibia,makingtheconservancyimportantfortheirconservation.Themapsbelowshowthedistributionofendemictreesandbirds,thetwogroupsforwhichthemostcomprehensiveinformationisavailable.Otherplants andanimals show similar trends, and thereforehavehighlevelsofendemisminandaroundTorra.

One of the endemic mammal species found along the escarpment istheHartmann’smountainzebra.Theconservancyfurtherprovidesoneof the largest safe refuges inNamibia forblack rhino,a species that isinternationally classified as endangered.The conservancy has set asidelandborderingthePalmwagtourismconcessionforwildlifeandtourism,

• THEENVIRONMENTALVALuEOFTORRACONSERVANCY •wherelivestockarenottobegrazed.However,wildliferoamsthroughouttheconservancy,anditiscommontoseespringbokclosetosettlementsorgrazingalongsideherdsofgoats– agood indicationof the leveloftolerancethatresidentsnowhaveforwildlifeontheirland.

Althoughthenumbersofgamevaryfromyeartoyearasanimalsmovearound,annualgamecountsconductedoverthepastfewyearsindicatethefollowingapproximatenumbersinTorra:

1 - 34 - 56 - 78 - 10

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HighproportionsofNamibia’sendemicplantsandbirdsoccurintheeasternhighlandsofTorra.

Giraffe 60–70Kudu 450–500Ostrich 650–700Zebra 1,600–1,700Gemsbok 2,500–2,600Springbok 5,000–5,500

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Manyotherspeciesoccurthereaswell,buttheirnumbersarehardertoestimate.Theseincludeblackrhino,elephant,lion,cheetah, leopard, brown hyaena, spotted hyaena, steenbokandklipspringer.Smalleranimalsareabundant:

- Around40%ofthe24snakespecies,and 20%ofthe35lizardspeciesareendemic- 23speciesofrodents(7areendemic)- over15batspecies- 7speciesoffrogs(3areendemic)- 17speciesofscorpions(8areendemic)- over170birdspecies(10areendemic)

Huab

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Picnic site

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Schoemans Camp

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Dopsteek

DamaralandCamp

Torra Conservancy Office

Veterinary control point

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Collins Road Spring

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Tweespruit Grootfontein

Mud Spring

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• THEECONOMYOFTORRA •MuchofTorraisdesertandcompletelyunsuitedtoconventionalfarming.Peoplewerepastoralfarmersinthepast,movingtheiranimalsbetweenareaswhereithadrainedandgrazinghadbecomeavailable.Nowadays,homes are permanent because of the provision of pumpedwater, butfarmingremainsadifficultenterprise.Althoughconditionsare slightlybetter in the eastern, wetter areas, there is little to be grazed inmostplaces.

Farming,mostlywithsmallstock,inthistryingenvironmentprovidedtheonlylocalsourceofincomepriortotheformationoftheconservancy.Livestockstillconsistslargelyofgoatsandfat-tailedsheep,togetherwithsomecattle,donkeysandhorses.Thenumbersofanimalsarehighestintheeastandlowestinthewest.Thereisconsiderablevariationinlivestockownershipbetweenfamilies.Thepooresthomeskeeplessthan10goatsor sheep, while the wealthiest farmers have several hundred animals.

Mosthouseholdsnowsupplementtheirincomewithpensionpaymentsandremittancesfromfamilymembersworkingelsewhere,sinceearningsfromlivestockaregenerallyextremelymodest,especiallyforfamilieswithfewanimals.

Sincetheformationoftheconservancy,avarietyofnewincomeshavebecomeavailable.Thevalueofthesehasrisenspectacularlyovertheyears,forexamplefromabout$300,000in1998toover$3millionin2007and2008.Abouttwo-thirdsofallincomehasbeenearnedfromtourism-largelyintheformofsalariedjobs-whiletrophyandown-usehunting,andthesaleofmeatandlivegamehavemadeupmostoftheremainingincome.

TOuRISM:Of all its sources of income, theDamaralandCamp hasbeen themost lucrative.This is a luxury tented lodge situatedwith aspectacularviewsouthwardstotheHuabRivervalley,whereguestsaretakenondrives insearchof thedesert-dwellingelephants.blackrhinoandpredatorssuchascheetahandlionarealsofoundclosetothelodge.About 25 people are usually employed at the lodge,more than 20 ofwhomarelocalresidentsofTorra.Twolocalwomennowholdmanagerialpositions.LenaFlorrywas a goatherderwho startedwork as a juniorstaff member at the lodge. She later became lodge manager and wasthen appointed AreaManager forDamaralandCamp and the nearbyDoro !NawasCamp,which is alsooperatedbyWildernessSafaris inaneighbouringconservancy.CorneliaAdamsbeganworkingasachefatDamaralandCampandisnowanassistantmanager.Anumberofotherlocal residentswere trained atDamaralandCamp and thenmoved tootherWilderness camps or to jobs in other companies in the tourismindustry.

