biodiversity and the ancestors

300 Pages·2008·2.73 MB·English

BIODIVERSITY AND THE ANCESTORS:
CHALLENGES TO CUSTOMARY
AND ENVIRONMENTAL LAW
CASE STUDIES FROM NAMIBIA
EDITED BY
MANFRED O. HINZ AND OLIVER C. RUPPEL
This publication is dedicated to the memory of
Nanzala Siyambango
who was murdered on 31 March 2007.
Deadly bullets terminated her earthly life while she was preparing to enter
an LL M programme under the BIOTA Project.
Her commitment as a promising student in African customary law, her commitment
as a human being, and her commitment in the spirit of humanity
will not be forgotten.


Table of conTenTs
Preface ...................................................................................................................................v
The contributors.................................................................................................................vii
Editors’ note.........................................................................................................................xi
Acknowledgements ...........................................................................................................xiii
List of abbreviations ..........................................................................................................xv
Note on the use of words in African languages...............................................................xvi
List of photographs ...........................................................................................................xvi
Map of Namibia................................................................................................................xvii
PArT I: LEgAL ProTEcTIoN of bIodIvErSITy IN NAMIbIA .........................
Legal protection of biodiversity in Namibia ......................................................................3
Manfred O. Hinz and Oliver C. Ruppel
1. Biodiversity in perspective ...........................................................................................3
2. The global level ............................................................................................................7
3. The African and regional level ...................................................................................20
4. The national level (I): Constitutional foundations and policies .................................24
5. The national level (II): Statutory enactments and bills in preparation .......................41
6. The protection of biodiversity under customary law..................................................56
7. The BIOTA framework, research design and assumptions ........................................59
PArT II: LANd .................................................................................................................63
Land allocation and the protection of biodiversity: A case study of Mbunza ...............65
Tulimeke M. W. Koita
1. Introduction ................................................................................................................65
2. The protection of land under Mbunza customary law ................................................68
3. Conclusion ..................................................................................................................74
disputed land: owambo cattle farmers in Ukwangali....................................................75
Julia Mushimba
1. Introduction ................................................................................................................75
2. Background ................................................................................................................78
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Table of contents
3. Socio-cultural factors behind the conflict ...................................................................82
4. Eviction orders ...........................................................................................................84
5. Conclusion ..................................................................................................................86
PArT III: grASS ..............................................................................................................89
grass as a natural resource: A case study of Uukwambi ................................................9
Ntinda Mbushandje
1. Introduction ................................................................................................................91
2. Grass and Uukwambi customary law .........................................................................93
3. Conclusion ................................................................................................................100
overgrazing and grazing rights: A case study of ovitoto ............................................0
Ray-wood Mavetja Rukoro
1. Introduction ..............................................................................................................101
2. Grazing: A common right? .......................................................................................103
3. Conclusion ................................................................................................................113
farming in a politically divided community: A case study of berseba .......................5
Philanda Blockstein
1. Introduction ..............................................................................................................115
2. Remedies against overgrazing ..................................................................................117
3. Conclusion ................................................................................................................121
PArT Iv: MEdIcINAL PLANTS .................................................................................7
Medicinal plants: A case study of Uukwambi ................................................................9
Victory H. Gabriel
1. Introduction ..............................................................................................................129
2. Healing with herbs: Relic of the past?......................................................................130
3. Conclusion ................................................................................................................136
PArT v: fISh ..................................................................................................................37
The catching of fish under Uukwambi customary law ..................................................39
Tomas M. Nekongo
1. Introduction ..............................................................................................................139
2. Fish swim in water: Water is life ..............................................................................140
3. Conclusion ................................................................................................................148
fishing among the Topnaar: An expropriated tradition ..............................................5
Clever Mapaure
1. Introduction ..............................................................................................................151
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Table of contents
2. Sea and land: Sacred gifts ........................................................................................154
3. Sustainability through tradition ................................................................................161
4. Customary inter- and intragenerational equity .........................................................164
5. Conclusion ................................................................................................................172
PArT vI: TrEES ............................................................................................................75
The protection of trees: A case study of otjombinde ....................................................77
Vetu Uanivi
1. Introduction ..............................................................................................................177
2. Trees under threat .....................................................................................................178
3. Conclusion ................................................................................................................184
Kiaat trees for wood-carving: A Kavango case study ...................................................85
Ainna Vilengi Kaundu
1. Introduction ..............................................................................................................185
