Bwabwata National Park: Why an Independent Facilitator Matters
The debate over the Bwabwata National Park in Namibia involves complex issues of land rights, traditional authority, and conservation. The article argues that an impartial facilitator is necessary to manage the competing interests of the Hambukushu and Khwe communities.
Why it matters
It highlights the challenges of balancing national conservation goals with the historical land rights and jurisdictional claims of indigenous and local communities.
The Ongoing debate surrounding the Bwabwata National Park requires careful, impartial and inclusive engagement.
The park is an important national conservation asset, but it is also connected to longstanding questions involving traditional authority, community rights, regional boundaries, land, development and the rights and interests of different communities.
For this reason, any initiative aimed at facilitating dialogue around Bwabwata should be handled with particular sensitivity.
The Bwabwata issue is not simply a question of conservation or tourism.
It involves communities and traditional authorities with different historical perspectives and interests.
The Hambukushu Traditional Authority has maintained that it has historical jurisdictional interests in areas associated with Bwabwata, while the Khwe community has pursued recognition of its own traditional leadership.
The disagreement has generated tension and has involved both the Kavango East and Zambezi regions.
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