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THE GLOBAL ECOSPHERE RETREAT CERTIFICATION:

An explorative study on how new adaptive sustainability

management practices influence the strategic planning and

management at Wolwedans, Namibia.

A Research Report

presented to The Graduate School of Business

University of Cape Town

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the

Masters of Business Administration Degree

by

Carl J Swart

December 2010

Supervisor: Thomas Koeble

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MBA Research Report December 2010 1

Acknowledgements

I am indebted to Stephan, Gerald and the whole Wolwedans team. Thank you all

for taking the time to share your knowledge and thoughts with me, your inputs

have been invaluable to the success of this report. A special thanks to Stephan for

opening the doors in order for me to scrutinize and investigate Wolwedans’s

management practices and for introducing me to the Zeitz foundation’s Long Run

Initiative.

A heartfelt thank you to my research supervisor Thomas Koeble, your advice,

guidance and encouragement instilled confidence and spurred me on.

Furthermore I would not have survived the MBA were it not for the support in

kind from family and friends. Thank you all for standing by me!

Plagiarism Declaration

1. I know that plagiarism is wrong. Plagiarism is to use another’s work and

pretend that it is one’s own.

2. I have used a recognised convention for citation and referencing. Each

significant contribution and quotation from the works of other people has

been attributed, cited and referenced.

3. I certify that this submission is all my own work.

4. I have not allowed and will not allow anyone to copy this essay with the

intention of passing it off as his or her own work.

Signed:

Carl J Swart

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THE GLOBAL ECOSPHERE RETREAT

CERTIFICATION:

An explorative study on how new adaptive sustainability

management practices influence the strategic planning

and management at Wolwedans, Namibia.

Keywords

Sustainable development, certification, ecotourism, adaptive management,

nature reserve, strategic, holistic, conservation, community, Namibia, Southern

Africa

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. PREFACE.......................................................................................................................... 5

II. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 6 A. Background .............................................................................................................. 6

1. The Need for a more sustainable lifestyle .................................................................. 6 2. The Zeitz Foundation and the GER certification ..................................................... 7 3. Wolwedans and the NamibRand private nature reserve .................................... 9

B. Purpose of the study .......................................................................................... 11 C. Definitions ............................................................................................................. 12

III. LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................ 14 A. Sustainable development ................................................................................ 15 B. Ecotourism ............................................................................................................ 17 C. Sustainable tourism certification ................................................................. 18

1. Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 18 2. Benefits and pitfalls .......................................................................................................... 20 3. Developing ecotourism certification criteria ........................................................ 21 4. Current concerns ................................................................................................................ 23

D. Zeitz Foundation’s GER Certification and E4C-Plan ................................ 24 1. Zeitz Foundation’s 4Cs ..................................................................................................... 24 2. Global Ecosphere Retreat (GER) certification process ...................................... 26 3. The E4C-Plan ....................................................................................................................... 27

E. Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 30

IV. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ................................................................................. 32 A. Research design and strategy ......................................................................... 32

1. Phase A: Short investigation into Wolwedans and the 4Cs ............................. 34 2. Phase B: Participant-observation during E4C-Plan development ................ 34 3. Phase C: Semi-structured in-depth interviews ...................................................... 35

B. Research sample selection .............................................................................. 36 C. Data analysis ........................................................................................................ 37

V. RESEARCH FINDINGS, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION ..................................... 38 A. Wolwedans and the NamibRand Nature Reserve ................................... 38

1. NamibRand Nature Reserve ......................................................................................... 38 History ........................................................................................................................... 38 NamibRand Nature Reserve today ................................................................... 39 Concessionaires ........................................................................................................ 40 Aims................................................................................................................................ 40 Resource management and special projects ................................................ 41

2. Wolwedans Collection ..................................................................................................... 44 History ........................................................................................................................... 44 Product offering ........................................................................................................ 45 Wolwedans Village .................................................................................................. 47 Logistics and budgeting ......................................................................................... 48 Management structure ........................................................................................... 49 Leadership and culture .......................................................................................... 50 Creative projects and activities .......................................................................... 56 The future .................................................................................................................... 60

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B. GER Certification ................................................................................................. 61 1. Impact of the GER certification ................................................................................... 62 2. Impact of the E4C adaptive management approach ......................................... 64

Zietz foundation ........................................................................................................ 64 Wolwedans .................................................................................................................. 65

VI. RESEARCH CONCLUSIONS ..................................................................................... 69 1. Conservation ........................................................................................................................ 69 2. Commerce ............................................................................................................................. 71 3. Community ........................................................................................................................... 72 4. Culture .................................................................................................................................... 74 5. The E4C Structure ............................................................................................................. 75 6. The Wolwedans ‘Movement .......................................................................................... 76

VII. FUTURE RESEARCH ................................................................................................. 77

VIII. BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................ 78

IX. APPENDICES .............................................................................................................. 82 Appendix 1: Formal Interviewees ..................................................................... 82

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I. PREFACE

In light of the pressing need for but also the growing trend in conservation and

ecotourism, certification of sustainable development strives to promote high

standards of eco-tourism. Evidence of its efficacy can be more aptly ascertained

in the light of recent developments in the codification of specific criteria that are

adapted for the context specific nature of sustainability. It is for this reason that a

study of the current management practices and strategies of the Wolwedans, a

ecotourism operation within the NamibRand private nature reserve in Namibia,

is not only valuable as a cross-section of an organisation that exemplifies an as

yet undefined ideal in standards of ecotourism, but is also valuable in

determining that which makes Wolwedans unique. It is the underlying reasoning

behind the innovative initiatives of Wolwedans management that will facilitate

an understanding of the driving forces behind sustainable development. Such an

understanding necessarily entails sensitivity to the specific political, economic,

historical and environmental context within which management decisions are

made. Where applicable these influences will be discussed as part of the findings

captured within this report.

Over and above the value that such an exploration holds for the ecotourism

industry, the problems with defining appropriate certification criteria and the

questionable practical use and application thereof also provide valuable insight

for practitioners of ecotourism that hope to further their competitive advantage

while actively promoting sustainable development. In light of the vagueness of

current certification criteria, the new adaptive management approach, captured

within the Zeitz foundations GER certification, holds the promise of

collaboratively building a library of context specific criteria whereby superior

overall certification criteria can be developed. Further the report highlights two

aspects: Firstly the potential promise that the GER certification scheme holds for

an exemplary ecotourism operator such as Wolwedans, and secondly the trouble

quantifying the extent to which certification is constructive in promoting the

standards of sustainable ecotourism that it sets out to measure.

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II. INTRODUCTION

A. Background

1. The Need for a more sustainable lifestyle

In 2001 the United Nations initiated the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

(MA). Its objective was to assess global ecosystem changes and the ramifications

thereof for the well being of humanity and to provide scientific justification for

taking action to increase conservation and the sustainable use of the world’s

ecosystems. The project was finally completed in 2005 after four years of

rigorous study involving over 1,360 experts worldwide (Sarukán and Whyte,

2005).

Some of the key messages can be summaries as follows:

We live in a finite world and depend on nature and the world’s ecosystems to

provide us with the means and conditions for a healthy and secure life. Over

recent decades humanity has seriously weakened nature’s ability to continue

providing and replenish key services such as water and air purification, energy

and food resources, protection from disasters and the provision of medicines.

We also stand on the brink of the largest extinction of species every witnessed.

The reports hold that if we do not change our attitudes and actions the pressure

and degradation of our ecosystems will continue to increase, leaving humanity

unable to attend to global concerns such as poverty, hunger, and disease

(Sarukán and Whyte, 2005).

Although these issues have received a vast amount of theoretical research and

have been commonly known for many years already, the world is finally waking

up to the fact that it is a reality, which demands action (Sarukán and Whyte,

2005). Thankfully the debate about the validity of these arguments subsided and

has been replaced by a more constructive discourse aspiring to determine: What

does it mean to live sustainably? How would such a world look like? How do we

go about changing our ways, increase conservation efforts, and protect the

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ecosphere in order to live a more sustainable life in tune with the earth natural

systems?

Recognizing the need to stimulate further debate, innovation thinking and new

research in the wake of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, the United

Nations launched the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable

Development (2005-2014). As a first step towards promoting a change in

attitudes, their objectives include reshaping the current education systems to

include sustainable development and holistic thinking principles (UNESCO,

2010).

The MA proposed four main areas of focus:

“Focus on holistic decision-making incorporating all ecosystem factors,

and change the economic environment to reflect the importance of the

system.

Improve policy, planning and management

Influence individual behavior

Develop and use environment friendly technology” (Sarukán and Whyte,

2005:21).

It is the purpose of this research project to contribute towards improving

sustainable management and planning practices by exploring the planed

adoption of the recently developed and innovative adaptive sustainable

management system that forms the basis of the GER sustainability certification

to Wolwedans, one of the world’s leading ecotourism ventures.

2. The Zeitz Foundation and the GER certification

Jochen Zeitz founded the Zeitz Foundation in 2008, a non-profit organization

established and committed to improving and maintaining the integrity of the

world’s ecosystems “through effective and sustainable management practices

that ensure ecosystems continue to deliver services - such as clean water - for

the benefit of mankind” (Zeitz Foundation, 2010a). The Zeitz Foundation has

developed, as part or the Global Ecosphere Retreat (GER) Certification scheme, a

sustainable development management system called the E4C-Plan of which more

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detail is provided in the literature review chapter below. (Zeitz Foundation,

2010a).

