North-eastern Namibia’s Zambezi Region became part of the world’s largest transboundary conservation area in the early 2010s: the Kavango–Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area. While wildlife numbers and wildlife-based tourism are increasing rapidly in this conservation zone, cattle herds and livestock-based economies are expanding as well. More than conservation and wildlife-based tourism, cattle husbandry is a project of the local population and of the local elite in particular. Cattle are an expression of wealth and are regarded as a means of saving. At the same time, cattle can be used to plough fields, pull sledges, and produce milk and meat for home consumption and also for sale. Cattle also fulfil important social functions; they are necessary for bridewealth payments and are used in cattle loans with which wealthy herd owners furnish poorer relatives. Recent investments into self-financed boreholes have opened new rangelands for the wealthy, while the expansion of conservation areas in the region’s wetlands and the establishment of wildlife corridors have rendered other rangelands challenging due to prohibitions and increasing incidences of human–wildlife conflict. The needs and practices of expanding cattle husbandry often conflict with the demands and challenges of conservation and conservation-related tourism. This contribution describes the emergence and expansion of cattle husbandry in a region which had hardly any cattle before the 1960s and which has seen a major expansion of conservation areas and a subsequent refaunation since the 1980s. The contribution analyses current cattle ownership patterns and management practices. We argue that livestock husbandry and conservation have to be considered together and not as competing land-use strategies that need to be kept apart but as separate visions and aspirations of different stakeholders relating to the same landscape.

中文翻译：

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丰富的畜群：保护区的积累，畜群管理和土地利用方式

纳米比亚东北部的赞比西河地区在2010年代初成为世界上最大的跨界保护区：Kavango-Zambezi边境保护区。在该保护区内，尽管野生生物数量和以野生生物为基础的旅游业迅速增长，但牛群和以牲畜为基础的经济也在不断扩大。畜牧业不仅是保护和基于野生动植物的旅游业，更是当地居民特别是当地精英的一项计划。牛是财富的一种表达，被认为是一种储蓄的手段。同时，牛可以用来耕田，拉雪橇，生产牛奶和肉类供家庭消费和出售。牛还履行重要的社会职能；它们是支付新娘酬金所必需的，并用于牛贷款中，有钱的牧民向牛贷款提供较贫穷的亲戚。最近对自负盈亏的钻孔的投资为富人开辟了新的牧场，而该地区湿地保护区的扩大和野生动植物走廊的建立由于禁令和人类与野生动物冲突的发生而使其他牧场面临挑战。扩大畜牧业的需求和做法常常与养护和与养护有关的旅游业的需求和挑战相冲突。这一贡献描述了该地区1960年代之前几乎没有牛群的畜牧业的兴起和扩张，自1980年代以来，该地区的保护区已大为扩展，随后遭到停业。该文稿分析了当前的牛只所有权模式和管理实践。我们认为，必须将畜牧业和养护业放在一起考虑，而不应将其作为相互竞争的土地使用策略加以区分，而应将不同利益相关者的愿景和抱负与同一景观相关。