The empirical findings presented in this paper
are for the participatory approaches in sustainable land use
planning. The value of the Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities and Threats (SWOT), sketch and
photo-mapping approaches aided by Geographical
Information System (GIS) technology is emphasised.
Various participants in Hardap region and experts associated
with the Land Use Planning (LUP) development in that
region provided their insightful knowledges, experiences and
opinions on the value of participatory approaches aided by
GIS technology in LUP. Combinations of research
approaches were applied; these are literature review, the
SWOT, sketch and photo mapping. Both positive and
negative impacts of the approaches in evaluating the
outcomes of the participatory mapping aided by GIS
technology were gathered and the results were verified. The
research established that the importance, the strengths and
opportunities of participatory approaches in LUP are used in
Namibia. There is however still a lack of knowledge on
participatory methods to support land management
programmes in Namibia. Key recommendations include
awareness programme and intense studies on the potential
value of participatory methods in LUP.