The foundation has identified nine sites around the world known for their

commitment to conservation and sustainability practices. To refine and finalize

the certification scheme’s assessment criteria each of the nine sites are required

to complete their own E4C management plan (see literature chapter below) on

which the Zeitz Foundation will then model their assessment criteria before

launching it to the public. All nine sites are committed and focused towards

conservation and building sustainable enterprises by fostering cultural

stewardship and community development. Most of these sites are privately

owned and using ecotourism as a driving force. They vary wildly in terms of size,

geographical location, ecological environments and business activities

(http://www.zeitzfoundation.org/).

Each of the sites is responsible for the development of their own unique

sustainability management plan using the E4C-framework provided by the Zeitz

Foundations. Independent auditors will evaluate each preliminary plan and

support sites in the development of their final versions. A site’s sustainability

management plan will constitute the core instrument used to evaluate if a site’s

activities meet the requirements to qualify for GER certification. (Zeitz

Foundation, 2010a).

These sites have been chosen such that they will help develop and evolve the

certification criteria for future applicants. It is exactly this, the determination of

suitable and measurable criteria, that is so fundamentally important for the

success of the GER certification as well as sustainable development activities

worldwide (http://www.zeitzfoundation.org/).

From the literature study below it will become evident that the establishment of

effective development criteria, especially within the ecotourism industry, has in

recent years been accepted as exceedingly important for enhancing sustainable

development worldwide, but a major stumbling block for its widespread use still

remains. The complexity of the concepts as well as the variety of environments

they should be applicable in, makes it is extremely difficult to translate

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theoretical high-concept criteria into practical and measureable criteria that can

be used within organizations.

3. Wolwedans and the NamibRand private nature reserve

Located in southwestern Africa, Namibia covers an area of approximately 824

000 km2 and has a population of two million people. This makes it one of the

least populated countries in the world with an average population density of 2.3

inhabitants per square kilometer. Namibia finally gained independence from

South Africa in 1990 after and extended armed struggle. Fortunately nature

conservation already started receiving attention in seventies when the Nature

Conservation Ordinance of 1975 were passed allowing for the ownership of

common plain game. This allowed farmers to benefit financially through the

sustainable utilization of wildlife. It proved successful as livestock numbers

decreased substantially over the 30 year period from 1970 to 2000, while the

decreasing wildlife numbers on private land have grown over a 100% over the

same period (Barnes and Jones, 2009 in NamibRand Nature Reserve, 2009).

Furthermore the extremely low and highly sporadic rainfall attest to the hyper-

arid coastal desert region’s tough environment, receiving on average 70mm of

rain per annum. This limits livestock farming opportunities in favor of game

(NamibRand Nature Reserve, 2009).

The NamibRand Nature Reserve located in the arid southwest of Namibia, is a

private nature reserve and with over 172 000 ha is one of the largest private

conservation areas in Southern Africa. Established to protect and conserve the

unique ecology and wildlife the Reserve rehabilitated 13 former livestock farms

into one fence free conversation area that shares a 100km border with the

Namib-Naukluft National Park (NamibRand Nature Reserve, 2009).

The success of the NamibRand Nature Reserve is largely attributed to their

strong commitment towards conservation, while employing concessionaires,

such as Wolwedans run commercial ecotourism ventures to focus on the

financial sustainability of the whole operation (NamibRand Nature Reserve,

2009).

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Wolwedans ensures the financial sustainability of NamibRand through providing

“high quality, low-impact” (http://www.wolwedans-namibia.com/history.htm)

ecotourism products that is not only in line with the goals of the NamibRand

Nature Reserve, but attracts tourists for its lofty aims and way of doing things.

These aims include the protection of the area’s rich biodiversity and its fragile

ecosystems; the facilitation of seasonal migratory routes; ecologically

sustainable commercial utilization to ensure the continuance of conservation by

making it financially independent, their authentic commitment to social

responsibility, and the innovative projects undertaken that builds capacity

within the tourism industry in Namibia (http://www.wolwedans-

namibia.com/history.htm).

It is the means to this end that is the exploration area of this research project and

while the focus is largely on Wolwedans as an ecotourism operator its symbiotic

and integral relationship means that it cannot be separated from the NamibRand

Nature Reserve activities. Some of the innovative strategies and activities they

are engaged in include; social upliftment and community development; outreach

to predator livestock management on neighbouring farms (this touches on the

controversial trapping of wild cats where capture and release is preferable);

NaDEET, the Namib Desert Environment Education Trust, which focuses on

environmental awareness and sustainable living education; NARC, the

NamibRand Desert Research and Awareness Centre that aims to provide

resources for conservation research, and the cultivation of medicinal plants

(http://www.wolwedans-namibia.com/resource_management.htm). Wolwedans

is further involved in their community and the social capital of their employees

through Wolwedans Foundation, which not only entails the granting of bursaries

to employees for further studies in conservation and hospitality but also includes

the Wolwedans Desert Academy. This drives the hospitality and eco-tourism

industry nationally through on-site experience and classes

(http://www.wolwedans-namibia.com/foundation_projects.htm).

http://www.wolwedans-namibia.com/history.htm



http://www.wolwedans-namibia.com/resource_management.htm

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B. Purpose of the study

The above illustrates clearly the reasons for the Zeitz Foundation’s consideration

of Wolwedans as one of the nine sites targeted to develop the GER certification.

The first phase of this groundbreaking project is scheduled for completion in

early 2011. The certification process as a whole is described in detail in the

literature review, but it is the first phase, the preliminary E4C-Plan that forms

the area of exploration of this research project. This is an in-depth self-

assessment of how the existing management, strategy and planning of

Wolwedans correlates with the 4C’s, which are conservation, commerce,

community and culture. The E4C-Plan requires the inclusion of short-, medium-

and long-term objectives for each of the 4Cs. While Wolwedans has not

necessarily developed such all-encompassing plans, the process will encourage

management to cement these principles as part of the business culture

(Klemmer, 2010).

While the drafting of the preliminary plan is a crosscut of the status quo, offering

valuable insight into the workings of an organisation deserving of certification by

virtue of being an indirect founder of as yet undefined principles that the Zeitz

Foundation will codify; never the less, the true value of the research report is its

exploration of three aspects:

1. The opportunity to investigate the current management practices and

strategic planning of Wolwedans; the contributors to its obvious success and

those that are superfluous or counterproductive.

2. The influence of the political and economic national context on management

choices regarding the development of the myriad projects and initiatives at

Wolwedans. These external limitations and incentives will aid in understanding

what makes Wolwedans unique and what the origin is of many of its innovative

initiatives.

3. While the preliminary E4C-Plan is being drafted its perceived usefulness will

be explored as part of this research. Further, the obstacles that arise in the

implementation of the E4C framework during the drafting process will be noted

for the purpose of informing future GER certification candidates.

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As the literature review will demonstrate, a disparity exits between conservation

and sustainable development aims and the practical implementation thereof

within eco-tourism. The purpose of the certification process is to attempt a

codification of these standards that provide guidelines for their practical

implementation. An explorative study is perfectly suited to establishing, not only

the merits of the practice followed by Wolwedans, but also the merits of the

certification process itself. Furthermore, the other eight sites undergoing the

certification process will be able to derive benefit from the precedent set by

Wolwedans and this research report.

C. Definitions

CEO – Chief Executive Officer

4C – Refers to the four “C”s of Zeitz Foundation’s sustainability model,

namely: Conservation, Community, Culture, Commerce

E4C – Refers to the sustainability management plan of the Zeitz

Foundation, the E4C-Plan. The “E” refers to Ecosphere goals. And

the “4C” as defined above

EIA – Environmental Impact Assessment

GER – Global Ecosphere Retreat. The name of the Zeitz Foundation

Certification scheme

GSTC – The Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria

LRD – Long Run Destination, the term used to refer to GER certified sites

MA – UN’s Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

NaDEET – The Namib Desert Environment Education Trust

NRAC – NamibRand Desert Research and Awareness Centre

NRCF – NamibRand Conservation Foundation

NRNR – Namib Rand Nature Reserve

NTA – Namibian Training Authority

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NQA – Namibian Qualifications Authority

SME – Small to Medium Enterprise

STSC – Sustainable Tourism Stewardship Council

TSC – Tourism Sustainability Council

UN – United Nations

UNESCO – United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

WCED – World Commission on Environment and Development

WDA – Wolwedans Desert Academy

ZF – Zeitz Foundation

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III. LITERATURE REVIEW

The ecosphere can be defined as all of earth’s processes and resources governing

the existence and survival of all organisms including humans. For centuries

humanities impact on the ecosphere was inconsequential, but in the last century

the rate at which and the method by which people consume the earth’s resources

has started to severely compromise the ecosphere’s health and in doing so the

long term future of humankind (Gray and Davidson, 2000).

Wilderness areas that once covered the majority of the earth’s surface and

sustaining the ecosphere have drastically reduced under humanities influence.

The remaining areas are increasingly under pressure and their existence and

long-term survival ironically depends on and requires concrete action from

humankind.

The relationship between the ecosphere and humankind has to be redefined and

unchecked human behaviour brought into balance with Earth’s metabolism. This

view have seen massive debate over the last two decades which resulted in the

emergence of a plethora of ideas, guidelines and recommendations in order to

find new ways to manage humanity’s interaction with and its impact on the

earth’s ecosystems (Gray and Davidson, 2000).

The following literature review examines the definitions and meanings behind

the expressions: “sustainable development” and “ecosystem management”,

highlighting the progress that has been made thus far and the remaining

conflicts. It also addresses the lack of clarity regarding the best way in which to

manage and promote sustainable development in the context of wilderness

protection programs.

