The Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism recently held consultations on the National Policy on Prospecting and Mining in protected areas of Rundu. 

The engagement was spearheaded by the Deputy Director for Wildlife Research and Monitoring, Kenneth Uiseb.

"This draft policy is guided by a number of key principles. These are principles like the high values to which we want to subscribe to ensure that the policy talks to the issues of concern or issues we are concerned with. The very first principle is that protected areas provide economic benefits, so in whatever we do, we must make sure that protected areas, whether we allow mining or not, whether we allow prospecting in protected areas, continue to provide those economic benefits."

The Rundu-Urban Councilor, Victoria Kauma, called for the consultation process to be inclusive and for more time to be given to the affected residents to digest the information effectively for better understanding and positive feedback results concerning the Draft Policy.

The consultation started on the 12th of May and is expected to end on the 26th of June 2025 in Windhoek.