Paper short abstract:

The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on tourism in Namibia, which posed a threat to the previous successes of community-based conservation. This analysis evaluates the ability of community conservancies to withstand this external shock and maintain their conservation efforts.

Paper long abstract:

Namibia is viewed as an example of how community-based conservation can be effectively implemented. Tourism, specifically safari and hunting, generates income that supports conservation efforts and has led to an increase in wildlife populations. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the tourism industry and tested the ability of regional social-ecological systems to handle external shocks. Despite this, with government support, local governance institutions known as conservancies were able to partially maintain the distribution of value from tourism during the pandemic and improve the relationship between agriculture and tourism for long-term sustainability. These results suggest that local institutions have the ability to promote resilience in the region through their ability to adapt and drive diversity in the regional economy.