As Namibia moves towards the drier months, forest and veld fire management becomes more than an environmental concern. It becomes a question of protecting people, livelihoods, grazing land, community forests, biodiversity and national assets before the first major fires spread.

Forest and veld fires are not new to Namibia. They are part of the country’s ecological and land-use reality.

But climate change, high fuel loads, long distances, limited response equipment and coordination gaps can turn ordinary fire risk into a serious threat. For rural communities, a fire can mean lost grazing, damaged crops, destroyed natural resources and increased pressure on already fragile livelihoods. Preparedness matters before the smoke appears.

Through the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Partnership on Sustainable Forestry Project, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT), with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the UNDP Seoul Policy Centre, and generous funding from the Government of the Republic of Korea, has been strengthening Namibia’s forest and veld fire detection, monitoring, prevention and response capacity. 

The work carries one clear message: fire resilience is built before the flames arrive. 

Communities First, Because Fires Start Locally

Since project inception, fire management training has reached 331 community members and local stakeholders across northern, north-eastern and central Namibia, including 197 men and 134 women. Participants were trained on basic forest and veld fire prevention, suppression and response, including fire behaviour, the fire triangle, firebreak construction, controlled burning, reporting protocols, command structures, use of personal protective equipment and practical firefighting techniques.

This is not classroom learning for the sake of it.

Communities living closest to fire-prone landscapes are often the first to notice smoke, alert authorities and take early action before fires spread. For households whose livelihoods depend on grazing, crop farming, charcoal and wood value chains, devil’s claw, wild fruit and other natural resources, fire preparedness is about protecting the land base that sustains daily life.

By combining practical training with firefighting tools and protective equipment, the project has helped move fire management from a distant institutional responsibility to a shared community-based preparedness system.

Detect Earlier, Respond Faster 

The Preparedness also depends on the ability to detect risk early and respond with the right tools. Through the partnership, Namibia has begun strengthening the practical backbone of forest and veld fire management, linking community readiness with technology, field equipment and monitoring systems.

Ten fire detection units have been procured for high-risk areas, with hosting infrastructure installed at selected sites. These systems are intended to improve early warning by tracking fire-related conditions such as temperature, humidity and smoke indicators.

The shift is important: from waiting for visible flames to monitoring risk signals earlier. 

Figure 1: Manual preparation for the hosting infrastructure for the AI based fire monitoring system

The project has also procured two drones, with MEFT staff identified for pilot training and certification. Drones are not a replacement for firefighters, community teams or firebreaks. Their value lies in helping response teams see more clearly, especially in difficult terrain where road access is limited or where ground teams may face safety risks.

They can support aerial monitoring, identify hotspots, assess fire movement, inspect containment lines and inform post-fire recovery. Technology matters when it improves decisions on the ground.

Just as important, the project has equipped community and field teams with basic firefighting and protective tools. These are the practical items that make training usable beyond the workshop setting, enabling communities and frontline personnel to apply what they have learned safely and effectively.

As Mr. Johnson Ndokosho, Director of Forestry at MEFT, noted:
“The Directorate of Forestry would like to commend the support from Korea as instrumental in enabling us to train communities and the equipment in helping us in fighting forest fires across Namibia. Forests are a vital lifeline to Namibian households and wildlife, and ultimately the lungs of our earth.”
 

From Ad Hoc Response to a National Protocol

A major area of work has been the development of the draft Forest and Veld Fire Prevention and Response Protocol. This is not simply another technical document. It is intended to guide how institutions, regions, communities and response teams coordinate before, during and after fire incidents.

The draft protocol addresses prevention, preparedness, response and recovery. It covers early warning, firebreaks, awareness, resource inventories, communication channels, command structures, training, equipment use, post-fire assessment and recovery planning.

It also recognises that forest and veld fire management requires coordinated action across MEFT, regional structures, the Office of the Prime Minister, communities, farmers, conservation actors and emergency response institutions.

When fire starts, there is little time to clarify mandates. A protocol helps define roles, information flows, resource mobilisation and decision-making.

In fire management, clarity can save time, resources and lives.

Keeping the System Ready

The next step is to consolidate these investments, so they remain useful beyond the project cycle. This means finalising and validating the fire protocol, confirming custodianship and maintenance arrangements for equipment, completing drone pilot training, strengthening data transmission systems, and ensuring that trained community members remain connected to local and regional response structures.

It also means continued resource mobilisation. Fire management requires sustained investment in people, equipment, communication systems, transport, maintenance and public awareness.

A detector that cannot transmit data, a drone without a trained operator, or equipment without a clear custodian will not deliver the resilience Namibia needs.

Namibia is preparing before the peak fire risk period, not waiting for disaster to test its readiness. Through the leadership of MEFT, the support of the Government of the Republic of Korea, partnership with UNDP and the UNDP Seoul Policy Centre, and the active role of communities, the country is building a more practical and coordinated fire management system.

Fire resilience does not begin when smoke appears.

It begins with preparation, partnership and people.