The conservancy has signed a new agreement with Wilderness thathas secured thema shareholding in thebusiness.Thiswillprovide thecommunitywith a share in profits in addition to a continued annualincomebasedonturnover.JointManagementCommitteemeetingsareheld every threemonths to ensure good communication between theconservancyandWilderness.

Torra has been the highest earning conservancy for many years,demonstrating how the high potential value of natural resources can beturned into significant benefits.The category ‘Other’ consists of incomefromlaundryservices,capitalinterestandtraining,while‘Meat’comesfromanimalshuntedastrophiesandforownuse.

Meat

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Joint Venture Tourism

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withMinistry officials and support organizations are used to estimateboththequotafortrophiesandnumbersthatTorramayhuntformeat.

LIVE SALES: Torra pioneered the sale of live game by communalareaconservancieswhen it soldanimals toNyaeNyaeConservancy in2002. Ina two-stage transaction,441 springbokwerecaughtand senttoafreeholdconservancywhichinturnprovidedNyaeNyaewith226red hartebeest as a swap for the springbok. Another sale earned theconservancyN$283,000indirectcashrevenuefor763springbok.

THEuSEOFINCOMES:Over theyears theconservancyhas takendifferentapproaches to itsuseof income.Mostof thesehavebeen ledbyapolicyadopted in2001 for theequitabledistributionofbenefits.Forexample,in2003theconservancypaidN$630toeachmemberasacashdividend.Thisamountmayseemmodest,butatthetimeitwouldhavecoveredthecostsofbasicgroceriesforanaverage,localhouseholdforthreemonths;itwasalmostequivalenttotheaverageamountraisedannuallyfromthesaleof livegoats;andwasequivalentto14%oftheannual,average,individualincome(N$4,500)intheregion.

Morerecently,theconservancyhasoptedtoprovidesignificantfundingforsocialprojects.Theseincludethedevelopmentofacommunityhallandkindergarten;provisionofofficeequipmentandsuppliesandwoodfor the bergsig school; support for various community celebrations;emergencytransport;andanemergencyfundtohelpmembersintimesofdroughtorwildlife-relateddeaths.

Inadditiontomeatfromown-usehunting,meatfromanimalshuntedfor trophies is also distributed to individual members. In years withgoodquotas,meathasalsobeengiventocommunitygroups,suchasthechurch,theyouthgroup,thesoccerteam,clinicandthepolice.Acoolingfacilityisavailablesothatmeatisnotlosttospoiling. Inadditiontothemorethan20jobsnormallyavailableatDamaralandCamp,theconservancyitselfemploysninelocalpeople:aFieldOfficer,aCommunityActivator,anOfficeAdministrator,aConservancyManager,four Community Game Guards and a Security Guard at the office.Thetrophyhuntingconcessionaireemploystemporarystaffduringthehuntingseason.

DamaralandCampcanaccommodateupto22guestsinluxurytents.Thelodgewas built, and continues tobe run along strict environmental guidelines.Theuse of eco-sandbags, poles and reeds reduced the amount of cement used inconstruction.Othermeasures tominimise environmental impacts include theuseofsolarwatergeysers,theestablishmentofa‘greywastewater’systemandtheeradicationofalienplants.

HuNTING: Torra obtains annual quotas from the Ministry ofEnvironment&Tourismforthehuntingoftrophyspecies.Thetrophyquotasarecarefullyworkedouttoensurethatonlyaverysmallpercentageofmatureanimalsarehunted.Certaincommonerspeciesmaybehuntedthroughouttheyearwithoutpermitsbytheconservancy.Theseanimalsaresoldasmeat(‘shoot-and-sell’)orthemeatisdistributedtoitsmembers(‘own-use’).Theresultsofannualgamecountscarriedoutinconjunction

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Torra is managed by a committee of seven residents who are electedby the members for a five-year term. Many decisions are guided byinformationmadeavailablebyfieldandofficestaffthroughamonitoringsystemknown as theEventbookwhich covers bothnatural resourcesand institutional management. Natural resources, especially wildlifenumbers,arealsomonitoredusinginformationobtainedduringannualgamecountsandbycommunitygameguards.

Calls for greater financial transparency from members need to beaddressed, and communication channels between the committee, staffand members of the conservancy must be maintained to ensure thatcommonobjectives are clear and agreedupon.The conservancyneedstoseizeopportunities for further jobcreationandtraining.More localinvolvementinhuntingshouldoccurwhenhuntingguidesaretrainedtohigherlevelsofproficiencybytheprofessionalhunter.

ThereareconsiderableopportunitiesforfurthereconomicdevelopmentinTorra,includingadditionaltourismfacilitiesandproducts.Scopealsoexistsforthelocaldevelopmentofassociatedbusinessesandtheprovisionoflocalsupportservices.Finally,theconservancyneedstobecomemorecompetitivebyrelyingmoreonitsownresourcesandlessontherecenttourismboominNamibia.

