Community calls for enforcement of hunting ban in NG3

The villages that are covered by NG3, which is the western side of the Okavango Delta, are Qangwa, Qooshe, Magopa, and Dobe. According to the documents drafted by the community, NG3 is not a gazetted Wildlife Management Area (WMA). “It is legally impossible for the Qangwa Community Trust (QCT) to obtain a head lease over this communal land. The Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) and the QCT have operated under a "fundamental legal flaw" by incorrectly identifying NG3 as a WMA in official documents. NG3 is not officially zoned for hunting. The 2019 reopening of hunting in NG3 violated the government hunting guidelines, as no hunting occurred there before the moratorium, and no local Community-Based Organization (CBO) had lost revenue during that time,” the document reads.

The community argues that hunting in NG3 is a threat to San livelihoods and human rights. The Ju/’hoansi San rely on this land for cultural heritage and sustainable development. Hunting activities conducted without consent have caused "aggravated elephant behavior," leading to near-fatal attacks on community members.