2. When the last tree has fallen.....................................................................................188
3. Conclusion ................................................................................................................195
forest conservation and the role of traditional leaders: A case study of the bukalo
community forest ...........................................................................................................97
Mwendekwa Muhongo
1. Introduction ..............................................................................................................197
2. Community forest in progress .................................................................................199
3. Conclusion ................................................................................................................207
PArT vII: fINdINgS ANd ThE wAy forwArd ..................................................09
findings and the way forward ........................................................................................
Manfred O. Hinz
1. Summary of the findings ..........................................................................................211
2. Biodiversity and the ancestors ..................................................................................217
3. The way forward ......................................................................................................221
List of field notes ..............................................................................................................7
T. Koita...............................................................................................................................227
J. Mushimba .......................................................................................................................227
N. Mbushandje ...................................................................................................................228
R. Rukoro ...........................................................................................................................228
P. Blockstein .......................................................................................................................229
V. Gabriel ...........................................................................................................................229
T. Nekongo .........................................................................................................................230
C. Mapaure .........................................................................................................................230
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V. Uanivi ............................................................................................................................231
A. Kaundu ..........................................................................................................................231
M. Muhongo ......................................................................................................................232
bibliography .....................................................................................................................35
Appendix I: constitution of the Nyae Nyae conservancy ...........................................49
Appendix II: bukalo community forest Management body constitution ...............69
Appendix III: Maps of the areas studied .......................................................................7
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Preface
Hon. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Minister of Environment and Tourism
It is a pleasure for me to preface this timely exposition of case studies on customary
law, biodiversity and the protection of the environment in Namibia. It is estimated
that approximately 27,000 species of animal and plant life disappear from our planet
every year. The issue of biodiversity conservation deserves serious attention because
the irrevocable loss of species threatens the very basis of human life. Biological
diversity provides the foundation for human basic needs such as food, water and
other natural resources. A multitude of drugs and a wide range of industrial materials
are derived directly from biological resources.
Since Namibia signed the Convention on Biological Diversity in 1992, the preservation
of biological diversity has become a focus of environmental policy and legislative
considerations. However, biodiversity conservation in Namibia has its roots not
merely in the legal provisions issued in the last decades, but rather in the centuries-
old customs of the people. This book shows, in an impressive manner, that an arc can
be spanned between legislative efforts on global, regional, national and local levels
and traditional methods of maintaining the environment and biodiversity.
This publication describes the legal foundations of biodiversity conservation in
Namibia and serves as a useful guide to the broad range of provisions directly and
indirectly relating to the protection of biological diversity. On the global, regional
and sub-regional level, relevant conventions are described. On the national level, the
Constitution of the Republic of Namibia as the supreme law of the country, as well
as national policies and enactments and customary laws applied by the traditional
communities of Namibia are analysed in terms of biodiversity conservation.
The case studies assembled here provide a unique insight into the practices and
customs of people living in traditional settings. The publication will, therefore, be a
valuable source of information and guidance for lawyers, anthropologists, students,
policymakers and all those members of the public interested in environmental
concerns, biodiversity conservation and customary law in Namibia. I wish to thank
all who have contributed to the book and assisted in making it a reality. I highly
recommend this book to be used in our schools and tertiary institutions.
Windhoek, August 2008
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The conTribuTors
The editors
Prof. Manfred o. hinz studied law and philosophy at the University of Mainz
(Germany), where he graduated in law. He passed his legal practitioner’s examination
in 1964, the year in which he also obtained his doctoral degree in law from the
University of Mainz. After studying anthropology, sociology and African and
Oriental languages at the same University, he became assistant lecturer, teaching
anthropology and public law. In 1971, he was appointed full professor at the
University of Bremen.
In 1989, he went to Namibia where, after independence, he assisted the Ministry
of Justice in its projects to restructure the traditional administration of justice and
to make an inventory of customary law. He was later seconded to the office of the
first Vice-Chancellor of the University of Namibia (UNAM) to help build the first
institution for legal education on Namibian soil: UNAM’s Faculty of Law. He joined
the Faculty upon its inception, and has served as its Deputy Dean and Dean. Prof.
Hinz also holds the UNESCO Chair: Human Rights and Democracy in the Law
Faculty’s Human Rights and Documentation Centre.
Prof. Hinz has published widely in his areas of specialisation, in particular in the
fields of legal and political anthropology, and constitutional and international
(economic) law. He has been involved in the BIOTA Southern Africa Project since
2004 as a Work Package Leader, in which capacity he has supervised the research of
the contributors to this publication. He was at the same time the leader of the incofish
Project implemented by the UNAM Faculty of Law.
dr oliver c. ruppel graduated in law after studies at the Universities of Lausanne
(Switzerland) and Munich (Germany). He holds a Master of Laws degree (LL M /
Public Law) from the University of Stellenbosch (South Africa), a doctoral degree
in law from the University of Pressburg (Slovakia); a PG degree from the Munich
School of Philosophy SJ (Germany) and he was one of the first lawyers to be awarded
a Master of Mediation degree (M M) from the University of Hagen (Germany) with
a specialisation in economic and environmental extrajudicial dispute settlement.
Dr Ruppel is the Director of the Human Rights and Documentation Centre and
lectures environmental law, human rights law and public law aspects of international
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