The mission of the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism is to promote biodiversity conservation in the Namibian environment through the sustainable utilization of natural resources and tourism development for the maximum social and economic benefit of its citizens.
To be a leader in the conservation and tourism development through innovation and partnership.
The mandate of the Ministry is therefore derived from the Constitutional provision.
Chapter 11: Principles of State Policy
Article 95: Promotion of the Welfare of the People
The state shall actively promote and maintain the welfare of the people by adopting, inter alia, polices aimed at the following:
“Maintenance of ecosystems, essential ecological processes and biological diversity of Namibia and utilization of living natural resources on a sustainable basis for the benefit of all Namibians, both present and future; in particular, the Government shall provide measures against the dumping or recycling of foreign nuclear and toxic waste on Namibian territory”.
Namibia is the first country in the world to incorporate environmental protection into its Constitution. The result of this has many community based tourism initiatives that provide social and monetary benefits to the communities and an authentic experience for visitors.