The goal of the project is to promote Integrated Sustainable Rural Development based on sound natural resource management within the Middle Ugab Basin. The project will seek to strengthen the organizational capacity of the Ugab Basin Steering Committee, develop conservation measures and awareness on natural wetlands, mitigate human-wildlife conflict, identify different users, uses, and status of natural resources found within the basin, and develop integrated management plans.

The Ugab Basin has been subject to multiple resource users, of which long-term impacts on the Basin?s ecological environment are not well researched and understood. Although the river basin is a shared resource between different users, cooperation have been poor in the management of resources in the basin. The current factors that are and can affect the Basin?s environment are uncontrolled and un-coordinated tourism development and activities, absence of wetlands conservation and protection plans, human-wildlife conflict, land uses that affect water quality and quantity (pollution, damming, agricultural practices), overuse of vegetation (fodder, building materials, firewood), and poor communication and co-operation between resources users. This project will develop a set of tools and partnership to resolve the water and other natural resource management challenges with due concern to the needs of the communal farmers and the needs of the unique wildlife and wetlands ecosystems.

The Ugab River forms the boundary between Kunene and Erongo regions and continues east into the Otjozondjupa region. The project focal area is within the middle reaches of the Ugab Basin, which stretches across four registered communal conservancies (Sorri-Sorris, Doro !Nawas, Otjimboyo and Tsiseb). The Ugab River catchment area is 28,400km², and this project will focus on the 38% that is communal land.