WINDHOEK, Namibia, May 20, 2026 /3BL/ – Today, the Government of The Republic of Namibia, in partnership with a network of communal conservancies, and a global coalition including WWF and its Enduring Earth partners, announced the permanent conservation of up to 50 million acres through the launch of a historic initiative called Namibia for Life.
Namibia For Life is Africa’s first Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) initiative. It helps the country’s 87 communal conservancies sustain their conservation success and build on decades of revitalizing iconic wildlife populations by strengthening their natural resource management and self-governance and investing in sustainable rural livelihoods. Co-designed with communities, Namibia for Life can ultimately support up to 100 conservancies, ensuring future community support. Namibia for Life encompasses more than 20% of the country, an area larger than Nebraska, where more than 283,000 conservancy members rely on healthy wildlife and natural resources.
“I regard the PFP initiative as a significant milestone in advancing community-led conservation and sustainable development,” said Thomas Muronga, Chairperson of National Communal Conservancy and Community Forest Alliance (NCCFA). “It offers essential support to strengthen the capacity of our member conservancies and community forests, ensuring long-term environmental stewardship and socio-economic benefits. Through this partnership, we aim to enhance coordination, accountability, and impact for the benefit of present and future generations.”
Investing in Namibia’s legacy of conservancies means backing what works. Since the first conservancy formed in 1998, communities have used their traditional knowledge to bring wildlife populations back from the brink of extinction. There were only a few hundred black rhinos left in Namibia in 1990. Now, Namibia is home to the second largest black rhino population in the world. Namibia’s elephant population has quadrupled, and desert-dwelling lion numbers have increased sevenfold since 1995.
“Namibia’s rich biodiversity is a national asset that underpins our tourism economy, rural livelihoods, and our resilience to climate change,” said Namibia’s Prime Minister, the Right Honorable Elijah Ngurare. “Initiatives such as Namibia for Life demonstrate how strategic partnerships can translate conservation achievements into long-term socio-economic benefits for our people.”
Namibia for Life is possible because of the collaboration between Namibia’s Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) , the Community Conservation Fund of Namibia (CCFN), the Namibian Association of Community Based Natural Resource Management Support Organisations (NACSO), WWF, and other key partners: Bezos Earth Fund, Carmen Busquets, Development Bank of Namibia (DBN), Enduring Earth, Global Environment Facility (GEF), Impact Tank Analysis Foundation, the Liz Claiborne & Art Ortenberg Foundation, Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies, National Communal Conservancy and Community Forest Alliance (NCCFA), The ProNamib Trust, Laurie and Jeffrey Ubben, and ZOMA LAB. WWF and our partners also recognize the many years of critical support from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) of the Federal Republic of Germany through KfW for CCFN and the conservancy movement.
“Namibia for Life will secure long-term, sustainable financing to strengthen communal conservancies and the extension services that keep them effective in one of the world’s most important dryland biodiversity strongholds,” said Claude Gascon, Interim CEO and Director of Strategy and Operations at the GEF. “This is a great example of a whole-of-society approach to achieving the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework’s goal of conserving 30% of land, waters, and seas by 2030.”
“After 30 years of commitment and support to the community-based natural resource management movement, the launch of Namibia for Life and the long-term funding it provides is a dream come true. This funding will maintain a lasting foundation from which to launch new opportunities for nature and people into the future. What a wonderful achievement. We are proud as WWF to be part of this partnership,” said Dr Juliane Zeidler, WWF Namibia Country Director.
Many of these communities were severely affected when tourism came to a standstill during the pandemic. To help them better weather future economic shifts, Namibia for Life will support the creation of additional sustainable businesses while strengthening tried-and-true local enterprises. This initiative achieves this by bolstering the connection between sustainable livelihoods and strong conservation outcomes through innovative mechanisms like the Socio-Economic Development Fund (SEDF).
Establishing and expanding nature-based businesses like tourist lodges, honey and craft value chains, wildlife-friendly products, and local services keeps income in communities and reduces pressure on natural resources.
“Namibia’s communal conservancies have proven that when local communities have the authority and resources to manage their wildlife, both wildlife and communities flourish,” said Nik Sekhran, Chief Conservation Officer at World Wildlife Fund. “Namibia for Life builds on this trusted model by securing permanent funding and policy support for up to 100 conservancies managing up to 20 million hectares. This is Africa’s first Project Finance for Permanence initiative, and it works precisely because it enables communities who are already conservation experts to scale what they do best: protecting wildlife while building sustainable enterprises that benefit their families and future generations.”
