Omusati communities enhance land-use management through UN-backed project

This initiative is part of a United Nations-backed drylands sustainability project. Namibian forest management and integrated land-use planning consultant Maria Amunyela emphasized the importance of proper planning for managing limited land resources and reducing environmental pressure. Her remarks were made at an integrated land-use planning meeting in Okahao, which gathered 27 participants from the Otamanzi, Okahao, and Tsandi constituencies to develop local land-use plans.

Amunyela highlighted that land resources are finite, while population and agricultural demand continue to grow, warning that a lack of proper land use could lead to conflicts over natural resources and unsustainable development. The meeting also aimed to educate communities on the link between land-use planning, land degradation, and desertification, and to discuss challenges and solutions for restoring degraded land. Isak Kaholongo, project implementation officer for the north-central region, stressed the need for communities to understand and address environmental challenges, advocating for each constituency to have a land-use planning map.

The three constituencies are part of the Kunene-Cuvelai Landscape under the Drylands Sustainable Impact Project, which seeks to improve dryland management in northern Namibia's Mopane-Miombo belt. The