An overview of the development of certification schemes, their uses and benefits,

and more specifically, certification criteria, all relating to sustainable practices, is

presented. Focused mainly within the wilderness protection and tourism sphere,

certification is seen as a method of enhancing sustainable development practices

by supporting sustainable management activities. It will emerge from the

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literature that the search for appropriate certification criteria have begun in

earnest, but is hampered by problems of practicality and implementation.

It will become evident that more empirical research is required in the field of

managing sustainable development effectively. More specifically, there is a need

for case studies that capture the complexity and inter-related dimensions of

sustainability practices in order to shed light on some of the innovative

techniques and methods used to manage wilderness protection programs, and in

a broader sense, any sustainable development practices, more effectively.

Furthermore, a case for certification still has to be made.

A. Sustainable development

The two most influential publications forming the basis of most sustainable

development models are firstly the 1987 Brundtland Commission report (WCED

et al, 1987), and secondly the 1992 Agenda 21 from the United Nations

Conference on Environment and Development called “Earth Summit (Landorf,

2009). The Brundland Report states “sustainable development” is “development

that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future

generations to meet their own needs” (WCED et al, 1987). It also goes further to

define four key principles for sustainability: “(1) holistic planning and strategic

decision-making; (2) preservation of essential ecological processes; (3)

protection of human heritage and biodiversity; and (4) growth that can be

sustained over the long term” (WCED et al, 1987). Although this remains the

most widely used definition its interpretation and practical application is equally

widely debated (Hunter, 1997). In terms of ecosphere health and wilderness

conservation the debate is even more pronounced as the word “development”

may suggest only a slight variation of the status quo, while still supporting a

perpetual growth model which would inevitably result in further deterioration

of the planet’s ecosystems (Dovers and Handmer, 1993; Pearce et al, 1989; Rees,

1990; Robinson, 1993; Robinson et al, 1990; Willers, 1994; citied in Gray and

Davidson, 2000).

In answer to the debate over the vagueness of the conceptual definition of

sustainable development (Newton and Freyfogle, 2005) and the lack of

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established methods to reach its lofty ideals (Gray and Davidson, 2000), Agenda

21 proposed tangible strategies for its implementation. Central to the strategies

proposed is the concept of a long-term balance between three key dimensions:

economic, environmental and social (Landorf, 2009).

Kahn (cited in Landorf, 2009) argued that the only way to do this is by viewing

the three dimensions as dynamic elements of a complex, integrating and

interlinking system. Therefore each dimension cannot be treated in isolation and

instead requires a multifaceted approach with inevitable trade-offs between the

various dimensions. Economic sustainability thus implies a production system

that only produces to satisfy present needs of consumption without

compromising on social fairness and the needs of future generations.

Environmental sustainability in turn requires resource consumption to be no

faster than the ecosphere can replenish them and waste generation to be no

faster than the environment can absorb it without adversely affecting

biodiversity and ecosystem integrity. Finally, social sustainability demands

equity, empowerment, cultural identity and societal stability over perpetual

economic growth (Landorf, 2009). Relating this to conservation; if focus were to

rest solely on biodiversity and ecological processes, the ideal landscape would

contain no people at all. This is unrealistic and shows no concern for economic

viability of proper land use or the importance of local culture and social welfare

(Newton and Freyfogle, 2005).

The complexity of these issues requires critical decision making, taking into

account what trade-offs are reasonable and to whom, how benefits are shared

between stakeholders and what elements ought to be measured within the

specific environment (Richards and Hall, 2000; citied in Landorf, 2009). To

illustrate, the Brundtland Report indentified the importance of economic growth

in developing nations, but failed to balance the opposing unsustainable wealthy

lifestyles of the developed nations (Hunter, 1997). In addition, Basiago (1998;

citied in Landorf, 2009) shows that due to the complexity of creating a fully

integrated economic, environmental and social system the Agenda 21 strategy

has not been widely adopted. However, even though a balanced system’s

approach is difficult at best, there is growing consensus that at least using a

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strategic approach towards sustainable development planning and decision

making has positive results (Hall, Jenkins, & Kearsley, 2000; Simpson, 2001;

citied in Landorf, 2009).

Management literature on strategic planning suggests using a formalized goal-

oriented approach to strengthen long term performance. This approach relies

upon the inclusion of multiple key stakeholders opinions, attitudes and values,

and should take into account various situational influences (Mintzberg, 1994).

Applied to wilderness protection projects and ecotourism ventures, strategic

management approaches thus advocate for the inclusion of all stakeholder needs

and other local influences within a systematic process guided by a strategic

vision. Although it is again difficult to balance all stakeholder needs, this process

is congruent with sustainable development principles as noted earlier (Landorf,

2009). In addition to the difficulty inherent in balancing stakeholder

participation in practice, there is also some disparity on a strategic planning level

with regards to the three proposed dimensions in Agenda 21 (economic,

environmental and social). Both environmental and economic aspirations are

generally more quantifiable and so more easily comparable than social

aspirations, making fair treatment increasingly problematic (Agyeman and

Evans, 2003).

B. Ecotourism

Tourism has become the mainstay by which wilderness protection programs are

kept economically viable and in terms of this research project warrants a short

exploration before delving into sustainable certification literature.

The term ecotourism was coined to distinguish between general nature related

tourism ventures and projects committed towards sustainable development and

conservation using tourism as their mainstay. Initially defined as “responsible

travel to natural areas, which conserves the environment and improves the

welfare of local people” (Honey and Stewart, 2002a:1) the concept has since

come to be:

“a multifaceted concept that involves travel to fragile, pristine, and

usually protected areas. It strives to be low impact and (usually)

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small scale; helps educate the traveler; provides funds for

conservation; directly benefits the economic development and

political empowerment of local communities; and fosters respect

for different cultures and human rights” (Honey and Stewart,

2002b: 2).

Ecotourism thus “looks beyond the tourism entity itself and asks how

ecotourism companies can contribute to conservation of protected areas and

what mechanisms are in place to ensure that benefits reach local people” (Honey

and Stewart, 2002a: 63).

Three broad trends can be indentified in ecotourism today. The most common

trend is known as “ecotourism light” which refers to minor changes usually of a

cost-saving nature. Driven largely by big corporations, this is not fundamental

reform towards sustainable practices in terms of environmental and

socioeconomic principles. The second trend aptly labeled “greenwashing” refers

to businesses and projects that use eco-friendly marketing language as not to

miss out on the growing demand within the ecotourism market. An example of

this would be companies or projects that proclaim ecological sound practices

while referring to water guzzling luxury beach resorts sporting golf courses and

private villas on ecologically sensitive beaches or estuaries. The third trend

refers to genuine ecotourism operations that originate from ecosystem concepts

that incorporate the various environmental and human elements (social,

cultural, political and economic) that are affected by tourism (Honey and

Stewart, 2002b). It is the third and most “authentic ecotourism” that this report

refers unless otherwise stated.

C. Sustainable tourism certification

1. Introduction

Certification refers to a “procedure that audits and gives written assurance that a

facility, product, process, service or management system meets specific

standards” (Honey and Steward, 2002b:4). Furthermore, it usually awards a

logo or seal when a set of standards or criteria are met or exceeded.

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Since the 1992 Earth Summit’s establishment of Agenda 21, setting out a broad

path and guidelines for businesses to adopt sustainable development principles,

dozens of certification programs and codes of conduct, benchmarking, awards,

and “best practices” initiatives have been introduced. These initiatives are

mainly focused on championing sustainability by encouraging preferential

consumption of goods and services from organizations that act in accordance

with high environmental and social standards (Medina, 2005).

One of the major concerns raised by critics pertains to the sheer number of

initiatives: There are 104 certification schemes within the travel and tourism

industry alone, most of which focus specifically on organizations engaging in

superior sustainable practices (Medina, 2005). The variance in standards

between these initiatives inevitably confuses consumers thereby lowering

credibility and weakening the potential success of certification to increase

sustainability (Crabtree, O'Reilly, and Worboys, 2002).

Another concern raised is the dominance of developed countries over the

involvement of the developing world in the drafting processes of certification

schemes. Allegedly this could result in standards that are low enough to protect

the interests of the rich and not high enough to demand any sense of true reform,

while being too high for small to medium enterprises to comply with and thereby

further adding to the existing inequality divide (Medina, 2005).

In 2000 an international workshop was held to address some of the concerns

related to the proliferation of certification schemes, which resulted in the

Mohonk Agreement, a baseline set of criteria for the creation of certifications.

The Mohonk Agreement for the first time separated and clearly differentiated

between sustainable tourism criteria that can be applied to any kind of tourism,

and a subset thereof; an extra set of criteria for ecotourism which is more

stringent (Crabtree et al, 2002). The agreement has set in motion the concept of

a global umbrella certification program for the accreditation of localized

certification schemes. Through the collaborative effort of the UN Foundation, the

Rainforest Alliance and others, the Tourism Sustainability Council (TSC) was

formed by the merger of the Partnership for Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria

(GSTC) and the Sustainable Tourism Stewardship Council (STSC) in September

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2009 (http://www.sustainabletourismcriteria.org/index.php?option=

com_content&task=view&id=266&Itemid=483).

The major objectives of the TSC includes the development of baseline criteria

and recommended performance indicators for various sectors within the

tourism industry as well as procedural criteria that sustainable tourism

certification schemes must meet

(http://www.sustainabletourismcriteria.org/index.php).

2. Benefits and pitfalls

Crabtree et al (2002) suggested at the World Ecotourism summit that sound and

effective ecotourism certification could provide noteworthy benefits that

guarantee commitment to sustainability and conservation, by raising industry

standards, providing marketing advantages and furnishing the ecotourism

providers with a means of self-regulation. These providers would not only obtain

a competitive advantage due to consumer recognition and product

differentiation, but also gain access to a community of shared knowledge and

sound management frameworks to better guide their sustainability initiatives.

