In a chronological order the process went as follows:
In 1995 the Directorate of Forestry started off with a first In-House Workshop in which Headquarter and Field Officers came together to debate the major issues regarding the forest sector. In essence, the Directorate did what is known in workshop jargon as a “SWOT analysis”, in which the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats were identified. At the end of the workshop, members identified in a participatory manner, what they perceived as priority areas in which work should be concentrated. This workshop in effect prepared the whole Directorate to the more protracted period that the strategic planning process would require. After the workshop the actual planning started with funding from Finland. It is important to note that the initiative for strategic planning started within the Directorate of Forestry and the Government of Finland stepped in to give it professional or technical support. With Finnish funding, the process started earnestly in the first quarter of 1996, when a consultant was hired for a 7-month period to facilitate the process in conjunction with the Directorate of Forestry.
The Ministry commissioned an inter-sectoral task force to oversee and direct the planning process. The task force had the following structure:
It consisted of 4 Directorates within the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) and others from different Ministries.
Director of Forestry (MET)
Director of Environmental Affairs (MET)
Director of Resource Management (Wildlife) (MET)
Director of Tourism and Resorts (MET)
Representative of the National Planning Commission
Director of Lands,
Director Resettlement and Rehabilitation
Director of Planning in Agriculture
Director of Engineering and Extension in Agriculture
Director of Research and Training in Agriculture
Director of Community Development
The main responsibility of the task force was 1) that the analysis of the sector would be rigorous in view of the limitations of time, data and skills and 2) the plan would be consistent the national development policy.
The task force approved a modus operandi, which included the commissioning of several consultancies that would help to:
The studies which were commissioned during the process, are hereby listed as follows:
The Most Important Functions of the Forestry Sector in the Namibian Economy
This paper elucidated the obvious and indirect
contributions of the sector to the economy. It particularly highlighted the
importance of the sector to agricultural production in rural Namibia and also
the vital ecosystem functions that support tourism through wildlife habitats.
It turned out that timber values ranked tenth on the value of contributions
to the economy. This paper revealed the necessity for forest management to
take a multi-sector approach to management and a greater participation by
beneficiaries such as local communities.
Land Ownership versus the management of woody vegetation and policy resolutions to the prevailing land issues
The paper described land ownership patterns in Namibia and
particularly those in the communally owned lands. It was interesting to note
that the proposed communal land bill, now being discussed in parliament has
provisions for communal leaseholds, meaning that communities can be given
titles for land that they wish to communally develop for forestry purposes
and in addition the proposed regional land boards will make land allocation
more democratic and also enhance public participation in activities such as
setting land aside for forestry conservation and plantation development.
Land Tenure Issues in Sustainable Forest Management
The paper described in a stimulating way, the various forms
of traditional land tenure systems among the various cultures of Namibia and
how statutory laws of the past ignored or contravened traditional systems.
It was also show that today cultures differ in the effectiveness of traditional
laws hence care must be taken not to overestimate the power of communities
to manage forest resources because a lot of their institutions had been eroded.
Projects must bear this in mind and make the necessary arrangements to study
and empower communities according to the status and effectiveness of their
local institutions.
Namibia woody vegetation Resources
This described the resources and earlier attempts to conduct forest inventories and management planning
The Role of Woody Vegetation Resources in Community Development in Namibia
The report presented the objectives and tasks of community development that forestry should take into account and also the institutions that are involved in organizing community efforts. Furthermore it stressed the role of women in rural development and particularly vegetation use and management.
Namibia’s experience in National Development Planning
This paper laid out the macroeconomic framework
for NDP1, described the planning process, development objectives, issues of
finance and implementation strategies.
The Consumption in Wood and Wood Products in Namibia
This paper concentrated on the consumption of industrial wood and reconstituted products such as plywood and boards, paper and paper products. It showed clearly the demand patterns for these products in Namibia. This was a key paper in directing policies that would supply Namibia with these products at the most competitive rates.
After the described papers were produced and approved by the National Task Force, they were presented in a national workshop, which was attended by policy makers from the capital c ity, the international community, regional governors and non-governmental organizations. This gave useful inputs from the various interests represented at the national workshop and gave further impetus to the need to have a multi-sector approach to draw up and also to implement the strategy.
Together with inputs given by the task force, the consultants in conjunction with a team from the Directorate of Forestry started drafting the strategic plan. Draft chapters were thoroughly discussed and critically read by the Director of Forestry before being discussed at the meetings of the Task Force. The experience was that the strong involvement of members of the Directorate ensured that the document would reflect a Namibian rather than a Euro-centric view of forestry development. It also created the right conditions for top members of the Directorate to internalize and own the plan by virtue of their own participation. In that regard the plan was easy to adopt since it was not imposed but steered and negotiated by Namibians in policy-making ranks in government.
The task force in addition to their main responsibilities as already stated operated under key principles. These were
As stated earlier, our initiative attracted the support of Finland, a member of the EU as a financing partner. The strategic plan itself started fortuitously, 6 months after the Directorate had started in late 1995, to review and revised the Forest Act under the sponsorship and technical guidance of FAO. The FAO and the consultant to the strategic planning process met on several occasions to discuss and exchange views and documents. In addition they read each other’s draft documents. This ensured that the strategy reflected the new thinking of the Directorate with respect to legislation and the legislation itself made provision for greater public participation and current global policies regarding sustainable forest management.
During the planning process, international agencies such as UNDP, FAO and members of donor countries such as Germany, Denmark, the UK, Netherlands and Sweden attended our national workshops.