Namibia for Life employs the PFP approach, which secures the policies and funding for conservation success in a single agreement so that systems of conservation areas are well-managed, sustainably financed, and benefit the communities that rely on them. Today, Namibia for Life is launching as a $63-million initiative, which includes an endowment fund that will support sustainable finance mechanisms for communities in perpetuity. With additional investments from the Green Climate Fund (GCF)—through the Climate Resilient Enduring Earth (CREE) initiative—and other partners, the fund has the potential to increase to more than $75 million.
“Namibia’s community conservancies show that nature can recover when communities have the power and resources to manage the lands they know best. Philanthropy can help turn that local leadership into lasting finance and Namibia for Life brings that promise to life, giving 30×30 — the global goal of protecting 30% of land and sea by 2030 — the staying power it will need long after the announcement,” said Dr. Cristián Samper, Managing Director and Leader for Nature Solutions of Bezos Earth Fund.
Namibia for Life is part of the growing community of locally designed and led PFP initiatives that are part of Enduring Earth, a bold collaboration between The Nature Conservancy, The Pew Charitable Trusts, World Wildlife Fund, and ZOMA LAB. Enduring Earth partners with governments, communities, Indigenous peoples, and funders to accelerate conservation and sustainable development, address biodiversity loss, secure durable financing, and enhance economic growth, using the PFP model. Namibia for Life marks the eighth PFP initiative under Enduring Earth, working with local leadership to durably finance and conserve a total of 572 million acres of lands and waters in Brazil, Canada, Colombia, and Mongolia since its launch in 2021, and securing more than US$1.8 billion in sustainable finance for nature and people.
Quotes from Additional Namibia for Life Partners
“As Chairperson of the Okongo Conservancy, I am very happy and excited about the Namibia for Life Project Finance for Permanence initiative. It will strengthen capacity, improve governance, and ensure our communities benefit more from conservation, while also supporting better monitoring of donor funds in our conservancies.” — Martha Nghidengwa, Chairperson of Okongo Conservancy
“This initiative strengthens national ownership of conservation financing while ensuring that communities remain at the heart of natural resource management. The Namibia for Life PFP is aligned with government priorities and reinforces our commitment to inclusive, community driven conservation.” — Honourable Indileni Daniel, Namibia’s Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism
“Since 2000, NACSO has proudly supported Namibia’s CBNRM program through a collaborative, multiparter model that delivers coordinated and cost-effective support to communities across the country. We are honored to support Namibia for Life as a bold and transformative milestone, securing permanent, sustainable financing and strengthening community led conservation for generations to come.” — Maxi Louis, Director of NACSO
“This is a decisive step in securing long-term funding to support communities managing wildlife and natural resources. With consistent extension services, it will help ensure communities remain well-governed and able to deliver both conservation and livelihood benefits. It also helps maintain Namibia’s position as a global leader in community-based conservation.” — Advocate Andrew Corbett, Board Chair of CCFN
“SEDF is an important step toward building stronger, more sustainable conservancy economies in Namibia. By combining enterprise support with access to appropriate finance, we are assisting community-based businesses to strengthen their operations, improve investment readiness, and create long-term livelihood opportunities linked to conservation.” — Elzine Mushambi, Founder of Impact Tank
“Namibia for Life demonstrates how nature conservation and benefits for local communities go hand in hand. We are delighted to expand our work with the ProNamib Nature Reserve and community programs in Hardap by supporting this outstanding initiative for the whole of Namibia.” — John Bernstein, Chairman of The ProNamib Trust
“When I visited Namibia in 2018, I understood why it is such an important country for the future of conservation. Its commitment to community-led preservation, wildlife protection, and sustainable development is truly inspiring. After seeing firsthand the impact WWF created through Bhutan for Life, I had no doubt they were the ideal partner for an initiative like Namibia for Life.” — Carmen Busquets, WWF National Council Member
“Namibia for Life marks a defining moment for community-led conservation as the first Project Finance for Permanence initiative in Africa and the eighth globally since Enduring Earth was established in 2020. Led by communal conservancies, this PFP channels long-term finance into local nature-based enterprises and contributes to a total of more than U.S.$1.8 billion now secured in durable funding through PFPs. By backing community-run lodges, honey and craft value chains, and other nature-based businesses, Namibia for Life keeps income local, eases pressure on natural resources, and advances global 2030 conservation goals.” — Zdenka Piskulich, Managing Director of Enduring Earth
About World Wildlife Fund
WWF is one of the world’s leading conservation organizations, working for 60 years in nearly 100 countries to help people and nature thrive. With the support of nearly a million members in the United States and more than 5 million members worldwide, WWF is dedicated to delivering science-based solutions to preserve the diversity and abundance of life on Earth, halt the degradation of the environment, and combat the climate crisis.