Conservation efforts will benefit from the use of sound management practices

and local communities will receive better and more appropriate returns. It also

allows local communities and other stakeholders such as ecotourism consumers

to make wiser and more responsible decisions. The use of best practice

benchmarks ensures continual improvement and serves as a blueprint for

existing and developing ecotourism projects (Crabtree et al, 2002).

Evident from the literature on sustainable development and management

approaches discussed earlier, there is a clear need to codify the conceptual ideas

and theories into clearly defined quantifiable units. Certification schemes are

also seen as tools with which this could be done (Medina, 2005). The Zeitz

Foundation aims at exactly this by using their GER certification process to

develop measurable best practices by initially certifying ten carefully selected

and highly committed sustainable development organizations to learn form their

experiences and current sustainable practices.

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Although sustainable development, particularly when it comes to wilderness

protection programs, aims to tangibly benefit conservation and community

development, certification should be able to measure the benefits to the

environment, local communities and host countries through the use of

standardized and specific environmental and socio-economic criteria (Honey,

2002). The rise of ecotourism over the last two decades as the fastest growing

sector in the travel and tourism industry worldwide has raised concerns about

the indiscriminate use of ecotourism with little regard to its conservationist

principles. This watering down, known as greenwashing and ecotourism-lite,

diminishes the capacity of ecotourism to truly revolutionize the world through

sustainable development (Medina, 2005). This further highlights the need for

clear standards, tools and criteria by which an organization’s efforts can be

measured. In addition to the role of certification in setting minimum standards in

terms of sustainable tourism it should be used in an effort to distinguish and

promote leading sustainable development projects (Honey, 2002).

3. Developing ecotourism certification criteria

A crucial factor that determines the success and effectiveness of certification is

the use of an appropriate set of criteria to measure and benchmark the various

aspects of sustainable development such as ecological conservation and local

community benefits.

The development of the Mohonk Agreement in 2000 was the first important step

towards generating measurable criteria for certification. The criteria specifically

related to ecotourism are those indicators directly linked to the fundamental

concepts defining ecotourism, namely:

“Focus on personal experiences of nature to lead to greater

understanding and appreciation.

Interpretation and environmental awareness of nature, local society, and

culture.

Positive and active contributions to conservation of natural areas or

biodiversity.

Economic, social, and cultural benefits for local communities.

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Fostering of community involvement, where appropriate.

Locally appropriate scale and design for lodging, tours and attractions.

Minimal impact on and presentation of local (indigenous) culture”

(Mohonk Agreement, 2000:100).

The theoretical and abstract nature of some of the concepts lack concrete

definitions that can be translated into measurable indicators. This is especially

true of the social and cultural factors, while economic considerations are much

easier to specify (Medina, 2005). The trend mirrors the similar sentiment found

earlier within the sustainability literature study.

The Mohonk Agreement also prescribes an overall framework for the

development of certification schemes stating “the development of a certification

scheme should be a participatory, multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral process

(including representatives from local communities, tourism businesses, non-

governmental organizations, community-based organizations, government, and

others)” (Mohonk, 2000:97).

Multiple stakeholder involvement is however tricky due to the “simultaneously

global and local scope of the problems ecotourism is trying to address.” (Medina,

2005:285) While global standards such as those being set by the newly formed

Sustainable Tourism Council (STC) would help legitimize both certification

problems and ecotourism ventures, it may unavoidably lead to vague and overly

general recommendations. Furthermore, Medina (2005) provides two examples

of national certification schemes, the Nature and Tourism Accreditation Program

(NEAP) in Australia and the Costa Rican Certification for Sustainable Tourism

(CST), both of which show positive results while differing widely in terms of

detailed criteria tailored to the local requirements. In order to accommodate

both national and international efforts the literature suggests that certification

criteria should be developed locally through community and multi-stakeholder

participation to satisfy the local or national need, while being guided by

international principles (Epler Wood & Halpenny, 2001 citied in Medina, 2005).

With the process of determining appropriate criteria for certification now

starting to gain momentum, there is a strong need for more empirical research

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covering the latest innovative and pragmatic approaches being implemented

around the world to inform further research in this regard.

This research project endeavors to add valuable insight by highlighting current

activities implemented by one of the world’s leading wilderness protection

organizations. It may inform and link the conceptual frameworks of sustainable

development and pragmatic, responsible ecosystem management practices.

4. Current concerns

Crabtree et al (2002) discusses two major disadvantages of using a global

accreditation body to certify for other certification schemes. Firstly a global

accreditation body may add additional costs for sustainable ventures by having

to comply with less relevant or lower priority criteria in terms of the local or

regional needs. Secondly it adds an additional layer of authentication adding

more bureaucracy and cost (Crabtree et al, 2002). Furthermore, resent concerns

raised with regards to the newly formed global certification body, the Tourism

Sustainability Council (TSC), highlights the need for empirical research to help

clarify ways in which sustainable development practices, including ecological

management systems and ecotourism certification programs should be defined

and how it can add value and promote sustainable practices.

These concerns can be summarized as follows:

The level of impact tourists themselves have is not addressed in current

sustainable tourism criteria.

No indicators or objectives exist yet that can be used to measure and

report on progress achieved.

There is still confusion about how the accreditation process works and

what the exact criteria for accreditation schemes are or indeed how

problems of compliance will be handled.

The current criteria is very broadly defined, varied and not prioritized.

There is no indication of flexibility in terms of local concerns and

priorities.

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Due to a lack of evidence to verify the effectiveness of certification the

commercial viability and usefulness of certification is also put into

question.

Current local and regional certification organizations raised concerns

over the possibility that an international accreditation scheme could

potentially compromise their authority.

(http://haroldgoodwin.blogware.com/blog/_archives/2010/2/4/444688

7.html;

http://haroldgoodwin.blogware.com/blog/_archives/2010/4/11/45027

27.html)

D. Zeitz Foundation’s GER Certification and E4C-Plan

1. Zeitz Foundation’s 4Cs

At the core of the sustainable development initiative, aimed at “strengthening

ecosphere safety” (Zeitz Foundation, 2010b:1), is the innovative 4C model

developed by the Zeitz Foundation. The 4C model refers to four “C”s:

Conservation, Community, Culture and Commerce (Zeitz Foundation, 2010a).

These directly relate to the sustainability literature’s Ecological, Social, Cultural

and Economics factors (Gray and Davidson, 2000).

Exploring each of the 4Cs in more detail:

Conservation

“Conservation is a core component amongst all Long Run

Destinations. They support the sustainable use of natural

resources and safeguard the integrity of the local ecosphere.

Activities in this dimension address issues related to ecosystem

management to provide ecosystem services sustainably as well as

management of energy, water, waste and biodiversity” (Zeitz

Foundation, 2010a).

Community

http://haroldgoodwin.blogware.com/blog/_archives/2010/2/4/4446887.html




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“People matter. Long Run Destinations support activities that

enhance the well‐being of all relevant communities who have a

socio‐economic or cultural relationship with the LRD or the land on

which the LRD is located. Activities in this dimension address fair

working conditions, local and regional relations, social ventures,

capacity building, community -based natural resource management

and support for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), among

others” (Zeitz Foundation, 2010a).

Culture

“Long Run Destinations strive to strengthen intercultural

understanding and relations, safeguarding cultural heritage while

raising awareness of cultural diversity. LRDs want to inspire

others to act in kind. Creative activities in this dimension

encompass all expressions of art - from local cuisine and

architecture to film and music, from sculpture to folk arts and

crafts ‐ as well as the promotion of social cohesion and interaction

through sport” (Zeitz Foundation, 2010a).

Commerce

“Commerce is an integral dimension because it affects the

sustainability of a destination inasmuch as it affects the people

who live in and near natural areas. LRDs strive to demonstrate that

they are economically sustainable forms of land use, which

includes not only the landholder but also people who live on or

adjacent to the property. Sustainable commercial operations offer

the opportunity to provide income streams for people, as well as

for reinvesting back into the initiatives in each of the 4Cs

dimensions. These include activities such as reforestation, the

harvesting and trading of Non‐timber Forest Products (NTFPs),

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agriculture/horticulture, wildlife management, and livestock

ranching” (Zeitz Foundation, 2010a).

2. Global Ecosphere Retreat (GER) certification process

The Zeitz Foundation’s Global Ecosphere Retreat (GER) Certification process has

been developed to promote and develop sustainable thinking around the globe.

It aims to ensure that best practices in sustainability are adhered to and

innovative approaches experimented with by advocating the use of sustainable

ecosystem management practices (Zeitz Foundation, 2010a).

The Certification Procedure itself is shown below in Figure 1:

Figure 1: The GER Certification Process

The certification is based on a continual reiterative approach in which the main

component, a site’s E4C sustainability management plan, is reviewed and

updated at least every 2-3 years.

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In order to achieve certification a prospective site starts off (STEP 1: Self-

Assessment) with a self-evaluation of its own activities with respect to each of

the 4Cs and the creation of a preliminary sustainability management plan (E4C-

Plan) specific to their local environment. This is then followed (STEP 2:

Assessment) by an independent audited assessment together with a feedback

session with the Zeitz Foundation in order to ensure that the basic criteria are

met and the E4C-Plan is updated and finalized. The self-assessment and

independent assessment results, together with the final E4C-Plan are used to

determine if the site qualifies for certification (Zeitz Foundation, 2010a).

The E4C-Plan requires continual updating and is subject to bi-annual follow-up

reviews in order to assess whether a site remains committed to sustainability

with respect to each of the 4Cs and is delivering upon the detailed plans laid out

within the E4C-Plan (Zeitz Foundation, 2010a).

