The DRFN being a non-profit organization depends on funding from external sources to implement some of its activities.
If you wish to make a donation towards the work that the organization implements, please make use of these banking details.
For more information on this please contact:

DRFN
FNB-Namibia
Account number: 555 011 525 61
Branch: Maerua
Branch code: 282273
Swift code: FIRNNANX

 ‘Promoting Sustainable Forest Management in the Kavango-Zambezi-Region in Namibia’ (NSFM)-Project

In collaboration with the Desert Research Foundation of Namibia (DRFN), the Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF) is implementing the ‘Promoting Sustainable Forest Management in the Kavango-Zambezi-Region in Namibia’ (NSFM)-Project that is funded by the European Union (2020 – 2023). The NSFM-Project aims to support an active, multi-stakeholder dialogue on Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) with focus on valuable hardwood as a contribution to an improved implementation of SFM in the KAZA- Region in Namibia’s north-east.

Namibia is endowed with an abundance of natural resources. The north and northeastern regions of the country are characterised by, inter alia, hardwod forests. The export of hardwood from Africa to parts of Asia has significantly increased over the past decade due to a regional demand for particular timber species such as Rosewood and African Teak. However, the profits accumulated from Namibia's yearly timber harvest have been limited due to the undervaluing of domestic wood prices compared to international price trends. Moreover, Namibia does not possess the infrastructure needed to organise a value chain to correct this pricing discrepancy and retain the overall value of its hardwood. Instead, the wood is largely exported as a raw material, thereby limiting the revenue that can be raised from Namibia's timber resources.

In recent years, a growing number of media reports and related public discussions have sought to address how Namibia's hardwood resources are being harvested, in many cases, unsustainably. To assist in the resolution of this concerning trend, the HSF and the DRFN have joined forces to support the Namibian government in its efforts to safeguard against the environmental and economic threats posed by unsustainable timber usage and uncontrolled deforestation.

The NSFM Project aims to raise awareness, support information exchange and encourage appreciation for diverging views as well as build skills, knowledge and capacities to implement SFM amongst the target groups. The Project’s target groups include various stakeholders from nature and environmental organisations and other civil society groups, political and traditional decision-makers, administrative representatives, members of Community Forests, local leaders and youth representatives. Key strategies to achieve these goals include the creation and distribution of publications and information material, public dialogue events, interactive educational activities, conferences, and study trips. Support will also be derived from the TH!NK Namibia Information Campaign which will be continuing into its fourth phase with a focus on informing interested individuals about the importance of SFM and the achievements of the NSFM Project.


Objectives:

  • To introduce the concept of Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) and raise awareness about its benefits among members of Community Forests (CF) and of the respective local communities, multipliers, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and their surrounding as well as decision-makers;
  • To strengthen the knowledge and skills around SFM among members of Community Forests, multipliers, members of Civil Society Organisations and decision-makers;
  • To improve the appreciation for different and diverging views on SFM among political and traditional decision-makers, civic society representatives as well as other stakeholders.

Please visit https://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/namibia_en for more information about the European Union,

or https://namibia.hss.de/ for more information about our implementing partner HSF.

The NSFM-Project continuous the TH!NK Namibia Information Campaign in its 4th phase.
TH!NK Namibia Sustainable Forest Management informs interested individuals on SFM and reports on the achievements of the NSFM-Project.

The HSF and the DRFN appreciate the financial support by the European Union.
For more information about the European Union, please visit https://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/namibia_en.



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Disclaimer: The contents of the website are the sole responsibility of DRFN and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union. This website was created with the support of the Hanns Seidel Foundation.