This paper presents an account of developments that led to present land use
practices in the eastern parts of Caprivi and the eff ects these practices have on
the ecosystem. In the pre-colonial period (–1890), the early inhabitants of east
of the Kwando River were hunters and gatherers. Climatic and hydrological
conditions enabled the fi rst Bantu communities to practice settled subsistence
agriculture in the 18th and 19th centuries, a time when the Lozi and the Kololo kings
ruled this area. Its location between perennial rivers made eastern parts of Caprivi
good and easily defensible grazing area. Peripheral location and prevalence
of malaria and cattle diseases made the area less tempting for European and South
African farmers, but also made the colonial administration of east of the Kwando
River diffi cult for Germany 1890–1915 and South Africa 1915–1990. The paper
reviews published works and government documents, which is combined with
fi eld observations and aerial photos of the area. In particular, our analysis focuses
on Salambala conservancy because of its successes and many controversies.
The analysis shows that indeed, enactments of law did not address land use in
the manner that would have led to fulfi lment of the needs of subsistence farmers
until Namibia’s independence in 1990. Nowadays, almost the whole area
is still intensively used for small-scale subsistence farming and agricultural
practices have remained traditional. The article describes the eff orts of previous
administrations and outlines several factors that accounts for present-day land
use practices. This account concludes that intensifi cation of grazing and clearing of arable land to accommodate the growing population was accommodated
by a period of limited yet extensive fl ooding; the present increased fl ow of the
Zambezi River has created pressure for resettlement, also the creation of game
conservancies such as Salambala and parks in the region increases pressure on
the remaining land. Although periodic, increased clearing and grazing have
locally led to land degradation, there is evidence that the increasing number of
conservancies will lead to intensive competition by diff erent land users
and benefi ciaries.