DRAFT FINAL November 2013 Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Tourism Sector for the Greater Waterberg Landscape Enhancing Heritage Resources cc Ecosurv Environmental Consultants 3 Maritz Street Unit B1 Kgale Siding in Windhoek Gaborone cooperation Namibia Botswana with www.ehrafrica.com www.ecosurv.com Local Economic Development Enhancing Heritage Resources cc (2010/5473) EHRafrica enhances sustainable tourism at natural and cultural sites and influences visitor behaviour by creating resource specific interpretation and utilisation products for protected areas, community controlled sites & areas, privately owned attractions and national monuments. EHRafrica provides objective advice to individuals, private companies, NGOs, government and community organisations in the form of realistic options describing opportunities and constraints of development and utilisation. We offer practical advice and solution towards the repositioning of operational tourism enterprises conforming to ever-changing market demand and diversifying services to capture different markets. Adherence to environmental and human resources regulation is essential to the well-being of any tourism enterprise. EHRafrica further provides professional enterprise and project evaluations. Ecosurv (Pty) Ltd (CO 87/ 87) Ecosurv is the longest standing environmental consultancy firm in Botswana and has provided quality environmental services since 1987 within African Regional markets. Ecosurv has specific expertise in Environmental Policy, Strategy and Action Plan development and Stakeholder Engagement at the National level and beyond. In addition, it has extensive experience in environmental assessment and management, natural resource planning, and community based resource management. The company has progressively become more involved in the social, cultural and archaeological aspects of resource use. Ecosurv has experience of working for a wide range of clients (both private and public) from a variety of market sectors (see our Sector Experience below) in countries including Botswana, Namibia, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa and Angola. Ecosurv has extensive sector experience in Water, Tourism, Conservation, Agriculture, Community / Development, Mining, Energy and Infrastructure. SEA TOURISM SECTOR GWL DRAFT FINAL 2 Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF THE TOURISM SECTOR FOR THE GREATER WATERBERG LANDSCAPE .....................................................................................................8 1 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND TO THE ASSIGNMENT ............................ 12 1.1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 12 1.2 THE NAMIBIAN PROTECTED LANDSCAPES CONSERVATION AREAS (NAM-PLACE) PROJECT .................................................................................................................. 13 1.3 STATUS AND ESTABLISHMENT OF THE GREATER WATERBERG LANDSCAPE AND ASSOCIATED CONSERVANCIES ........................................................................................ 13 1.3.1 The Landscape .................................................................................................... 13 1.3.2 Registered Conservancies .................................................................................... 14 1.3.3 Commercial Conservancies .................................................................................. 14 2 SEA OBJECTIVES ............................................................................................. 14 2.1 THE SEA PROCESS WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE NAM-PLACE APPROACH ................................ 14 2.2 OBJECTIVES OF THE TOURISM SEA ................................................................................. 15 2.3 UNDERSTANDING OF THE KEY PRINCIPLES OF THE LANDSCAPE APPROACH ................................. 15 2.4 CONSTRAINTS AND LIMITATIONS .................................................................................... 17 3 METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................ 17 3.1 APPROACH ADOPTED IN THE SEA .................................................................................. 17 3.2 REVIEW OF BACKGROUND LITERATURE ............................................................................ 17 3.3 PLANNING FRAMEWORK ............................................................................................. 17 3.4 FIELD VISIT .............................................................................................................. 18 3.5 CONSULTATIONS ....................................................................................................... 18 3.6 BASELINE ................................................................................................................. 18 3.7 SCENARIOS .............................................................................................................. 19 3.8 ASSESSMENT ............................................................................................................ 19 3.9 SURVEY INSTRUMENT ................................................................................................. 19 4 LANDSCAPE DESCRIPTION AND BASELINE ...................................................... 20 4.1 LANDSCAPE DESCRIPTION ............................................................................................ 20 4.2 BIOPHYSICAL BASELINE ............................................................................................... 22 4.3 SOCIAL BASELINE ....................................................................................................... 25 4.4 TOURISM BASELINE .................................................................................................... 31 5 POLICIES, PLANS AND PROGRAMMES ............................................................ 34 5.1 NATIONAL POLICIES ................................................................................................... 34 SEA TOURISM SECTOR GWL DRAFT FINAL 3 5.1.1 National Land Policy of 1998 ............................................................................... 34 5.1.2 Draft National Land Tenure Policy of 2005 ........................................................... 34 5.1.3 Final Draft Rural Development Policy of 2011 ...................................................... 34 5.1.4 National Resettlement Policy of 2001 .................................................................. 35 5.1.5 Affirmative Action Loan Scheme of 1992 ............................................................. 35 5.1.6 National Forestry Policy of 2001 .......................................................................... 35 5.1.7 National Policy on Protected Areas’ Neighbours and Resident Communities of 2013 .......................................................................................... 35 5.1.8 Policy on Wildlife Management, Utilisation and Tourism in Communal Areas of 1995 .................................................................................... 36 5.1.9 Policy on Tourism and Wildlife Concessions on State Land of 2007 ....................... 36 5.1.10 National Policy on Human-Wildlife Conflict Management of 2009 ........................ 36 5.1.11 Promotion of Community-based Tourism of 1995 ................................................ 36 5.1.12 CBNRM Policy of 2013 ......................................................................................... 37 5.1.13 National Water Policy White Paper ..................................................................... 37 5.1.14 Regional Planning and Development Policy of 1997 ............................................. 37 5.1.15 National Drought Policy and Strategy of 1997 ...................................................... 37 5.1.16 Policy for the Conservation of Biotic Diversity and Habitat Protection of 1994 .............................................................................................. 38 5.1.17 National Policy on Tourism of 2008 ..................................................................... 38 5.2 LEGISLATION ............................................................................................................ 38 5.2.1 Namibian Constitution ........................................................................................ 38 5.2.2 Regional Councils Act 22 of 1992 ......................................................................... 38 5.2.3 Traditional Authorities Act 25 of 2000 ................................................................. 39 5.2.4 Decentralisation Enabling Act 33 of 2000 ............................................................. 39 5.2.5 Town and Regional Planning Bill (to replace Town Planning Ordinance of 1954) ............................................................................................. 39 5.2.6 Agricultural (Commercial) Land Reform Act 6 of 1995 .......................................... 39 5.2.7 Soil Conservation Act 76 of 1969 ......................................................................... 39 5.2.8 Communal Land Reform Act 5 of 2002 ................................................................. 40 5.2.9 Environmental Management Act 7 of 2007 .......................................................... 40 5.2.10 Parks and Wildlife Management Bill of 2009 ........................................................ 40 5.2.11 Nature Conservation Ordinance (1975),