It still is. I want Bushmanland to stay the way it is, with no big development. While the majority of the people in Nyae Nyae still depend on the natural environment for some of their food, they cannot survive solely as hunters and gatherers in their diminished territory. Nyae Nyae appears to be tailor-made for a conservancy. Some conservationists have criticized the farmers' cooperative for failing to understand wildlife issues and for not being truly representative of the people of Nyae Nyae.
People have to have control over their common resources.
The Namibian government agrees and believes that creation of the locally controlled conservancies will provide answers. Now we are giving rights to people in communal areas. The change in policy stems from widespread recognition throughout Africa that wildlife will not survive unless the people living with the animals can benefit from them. Despite all this effort, wildlife in Nyae Nyae has not fared well. During the past decade, Nyae Nyae animal populations have declined dramatically.