The value of Namibia's forest resources: Preliminary economic asset and flow accounts

Abstract

A national forest inventory completed in 2004 enabled the development of preliminary forest resource accounts for Namibia. The total woody resources volume was estimated at 257 million m³. Forest products used for fuel, poles, timber and non-timber were included in the accounts, but charcoal production on private land was excluded. Forest use directly contributed some 3 per cent of the gross national product, N$1 billion (US$160 million), and the total direct and indirect economic impact of forest use in the broader economy was some N$1.8 billion (US$288 million). The standing forest assets had an estimated capital value of N$19 billion (US$304 million), comparable with the values for fish, minerals and wildlife. On a national level, stocks are underused. However, some localised over-harvesting occurs, which might be ameliorated through community forest management and trade in products, but capture of resource rent by government should be restricted to commercial forest use.

Keywords:

• forests
• use value
• asset value
• resource accounts
• Namibia

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank their colleagues Glenn-Marie Lange and Jesper Stage for essential advice on forest accounting methods; the Directorate of Forestry, Ministry of Environment and Tourism, for inventory data and comments; Stig Johannson, Joseph Hailwa, Moses Chakanga, Sophia Swiegers, Michael Otsub for comments and Sandie Fitchat for editorial assistance; John Mendelsohn and Selma el Obeid, of the Research and Information Services of Namibia, and Esa Puustjarvi of Savcor Indufor, Finland, for comments and data; and the households, forest product traders and enumerators for data gathered in the field survey.