ThemanagementofTorrahasthusfarfocusedonwildlifeandtourismwithintheboundariesoftheconservancy.broadeningthisfocuswouldbe desirable for several reasons. First, there is a need for large-scalebiodiversityco-managementacrossthebroadsurroundingconservationlandscape that includesnearby conservancies, the SkeletonCoastParkandPalmwagTourismConcession.Thismayhelpwiththemanagementofwidelyroaminganimalsthatmayoccasionallycauseproblems,suchaselephantsorlions.

Second, as a legally representative institution, the conservancy shouldexpand its management activities to other natural resources, such asgrazingandwater,andanyotherresourcesofvaluetopeoplewithrightsovertheareagazettedasTorra.Theconservancyshouldthustakegreaterownershiptosafeguardthelandanditsresourcesforlegitimateresidents.

Third,thewealthofnaturalresourcesatTorraisnowhigherthanbefore.This is due to conservation andmanagement by the conservancy andbecauserainfallinthepast10yearshasgenerallybeengood.Muchdrierconditions, similar to those experienced in the early 1980s and early1990sarecertaintooccuragain.Severecompetitionandconflictbetweenlivestockandwildlifewillthenoccur,aswellaslarge-scalemortalityofbothdomesticandwildanimals.Residentswilllosethepotentialincomevalueofmeatandtrophies.Pre-emptivemeasuresarerequiredfromboththeconservancyandtheMinistryofEnvironment&Tourismtoavoidtheseconsequences.

Conflictsbetweenpeopleandwildlifewerelimitedwhenwildlifenumberswerelow,butTorra’ssuccessesinboostingwildlifenumbershaveledtomore frequent damage to property by wildlife, particularly elephantsandpredators.Theworstconflictsarisefromlivestockpredationbylion,leopard,hyaena,cheetahandalso jackal.Thepredatorsare responsibleforanearaverageof80incidentsayear,makingup93%ofallreporteddamage.Mostoftheremainingincidentsareduetoelephantsdamaginggardens,fencesandwaterinfrastructure.

Income derived from the use of wildlife through hunting, meat andtourismnowmakesiteasierforresidentstobearthecostsoflivingwithwildlife,andTorrawasoneofthefirstcommunitiestostartaschemeto

TherearenowmanymorelionsinTorrathanbefore,aconsequenceofgreatertolerancebyTorraresidentsandanincreaseintheavailableprey.

• CHALLENGESANDTHEFuTuRE •

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helpmitigate residents’ livestock losses.The scheme provides financialcompensationtofarmerswhocanshowthattheir livestockwerekilledbypredators.A committeeof representativesmadeupof conservancy,IRDNCandMinistryofEnvironmentandTourismmembersevaluatesclaims and approves compensation for those thatmeet agreed criteria.butotherinnovativewaysofdealingwithconflictsmustbefound,notleastsothatresidentscanretainfaithinthebenefitsthattheconservancyprovides.

ACHIEVEMENTS:The successes of the conservancy and its flagshiptourismoperation,DamaralandCamp,includethefollowing:1995:ThefirstjointpartnershipbetweenacommunityandtheprivatesectorinNamibia.1998: Damaraland Camp wins an international tourism award – theSilverOtter.2001:Torrabecamethefirstcommunalconservancytobecomefinanciallysustainable,meetingallitsownmanagementcostsandamakingprofitforitsmembers.2001:bennyRoman,ChairmanofTorra,wontheNamibianProfessionalHuntingAssociation(NAPHA)ConservationistoftheYearAward.2002:Thefirstcommunalareaconservancytoselllivegame.2004: Torra won the uNDP Equator prize at the uN Conventionon biological Diversity in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This prestigiousuS$30,000 prize goes to community projects that effectively reducepovertythroughconservationandthesustainableuseofbiodiversity.2001-2005:DamaralandCamp acknowledged in theWorldTravel&TourismCouncil‘TourismforTomorrow’ConservationAwards.

Formoreinformationandupdatescontact:TorraConservancyOffice(bergsig):P.O.box462,KhorixasTel:+264(0)67697063

Theproportionofwildlifeconflictincidentsduetodifferentanimals(above)andthenumberandtypeofincidentsofreportedeachyearbetween2001and2008(below).

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Publishedin2009bytheNamibiaNatureFoundationonbehalfoftheNaturalResourcesWorkingGroupofNACSO,withfinancialsupportfromWWFNorway.

Photocredits:P.burger6;A.Davis4;L.Kempcover,3,5,9,11;P.Stander10.

CompiledbyLucyKemp,JohnMendelsohnandbrianJonesDesignandLayout:GavinDamonPrinting:JohnMeinertPrinting