Find Forestry expertise in Namibia

Forestry, agriculture, hunting and fisheries collectively contribute 11% of Namibia’s GDP (2007), although forestry on its own contributes a much smaller share, as much of Namibia is mostly desert or semi-desert. The country has lost 12% of its forests since 1990, and in 2005, only 9% of the country’s total land area was classified as forest. There is a ban on the issuance of timber-harvesting permits. Since the 1990s, an important part of the country’s forest policy has been to reconcile rural development with biodiversity conservation by empowering local communities in communal lands to manage their forests. The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry is tasked with managing and protecting the country’s forestry resources.