3. The E4C-Plan

At the core of the GER certification process is the creation of an E4C-Plan unique

to each prospective site. The E4C-Plan is a strategic planning document that

enables a site to plan systematically and monitor their progress in terms set and

with measurable outcomes. It consists of two sections:

(1) The “E” stands for ecosphere safety, which is defined as the preservation of

all of earth’s complex and interlinked ecosystems. The purpose of which is to

maintain the whole ecosphere in the healthiest state possible. Within the

E4C-Plan, this part contains strategic long-term goals of the site aimed at

maintaining and restoring ecosphere safety (Zeitz Foundation, 2010a).

(2) The “4C” refers to the four core dimensions of an ecosystem management

approach: Conservation, Community, Culture and Commerce. Within the

E4C-Plan each of the four dimensions gets described in terms of outcomes,

results and activities. The purpose is to translate the strategic long term

goals, determined in part 1, into tangible medium and short term objectives

which are actionable, measurable and achievable (Zeitz Foundation, 2010a).

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Figure 2: The E4C pyramid framework showing the 4Cs

The E4C-Plan is meant to function as an adaptive and pragmatic planning tool for

use by management in order to plan, execute and track an organization’s

progress towards sustainability and ecosphere safety. For it to be successful it

must be easy to use, understandable, and continually updated to keep it relevant.

(Zeitz Foundation, 2010a) With regards to the GER certification, the E4C-Plan is

an effective tool to communicate a site’s desired long-term goals and its

anticipated progress to the Zeitz Foundation. This enables the Zeitz Foundation

to continually adapt and build on the GER certification criteria in order to

maintain relevance and continually drive best practices to ultimately strengthen

the integrity of all ecosystems and their ability to deliver services (Zeitz

Foundation, 2010a).

The structure of the E4C-Plan consists of four layers. Impact refers to long-term

high-level concepts for each of the 4Cs, while Activities as the bottom alludes to

short-term action taken by a site in order ultimately achieve the medium and

long term goals.

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Figure 3: The E4C-Plan pyramid structure (Zeitz Foundation, 2010a).

Aspirational goals

The aspirational goals refer to the desired long-

term impact a site aims to achieve within each of

the 4Cs. The Zietz Foundation requires the

following set of goals.

Figure 4: The required aspirational goals (Zeitz Foundation, 2010a)

Outcomes

The second level represents a set of short- to

medium-term outcomes that sites sets out to

achieve. The mandatory set provided by the Zeitz

Foundation is shown below.

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Figure 5: The required outcomes (Zeitz Foundation, 2010a)

Results

Results refer to a grouping of one or more

short-term activities that describes to a logical

unit of growth. Results will be site specific.

Activities

Activities refer to the specific actions that has to

be taken or implemented in order to ensure

that Results are attained, Outcomes achieved

and ultimately the desired Impact realized.

(Zeitz Foundation, 2010a)

E. Conclusion

Not only is the practical application of sustainable development questioned but

so are its merits in that it implies a perpetual growth model in direct opposition

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to the possibility of supporting the conservation of earth’s ecosystems. The key

dimensions; economic, environmental and social as introduced by agenda 21,

highlight similar trade-offs between the different dimensions as a result of their

interrelatedness. The evidence of a growing consensus that using a strategic

approach has positive results suggests a recognition that various situational

influences and stakeholder interests must be included in a formalised goal-

oriented approach. Sustainable development must also take cognisance of social

interests as albeit more quantifiable, economic support for conservation cannot

prevail over social concerns if it is to be sustainable. Yet even arguments that

state ecology is the most important factor for survival, emphasise the

problematic vagueness of sustainability (Newton, 2005:8). The benefit of GER

certification is that its structure demands clarity and precision in the definition

of long-term goals supported by tangible short-term results obtainable.

Certification audits the extent of ‘authentic ecotourism’ but the sheer number of

initiatives, variations in standards and prejudice to the developing world makes

it problematic. In response, the Mohonk agreement has, for the first time,

developed a global umbrella programme that takes account of generalisable

sustainable tourism criteria and those that are more context specific and thus

more stringent. This offsets the superficiality of certification by setting an

attainable benchmark however difficulty those criteria may be to establish. Not

only will this support competitive advantage and promote conservation but it

will also provide a blueprint for future certification projects. The Zeitz

Foundation’s GER certification will achieve exactly such codification by

providing the framework of a strategic management plan within which the

specific select sites will develop the criteria themselves. The logic that it is

exactly those sites that clearly do meet the desired standards that are most

capable of determining the grass-roots criteria is sound and the involvement of

Wolwedans will be groundbreaking for this reason. The very fact that the case

study is context specific will contribute to its usefulness for future research as a

result of the Mohonk agreement’s recognition of the umbrella criteria as well as

its more stringent subsets.

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IV. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

A. Research design and strategy

A case study is an empirical enquiry that

o “Investigate a contemporary phenomenon within a real-life

context, especially when

o [T]he boundaries between phenomenon and context are not

clearly evident.” (Yin, 1994:13)

This basically means that a case study purposefully allows for the inclusion of

the “contextual conditions” (Yin, 1994:13) which other methods such as

quantitative analysis or other deductive theory testing does not.

The case study approach is particularly well suited for this research project as a

result of the various influences that impact management practices at

Wolwedans. These may include the political, social, environmental and historical

context, not only local but also regional and globally that informed and shaped

the development of the current management practice. The complex inter-

relationships between these elements are critical in understanding and

determining why and how Wolwedans has become such a role-model in the field

of sustainable development and ecotourism. Furthermore it should be

understood that these complex factors have certainly influenced the decisions of

Wolwedans management to get involved in and start innovative practices

specifically on the community and social development front (Yin, 1994).

To investigate the need for and impact of the new certification process and its

inherent new sustainable management process without understanding the

context and the various complexly interlinked factors that may be impacting the

outcome would deliver meaningless results.

The importance of context is reiterated by the current concerns raised regarding

global certification schemes and the vagueness of the theoretical concepts they

prescribe. The theoretic concepts do not translate easily into measurable

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indicators as a result of the variedness of the contexts in which they are required

to apply.

A case study provides a mechanism by which the context, hand-on activities and

methods employed by Wolwedans currently can be explored, as well as the

conflicts that arise while trying to apply some of the global sustainable

certification concepts to local conditions as part of the GER certification process

investigated (Leedy and Ormrod, 2009). This research, through the use of a well-

structured case study, can help the global community build better and more

fruitful certification and sustainable development criteria to the benefit of new

and existing organizations.

Furthermore this research benefits from the use of a case study approach, as it

does not require the formulation of a hypothesis prior to starting fieldwork (Yin,

1994). In this case, introducing a hypothesis beforehand, for example ‘that the

GER certification and E4C-Plan would have a definitively positive influence on

the operations and long term goals of Wolwedans, would necessarily introduce

an unhealthy bias which could seriously skew data collection and analysis.

The research methodology used in this case study was composed of three

distinct phases, the latter two of which occurred concurrently during a two-week

visit to Namibia. The first phase consisted of a short investigation to develop a

good understanding of the current activities of Wolwedans and how they fit into

the 4Cs: Conservation, Culture, Community, and Commerce. These findings,

together with the literary study from the previous chapter, were used to develop

discussion topics that formed the basis of the semi-structured interviews in

phase three. The second phase consisted of participant-observation (Yin,

1994:80) sessions while the unique E4Cs-Plan of Wolwedans were being

developed. The third phase comprised of semi-structured interviews that

explored management activities and strategic decision-making at Wolwedans, as

well as the practical usefulness and value of the E4C-Plan and the GER

certification as a whole (Leedy and Ormrod, 2009).

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1. Phase A: Short investigation into Wolwedans and the 4Cs

Phase A served as preparation for the visit to Namibia. Before traveling to

Namibia the researcher had to be knowledgeable about the activities of

Wolwedans and have a general understanding of how its various activities fit

into the 4Cs as described by the Zeitz Foundation.

It required investigating publically available data surrounding the activities of

Wolwedans, the methods and management techniques and the political, social,

historical and environmental context within which Wolwedans currently finds

itself. The investigation was further augmented by information and

documentation directly acquired from Wolwedans management.

The aim was not to develop an exhaustive list of all possible activities and factors

which may be affecting Wolwedans activities, but rather to identify the context

within which it operates and the main factors influencing them, including any

difficulties and problems they may be facing, or have faced in the past that has

lead to their current position.

Furthermore the information and knowledge gained from this investigation

guided the development of appropriate topics and questions that was used in the

interviews in Phase C.

2. Phase B: Participant-observation during E4C-Plan development

In Phase B the proposed plan was to partake in the development of the E4C-Plan

for Wolwedans together with management. Due to the perceived theoretical and

analytical nature of the E4C-plan and other time constraints however, the

Wolwedans team did not dedicate their time fully to the development of the plan.

This in itself is an important indicator reflecting the hesitancy of an organization

to assess themselves in this way. This may adversely impact the success of the

GER certification scheme if more organizations feel that the development of the

E4C-plan requires outside assistance due to a perceived lack of knowledge to

develop the plan themselves or other factors, such a lack of resources, that may

delay the development of the preliminary E4C-plan.

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Participation thus shifted towards other ongoing activities that proved valuable

to gain a better insight into the Wolwedans team’s management style and

strategic approach. Additionally feedback from workshops held with the Zeitz

Foundation leading up to this research was discusses as part of the phase three’s

interviews.

