Investing in Namibian Communities

Sharing your community with wildlife isn’t easy. For subsistence farmers and pastoralists in Namibia, peaceful co-existence is a life-saving concept. IEF is committed to helping the people who live alongside elephants because we know they will be the ones who ultimately determine the future of wildlife. That is why we support the work of Elephant-Human Relations Aid (EHRA) in Namibia.

In Namibia, Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC) is one of the main causes of the declining elephant population. As a conflict management tool, elephants are regularly declared as problem-causing animals and either shot or otherwise removed by Namibian authorities. Occasionally, elephants are shot illegally. Living with elephants causes people immense frustration, anger, and fear because they often break expensive water installations, and sometimes houses or gardens. Past elephant-caused human mortalities have traumatized many villagers, fueling fear and intolerance towards the animals. The resulting complaints directly influence the government’s lethal elephant management decisions. The work that IEF supports with EHRA aims to empower people by decreasing fear and enhancing understanding while reducing HEC by responding immediately to conflict reports, safeguarding homes, and sharing elephant alerts as well as safety information. As conflicts decrease, fewer complaints get issued, which directly impacts elephant survival and community wellbeing.


Knowledge Sharing with the PEACE Project: To increase the number of people equipped with human-elephant coexistence strategies the PEACE (People and Elephant Amicably Coexisting) Training and the Elephant Guard Program was expanded and scaled up. These initiatives empower community members with the skills and knowledge needed to live safely alongside elephants.

Protecting Homes & Livelihoods : Teams worked to safeguard rural homes and food gardens by promoting and supporting the use of non-lethal deterrent tools. These methods reduce conflict while ensuring the safety of both people and elephants.

Recognizing Coexistence Champions: Last year our partners launched the first-ever Human-Elephant Coexistence Award, which celebrates and rewards individuals and communities that implement effective, elephant-safe solutions. This initiative encourages innovation, showcases best practices, and builds local pride in coexistence efforts.

Investing in communities invests in the future of the entire landscape. We are proud to support such forward-thinking work that builds the longevity of conservation actions.

Be transported to Namibia and learn more about what IEF has been supporting with EHRA in this video:

Close Encounters of the Endangered Kind

Episode 13: When A Mountain Glides Past Your Balcony
By Tricia Berry

After lunch at the lodge, we went on a game drive with Mike, Andy and Derek, UCF’s Project & Procurement Manager. The landscape in MFNP was much hillier and lush than the other two national parks we visited. It also had large areas of palm trees, which I had not expected. Standing tall among the trees were many towers of giraffes, looking mellow and serene as they gazed at us unconcerned by our presence.

When Mike, Andy and Derek saw a huge flock of vultures, some in the trees, some walking the grassland and many circling high above the savannah, they stopped our vehicle, got out and started walking and smelling the air…CONTINUE READING

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