Southern Africa has gained international recognition for its achievements in nature conservation, particularly in the field of wildlife management. A key factor behind this success is the principle of sustainable utilisation of wildlife, in which Namibia plays a leading role on the subcontinent.

The origins of this approach date back to the early 1960s. Due to severe drought and an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, cattle farming became economically unviable. Marga Vaatz, the mother of the current owner of Düsternbrook, was therefore compelled to seek alternative land use and income sources. She pioneered the concept of the guest and hunting farm in Namibia — at the time a completely new model in Africa, as hunting elsewhere was largely restricted to state-owned land.

A fundamental requirement of this new model was that hunting had to be strictly sustainable.

This idea quickly gained support among farmers affected by drought. In 1967, legislation was amended to allow farmers to utilise wildlife commercially, including trophy hunting for international clients. Namibia thus became one of the first countries in the region to implement such a system.

This shift was driven by a critical realization: previously, wildlife populations had declined because hunting was largely uncontrolled and game had no economic value. Once wildlife acquired tangible value, it became an asset rather than a competitor to livestock. As a result, farmers began to actively protect and manage wildlife, leading to a significant recovery in game numbers.

More and more farmers adopted this model of sustainable wildlife use, which helped stabilise the agricultural sector by reducing dependence on cattle monoculture.

Over time, guest farms and hunting farms expanded rapidly. After several decades, this model also led to the establishment of communal conservancies, where local communities are now granted rights to sustainably utilise wildlife. A crucial element of this system is that the income generated remains within the local community, supporting development, job creation and conservation efforts.

The results have been remarkable: wildlife numbers have increased, tourism has flourished, and Namibia has become a globally recognised destination for nature and wildlife experiences.

It is important to understand that, historically, wildlife had little to no formal economic value outside national parks. Before the introduction of sustainable hunting on private land, wildlife was often seen as a competitor to cattle, especially as the livestock industry benefited from government support. Ranches were even marketed as having “no game” as an advantage, as fewer wild animals meant more grazing for cattle.

Today, the situation has fundamentally changed. Wildlife has become a valuable resource that can compete economically with cattle farming — without subsidies. This shift has encouraged farmers to see wildlife not as a threat, but as an asset that generates income and contributes to ecological balance.

Scientific studies indicate that the wildlife industry has the potential to generate up to 2.5 times more revenue than traditional livestock farming in arid regions.

A key ecological principle underpins this development:
In areas with annual rainfall above approximately 500 mm, crop production can be viable and profitable. However, in drier regions — such as much of Namibia — agriculture becomes unreliable. Under these conditions, the most sustainable and productive land use is based on natural ecosystems, including wildlife.

This leads to a widely recognised principle in conservation:
“Use it or lose it” – or “if it pays, it stays.”

After more than 40 years of practical application, southern Africa has developed some of the most effective wildlife management systems on the continent. Wildlife populations and biodiversity have increased significantly as a result.

At Düsternbrook, we follow this philosophy through a combination of ecotourism and strictly limited, sustainable hunting. Hunting is restricted to plains game only, with a maximum of approximately 10 hunters per year. The meat is used to supply our guests, staff and our carnivore management programmes, our formerly ( today discontinued) leopard and cheetah tourist attraction. Today, 2026, we happily notice that we see more and more free ranging leopards but it can never be a guarantee. We never offered predators hunting as we believe predators play a pivotal roll for a healthy game population, taking out the weak animals.

By reducing cattle farming and focusing on wildlife, we have also improved the natural prey base for predators such as leopard. We believe that the long-term conservation of these animals depends on providing large, undisturbed areas where they can live and roam freely.

Income generated from both ecotourism and limited hunting is vital for farm and wildlife management: maintain water supply, up keep of roads and farm infrastructure structure.

Over the years, we have reintroduced a variety of species that historically occurred in this area, including giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, eland, springbok, ostrich, hartebeest and, in 2010, hippo at our dam.

Our holistic approach — including wildlife conservation, sustainable building practices, responsible water and energy use, waste management, and the training and employment of local staff — has been recognised through the Namibian Eco Awards.
Düsternbrook was the first guest farm in Namibia to receive this distinction, achieving 3 out of 5 flowers in 2005, followed by 4 flowers in 2007, 2008 and 2012 and 5 flowers in 2015. Today 2026 we still continue to improve our operations but we stopped taking part in the Eco award evaluation.