As part of phase B a site visit and tour of all Wolwedans provided the

opportunity to experience both guests’ perspective for a while and then the

staff’s perspective for a while. This allowed the researcher to gain in-depth

knowledge and understanding of not only their current management practices,

but also how Wolwedans management interprets and understands the GER

certification and the E4C-Plan and how it can be used in a productive and

supportive way to aid them in management decision making.

Participating in some of the staff activities and social events in the evenings

provided the opportunity to elicit information from the Wolwedans staff

regarding their involvement in and perceptions of the management of

Wolwedans and the degree to which the GER Certification and the E4C-Plan may

influence their activities.

Field notes made during these daily sessions serves as written record. After each

day these notes where studied, categorized and any further thoughts or insights

were noted down at this stage (Yin, 1994).

3. Phase C: Semi-structured in-depth interviews

Yin (1994) states that interviews are the most important and essential source in

case studies research. The interviews were conducted at Windhoek

headquarters and Wolwedans itself. The bulk of the research data was collated

from these semi-structured in-dept face-to-face interviews. All formal

interviews were recorded and transcribed afterwards, while valuable

information gained through informal conversations where noted down

throughout or at the end of the day.

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The questionnaire developed as part of phase A formed the basis of the

interviews, but in light of new thoughts and insights gained through both the

interview and the participant-observation phases the questionnaire evolved.

B. Research sample selection

The interviewees were selected to reflect a variety of important stakeholders

that in some way affect or are affect by the activities of Wolwedans. Due to the

nature of the research and the importance of determining the contextual

environment within which Wolwedans finds itself, external stakeholders formed

part of the research, however internal stakeholders, referring here to the full

Wolwedans management team still constituted the majority of the interviews.

External stakeholders were questioned in line with their level of involvement

with Wolwedans and where appropriate tailored extracts of the semi-structured

questionnaire were used reflecting the specific stakeholder’s role and connection

to Wolwedans.

Specifically, over the 12-day visit a total of nine semi-structured interviews were

conducted covering the whole senior management team of Wolwedans. A variety

informal discussions with Wolwedans staff members were held covering

hospitality staff, chefs, guides and carpenters over the 3-day visit to Wolwedans.

Six guests that included two local Namibians and four international guests were

also queried regarding their perceptions of Wolwedans and ecotourism and

sustainability certification. Additionally the representative of the Zeitz

Foundation where contacted telephonically beforehand and one afternoon was

spent observing the staff at NICE, the restaurant and chef training establishment

in Windhoek.

Furthermore information packs where received from the Namibian Tourism

Board and the Ministry of Environment and Tourism. A very informative

research report analyzing Wolwedans in terms of the Namibian EcoAwards

assessment criteria were also consulted. The Namibian EcoAwards is a local

ecotourism rating system developed by the Ministry of Environment and

Tourism in conjunction with other stakeholders that aim to promote responsible

tourism through certification. A one to five flower rating is given to an

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organization depending on their score achieved on the assessment criteria, akin

to the five star rating system providing for hotels.

A semi-structured interview with the previous Control warden, now CEO of the

NamibRand Nature Reserve were also conducted and secured access to a wealth

of additional information regarding the Reserve and conservation related plans

and activities.

C. Data analysis

All formal interviews will be recorded and transcribed. Detailed notes will be

made during all formal and informal interviews and the participant-observation

phase. All insights and thoughts were noted down in writing.

Data analysis started after the first interview took place. The analysis process

entailed categorising the data into themes and indentifying their inter-

relationships (Leedy and Ormrod, 2009). As the data gathering process evolved,

so too did the analysis add and refine the themes and their inter-relationships.

Throughout the process the information where scrutinized for underlying

themes and patterns that describe the case more broadly. After concluding the

trip to Namibia the analysis were finalized by synthesizing to reflect more widely

applicable concepts. (Yin, 1994; Leedy and Ormrod, 2009).

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V. RESEARCH FINDINGS, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION

A. Wolwedans and the NamibRand Nature Reserve

1. NamibRand Nature Reserve

“Image the flamboyant magnificence of the Sossusvlei dunes, the mystique and

subtle beauty of the Skeleton Coast and the legendary red sands of the Kalahari

synthesised into one multifaceted desert reserve and you have the NamibRand, a

privately owned conservation area of over 170 000 hectares. Add to it inselbergs

that look like beehives dripping with chocolate sauce, vast fields of mysterious

fairy circles, an intriguing history and a species-rich flora and fauna (including

Namibia’s only endemic, the Dune Lark) and you might have an inkling of what

makes this reserve so unusual.” Amy Schoemann, renowned Namibian

photographer.

History

The NamibRand Nature Reserve (NRNR) consists of 13 former livestock farms.

Karakul sheep, able to adapt to harsh environments and prized for their pelts,

were the most widely farmed livestock in the region. Starting in the nineteen-

seventies and eighties two events brought about the decline of the livestock

farming activities in southern Namibia. The anti-fur movement in Europe and the

USA resulted in a major decline in the fur industry, devastating the Karakul

sheep business in Namibia. Secondly, severe droughts starting in the early

eighties meant that other forms of farming, particularly cattle, where also not a

viable proposition. The only viable source of income remaining was game


Widespread unchecked hunting activities (mainly of Springbok and Oryx)

depleted the antelope population so severely that hunting extended to the

neighboring Namib-Naukluft Park, further destroying the region’s ecological

balance.

At the time Johann Albrecht (Albi) Brückner, founder of the highly successful

South West Engineering company now known as NEC (Namibian Engineering

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Consultants), bought three farms that still had some fauna and flora intact. It

became his philanthropic aim to create a private nature reserve to curb the

unsustainable farming and hunting practices and turn the area into a wildlife

sanctuary. Later the concept evolved in order for it to become economically self-

sustaining mainly through high-quality, low-impact tourism. The result was a

tourism venture called Wolwedans established in 1992. This idea was

groundbreaking and financially risky because at the time the tourism activities in

the south of Namibia were largely limited to hardcore travelers visiting

Sossusvlei 80 km north of Wolwedans (Dobson, Interview 2).

NamibRand Nature Reserve today

Today all 13 former livestock farms are rehabilitated into a single continuous

natural habitat. The Reserve extends over an area of 172 200 ha and shares a

100 km border with the Namib-Naukluft Park in the west while the imposing

Nubib Mountains forms a natural border on east. All fences between the

individual farms and the Namib-Naukluft Park have been removed to facilitate

the seasonal migratory wildlife movement and protect the unique biodiversity of

the Pro-Namib; the desert frontier where the Namib Desert meets mountainous

outcrops before reaching the escarpment of the central plateau of Namibia.

Nearly all facets of the Namib Desert are present on the Reserve – sand and

gravel plains and stretches of savanna punctuated with mountain ranges and

vegetated dune belts (NamibRand Nature Reserve, 2007). The Reserve has more

than 15% of its total area set aside as wilderness, which the constitution of the

Reserve stipulates will remain completely untouched.

The Reserve is a non-profit private nature reserve managed by the NRNR seven-

member board on which both the founding father of the Reserve, Albi Brückner

and his son Stephan Brückner who started Wolwedans, serve. All landowners are

members of the Reserve, have signed agreements, and have adopted a

constitution. The constitution sets the land aside for conservation – now and in

the future.

The Reserve is financially sustained through five tourism concessions. In the

past, funds where acquired in two ways. Firstly, a percentage of each concession

holder’s turnover constituted the main income of the Reserve. Secondly,

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additional income was generated through the odd trophy-hunting excursion. As

of seven years ago, the NRNR board of directors adopted the current park fees

system; absolutely no hunting is allowed on the Reserve any longer and visitors

are charged a daily, per bed fee of R175. These funds are channeled directly into

conservation related activities on the Reserve. This approach stems from a

shared vision of the Reserve’s board coupled with an understanding of the

importance of conserving the land. The result is that none of the members seek

financial returns on their investments, allowing all funds to be invested for the

development and strengthening of the Reserve. In-turn the value of the land

increases to the benefit of the landowners (Odendal, Interview 3)

Concessionaires

The Wolwedans Collection in the heart of the Reserve is operated by NamibRand

Safaris (Pty) Ltd and accounts for the vast majority of the Reserve’s income at an

average of 60-65%. The Sossusvlei Desert Lodge in the far north of the Reserve

(previously known as the Sossusvlei Mountain Lodge) is operated by

Conservation Corporation Africa and generates around 25-30% of the total park

fees per annum. It accommodates guests in rooms of extreme luxury and targets

tourists exploring the gaint dunes at Sossusvlei. The rest of the Reserve’s income

is attributed to Namib Sky Adventures which provides hot-air balloon flights over

the desert plains, Tok Tokkie Trails which offers guided hikes in the dunes and

mountains of the Reserve and the NamibRand Family Hideout which provides

self-catering accommodation for up to 10 people. The Reserve charges a

discounted group fee for visitors to the Family Hideout in an bid to make it more

affordable to primarily targeted local families and regional visitors as a budget

option in contrast with the very exclusive high-end products offered by the other

concession holders (Odendal, Interview 3).

Aims

The Reserve aims:

- First and foremost to conserve and protect the fragile environment and

it’s rich biodiversity for the benefit of future generations.

- To establish and maintain a healthy and functioning ecosystem, providing

a sanctuary for fauna and flora

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- To facilitate seasonal wildlife migratory routes in partnership with

neighbouring farms.

- To promote sustainable utilization of resources through a variety of

products and projects. Currently these include high-quality, low-impact

tourism products; the capture and sale of live game, environmental

education, various research projects, and the development of a

horticultural project to grow indigenous medicinal plants for commercial

production.

- To ensure continuance and financial independence by maintaining

commercial viability (NamibRand Nature Reserve, 2010).

Resource management and special projects

In order to conserve the Pro-Namib desert effectively the Reserve maintains a

conservation policy of minimal interference in conjunction with constant

monitoring. This is implemented through a comprehensive Environmental

Management Plan. It contains, amongst others, the following subsections:

- A Zoning Agreement

o It identifies areas as primitive zones (areas of significant

importance such as Bushmen’s Hill where various hunting artifacts

have been found) and general zone. The zoning further sets aside

areas for wilderness, buffer zones and various levels of activity and

allowable future infrastructure development (NamibRand Nature

Reserve, 2008b).

- An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

o An EIA is mandatory for all parties operating on the Reserve prior

to embarking on any infrastructure development or influential

changes to existing infrastructure (NamibRand Nature Reserve,

2007).

- A Tourism Development Plan

o It sets out a long-term vision for sustainable tourism development

on the Reserve (NamibRand Nature Reserve, 2008a).

- Traversal rights of landowners and concessionaires.

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The Environmental Management Plan and other Reserve related policies and

regulatory concerns are all captured within the Reserve’s constitution, a tri-party

agreement between the NRNR, landowners, and concessionaires. This tri-party

approach to managing both the Reserve’s operations and development and that

of the concessionaires create difficult dynamics when it comes to new

developments.

One recent example illustrating this difficulty is the picnic site Wolwedans

wanted to erect. While all necessary plans were complete and the project had

passed the EIA successfully, the specific landowner still decided to veto the

development. Reasons provided were that it was too close to a primitive zoned

hill, while Wolwedans countered that the picnic site would be visible for miles if

constructed in the general zone in the middle of the plain. This has prompted a

recent paper by Stephan Brückner entitled “Time for a new deal.” It calls for a

way forward for the next 20 years as the founding members of the Reserve will

not be involved to provide guidance for much longer. The paper in summary calls

for:

- Less micromanagement of each landowner.

o The current policy is too restrictive. Any landowner can block any

development on the entirety of the Reserve. Stephan’s paper

advocates a measure of autonomy for each landowner limited by

what is reasonable.

- Clarification and development of the existing common vision. (Brückner,

Interview 1).

The possible expansion of the Reserve with another 30 000 ha will introduce

more landowners into the Reserve, potentially further complicating management

of the Reserve. As the Reserve’s primary goal is conservation, the Reserve has to

strike a difficult balance between conservation and financial concerns. It is with

this in mind that the NRNR board of directors are creating the long term Tourism

Development Plan as part of the Environmental Management Plan mentioned

above (NamibRand Nature Reserve, 2008a). Possibly the most striking self-

imposed rules set by the reserve are:

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- Maximum 1 bed per 1 000 ha, totaling 172 beds for the whole reserve.

- Maximum 20 beds per site. This is in line with the more resilient very

high-end tourism market target (in general) and the exclusivity of the

products that the board aims to provide on the Reserve.

- Additionally landowners can traverse the whole reserve, while normal

concessionaires may only traverse their allotted areas. (Certain

concessionaires are also landowners, such as Namib Rand Safaris (Pty)

Ltd which operates Wolwedans whilst others are merely concessionaires)


Moreover, the NRNR board is in strong support of large landscape co-operative

management approaches in the interest of advancing the reach of conservation

programmes and opening up fences for wildlife movement. For this reason a

partnership with Wilderness Safaris has been struck to open fences for wildlife

movement (not including commercial tourism related land traversal). Livestock

management outreach projects focusing, for example on the management of

predators, are also undertaken on neighbouring properties. Negotiations with

neighbouring landowners have been ongoing for many years and there is hope

that the younger generation will be more open to joining the Reserve. The main

grievance of current neighbouring landowners is the no-hunting restriction of

the Reserve (Dobson, Interview 5).

The relationship between the Reserve, landowners of the Reserve, and

concessionaires, however, is a symbiotic one. For example, the concessionaires

help to discourage poaching by reporting any suspicious events and guides

continuously report game sightings and help with game counts. This impacts on

the average operational cost of the Reserve’s which is less than N$10 per

hectare, lower than the expected minimum of N$15 found generally across

Namibia (Odendal, Interview 3).

The NamibRand Conservation Foundation (NRCF) was set up as a separate non-

profit organization to raise funds for special projects through creative initiatives

such as the Adopt-a-Fairy-Circle Project. Currently the two main beneficiaries of

these funds are the Namib Desert Environmental Education Trust (NaDEET) and

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the Namib Desert Research and Awareness Centre (NRAC) each receiving 30% of

all raised funds and both are hosted on the Reserve itself.

The NaDEET Centre provides a unique hands-on experiential and environmental

education programme. It aims to empower Namibian youth and educators to

make decisions for a sustainable future. The Centre is dedicated to building

capacity within the environmental education sector to engage in education,

advocacy and awareness of the critical role of sustainable living.

The NRAC is a recent addition to the Reserve and seeks to support local, regional

and international research by providing accommodation and other facilities to

visiting researchers, and assisting with funding focused on environmental

management issues. The Centre has established partnerships with various local

and international research institutions. It also collaborates with the Ministry of

Environment and Tourism to feed back into national research. The Awareness

centre is currently under development and will target decision and policy

makers to highlight the importance of conservation and the sustainable

utilization of natural resources (NamibRand Nature Reserve, 2010).

2. Wolwedans Collection

History

Wolwedans, or the Wolwedans Collection as it is now officially referred too, is

operated by NamibRand Safaris (Pty) Ltd. Born out of the original NamibRand

Nature Reserve concept of Albi Brückner, the Wolwedans tourism venture was

started by his son Stephan Brückner. Stephan was only 13 years old when this

father bought the first farm in the area. Growing up in Windhoek, he had ample

time to visit the farm and camp on the dunes. Later Stephan went to Berlin to

study economics and completed his Masters in Business Communications in the

early eighties. Upon his return his father gave him the opportunity to develop a

tourism-based business on their farm named Wolwedans. And so the story began


What was initially only a rudimentary site for those visitors with a real spirit of

adventure and a willingness to camp out in the wild, evolved into the first tented

camp being built in the early nineties. Aptly named Dune Camp, it caters for a

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maximum of 12 guests and is situated on a 250-meter high dune about 3 km

from the old Wolwedans farmhouse. Guests arrived at the farmhouse and were

driven up to the lodge (Dobson, Interview 5).

The nearest accessible water was extracted from a borehole at the farmhouse.

Another borehole was later sunk next to the first and as all windmills were

removed due to their negative visual impact an electric pump was installed.

Electricity is provided by a diesel generator at the farmhouse and currently runs

for a few hours in the morning and afternoon. The electricity generated is used

for the camps, to run the laundry facility, the power tools of the carpentry

department and the mechanic’s workshop that services and maintains their 16-

vehicle fleet. A massive set of 90 batteries and inverters were installed in the late

nineties to power the then already extended farmhouse, office and staff

accommodation. This area is now referred to as the Wolwedans Village. Since

southern Namibia is very sparsely populated, it was never planned for the

national power grid to extend beyond the small towns in the area. Of these,

Maltehöhe is closest at 160km or just over 2 hours drive from Wolwedans.

Therefore the facilities evolved in such a way that the generator only powers the

farmhouse, while all campsites run on solar power for lighting, while gas is used

for cooking and refrigeration. There are no power plugs at the camp sites, but the

staff do not mind charging camera batteries, etc at the Wolwedans Village.

Product offering

The Wolwedans Collection now consists of five small and elegant safari camps in

the heart of NamibRand Nature Reserve and caters for a total of 46 guests with

different expectations and preferred levels of comfort. Firstly, the intimate Dune

Camp positioned on top of a 250-meter high dune caters for a maximum of 14

guests. Secondly, Dune Lodge, the biggest camp, makes provision for 20 guests in

chalets and boasts a wine cellar, library, two dining halls and a swimming pool

all located on top of a dune plateau that provides breathtaking panoramic vistas

of the desert. Thirdly, an add-on to the Dune Lodge is the Mountain View Suite

that has additional living space for those looking to stay over for several days

and who seek private seclusion while having access to all the comforts of the

Lodge. Mountain View Suite can operate completely independently with its own

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private chef and guide. Fourth, the Wolwedans Private Camp is situated in a quiet

secluded valley catering for four guests exclusively and provides complete

privacy and solitude while lastly but not least, Aandster Boulders Camp, some

40km south of Wolwedans Village, is nestled between massive granite boulders

and sleeps a maximum of eight guests in four spacious tents. All camps are

constructed from wood and canvas and can theoretically be removed without

leaving any trace behind. Dune Lodge is the only camp that has a concrete

structure underneath the swimming pool. After a major fire destroyed the main

building in 2003, the pool was constructed with a massive pump underneath to

double as a fire service. The camps run purely on solar energy, except for the gas

stoves and a few gas fridges. These are currently being replaced with solar

fridges (NamibRand Safaris, 2010).

Wolwedans promises neither five-star luxury nor nouvelle cuisine. They shy

away from “pretense and wannabe fanciness.” (NamibRand Safaris, 2010). Their

passion lies in providing a true desert experience without unnecessary creature

comforts such as air-conditioned rooms, hairdryers and sliding glass doors to

keeping nature at a safe distance. They invite guests to enjoy a fuller experience

of the grandeur and beauty of a totally unspoiled desert. This down-to-earth, yet

rather civilized experience only adds to the sense of place one experiences in this

desert landscape. “It is here, in this land of stretching blue skies and endless

plains, that you will find beauty to feed the soul, tranquility to clear your mind

and space for your imagination to fly.” (NamibRand Safaris, 2010).

Guests are free to choose how they would like to spend their time. Wolwedans’s

core attraction is the magnificent unspoiled desertscapes rather than pure game

viewing, thus scenic drives can be undertaken at any time of the day while

sundowners on one of the dunes overlooking the vast desert planes is never

missed. A full day safari with picnic lunch en-route allows for the best game

viewing opportunities while candlelight dinners around one large family size

dining table provides for enticing conversations. Other activities not directly

provided by Wolwedans are hot air balloon flights, afternoon scenic flights to

Sossusvlei and the Diamond coast or guided walks with resident field guides.

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Wolwedans is reachable by normal saloon car and is situated 80 km south of

Sesriem/Sossusvlei. Driving time from Windhoek, Swakopmund, Fish-river

canyon or Lüderitz is about 6 hours, while flying in only takes an hour

(NamibRand Safaris, 2010).

Wolwedans Village

One of the unique features of Wolwedans’s operation is the Wolwedans Village,

the base from which the whole portfolio of camps is run and home to 75

employees and students on average. Guests arrive either by car or make use of

the landing strip right on the doorstep of the Village. Here guests are heartily

welcomed with a smile by their assigned guide and every other staff member

whom they may happen to pass. After guests have signed in and begun to relax

over a chilled beverage, their guide provides a short brief on what they can

expect from their stay. Guests are then taken to the specific camp they have

booked on one of the open Land-Rovers. Guests will only return to the Village at

the end of their visit or if they book a scenic flight.

All guides and other personnel stay at the Village while only the camp manager,

chef and required waiters stay at the camps. This is in order to minimize the

impact and infrastructure development required at the camps. The bulk of the

food preparation is made at the main kitchen in the Village and transported to

the camps for lunch and dinner. The onsite chef simply finalizes the meal by

preparing the meat. The Village further hosts a variety of other facilities. These

include: the site office; a mechanic workshop to service and maintain the vehicle

fleet; a full carpentry workshop for the refurbishment of camps; new camps

construction and Village expansions; a large laundry for the whole 46 bed guest

operation; a waste water recycling plant; a greenhouse vegetable garden and

orchid called Eden and accommodation for the full staff compliment of

Wolwedans.

The Village consists of permanent structures. Stephan’s vision is that each

employee should have their own room, but as it stands at most two staff

members share, while senior management onsite each have their own rooms.

This however is the exception to the rule. The general practice is equal treatment

for all. Everyone eats breakfast, lunch and dinner together in the open communal

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area and no one receives any preferential treatment “even the boss joins the

queue and eats out of the same pot” (Dobson, Interview 5). Very seldom will

Stephan or the any of the two senior managers on site have their meals at any of

the camps.

This unique setup, where guest accommodation is scattered over a few sites,

while the majority of the staff stays at a central location, has created a small

community. Now aptly named Wolwedans Village, it has had important

consequences for the whole Wolwedans operation. From a financial perspective

the scattered guest accommodation increased the cost of the operation

dramatically, while this is somewhat negated by a centralized base of operation.

More interestingly however, are the following consequences:

- The village is growing as more staff and students are periodically posted

there. With economy of scale sufficient capacity for the installation of a

wastewater management system has been created. This has been

implemented successfully. The processed water is currently clean enough

to be reused for stem-based plants in one of the greenhouse orchids. The

possibility of producing biogas as part of the wastewater system is now

also being investigated.

- Staff have their own area, well removed from guests, which is more

relaxing for them. Consequently they are generally happier which in

return enhances visitors’ experience.

- As Wolwedans is quite remote, the staff stay at the Village for 6 weeks at a

time. In addition, a very diverse group of Namibians are brought together.

The staff are from various ethnic groups and levels of literacy, experience

and language skills. This has resulted in a unique and dynamic social

structure that cannot be ignored and has to be proactively managed by

the Wolwedans management team. In lieu hereof, local social

development and community upliftment projects and ideas have always

been part of the Wolwedans operation. (Webber, Interview 7)

Logistics and budgeting

Managing the complicated logistics of the operation has been a major hurdle

from the beginning and remains today as the operation continues to grow.

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Ninety percent of all foodstuffs are procured in Windhoek and transported by

road to Wolwedans, this includes fresh produce and all meat consumed. A fine

balance between the frequency of deliveries and selection of foodstuffs were

required to minimize transportation costs verses food wastage. Furthermore as

only the bare essential infrastructure have been put in place their still remains

allot of manual work. In order to overcome this hurdle strategic planning,

projections and good budgeting play a significant role (Nel, Interview 9).

Budgeting have been evolved to such an extent that occupancy forecasts on 10

000 bed nights usually only out by 50 bed nights, an accuracy level of 99.5%.

Budgeting takes into consideration a vast array of influences and trends that

include: price increases, seasonality, past occupancy activity, various economic

and political factors for both local, regional and European markets, exchange rate

fluctuations, and any other large events such as the World Cup which saw visitor

numbers dwindle (Nel, Interview 9).

This is in line with the very high-end clientele they target whom are less affected

by small market changes as many in the tourism industry, while the impact of big

events are more easily predicted.

Monthly management reports consists of financial indicators only and

everything is benchmarked against forecasted values, from here informed

strategic decision making takes place and budgets are fine-tuned continually to

reflect the current state of all factors (Brückner, Interview 1).

Management structure

Wolwedans has a strong patriarchal system with Stephan Brückner, described by

all as a visionary leader, at the helm. For many years only one senior manager at

the Village and line managers that lead the various departments such as head

chef, head mechanic, camp manager, etc supported Stephan. Thus, his hands-on

approach extended to every aspect of the operation. Over the last few years the

senior management team has grown to five, each running a separate

department: Finance, Human Resource Management, Quality Control and

Hospitality on site, Operations Manager on site and Stephan as Managing

Director (Dobson, Interview 2).

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Both the finance and human resources departments are utilized to some extent

in other indirectly related business ventures of the Brückner family. These

include NICE, the chef school and restaurant in Windhoek; Nature Friends Safari,

a tour consultancy company; and the Swakopmund Guest House (Nel, Interview

9).

Beyond their normal capacity, nearly all the managers are in some way involved

in other Wolwedans projects. Gerald, initially appointed as Operations Manager

at Wolwedans, currently manages all the HR related functions as well as all the

administration of the Desert Academy. Similarly, Eddy and Theo who are on site

spend much of their time on documenting all facets of Wolwedans into manuals

that will eventually result in three guiding documents called The Wolwedans

Way (Brückner, Interview 4).

Leadership and culture

“… Mr. Boss is a big man, but wears the same clothes.” (Informal staff interviews)

Stephan’s leadership style can be described as pragmatic and driven by an

honest passion for what he believes Wolwedans should stand for. This has

unwittingly led to a very patriarchal system where Stephan is truly a nucleus

around whom Wolwedans revolves and without whom the organization would

suffer. Having recognized this as a risk to the sustainability and future of

Wolwedans the whole management team is now involved in documenting all

facets of Wolwedans in an attempt to minimize the impact “if something happens

to any of the senior management team” (Dobson, Interview 2).

Stephan’s approach may however be the single biggest contributor to what

Wolwedans represents today. A few characteristics stand out as having a

profound effect on the staff and overall culture:

- Visionary strategic thinking

- Hands-on and involved

- Empowerment and autonomy

- Value based and purpose driven

- Commitment to take action

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Hands-on and involved

Stephan is extremely hands-on and was even more so in the past. His efforts at

restraint in the area of micromanagement have proven difficult. His drive to

make decisions regarding the finer details stems from the belief that Wolwedans

is the kind of product that requires a hands-on approach with attention to detail.

This is not with respect to the day-to-day running, but rather everything that

defines or shapes the product and largely everything that is visible to guests. For

example, all soft furnishings such as linen, cutlery, crockery, interior design,

furniture selection, architecture and construction work require attention to

detail (King, Interview 6). It is executed so particularly that one does not notice

until it is pointed out when it becomes obvious. For example, the entire fleet of

vehicles is Land-Rovers as this is epitomizes the African safari for European

travelers. Despite the fact that Toyota LandCruisers would last longer in the

dunes, only one is used by the staff as a workhorse. Even though such decisions

are made fairly autocratically, everyone trusts Stephan’s creativity and sense of

style. This may be attributed to his willingness to hear suggestions from any

member of staff or management, especially those directly involved with

whatever is under discussion. He recognizes that it is vital to get full buy-in from

them as they will ultimately deal with it on a daily basis. The reasons for his

engagement with staff about the purpose of every action is, according to Stephan

himself, to cultivate in them a sense of his own ethic, so that they “start[s] to read

me and know what I’d want and think the way I think” (Brückner, Interview 4).

“I could never say something is not my job, I should say it more often, but if it’s

got to be done, it’s got to be done!” (Brückner, Interview 4). This willingness to

get his hands dirty and take part in any aspect of the business makes Stephan

popular and highly respected by the staff. One of the staff members tried to

explain it to me: “We like telling some of the guests after dinner that they were

eating with the boss just now. They are always very surprised! They say they

thought he was maybe a manager or something, can’t believe he’s the owner;

what a nice guy! You understand, Mr. Boss is a big man, but wears the same

clothes.” (Informal staff interviews). This type of equal treatment where top

management doesn’t want to be treated differently from everyone else and

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where everyone is treated with equal respect regardless of status within the

organization has resulted in a very inviting culture.

Stephan furthermore spends about 30% of his time onsite, traveling down about

three times a month. These trips vary in length from one day to a week at a time

and are usually scheduled during the week, but sometimes include weekends.

When on site Stephan does become not involved in day-to-day running, focusing

instead on building activities and other longer-term issues. This affords him the

opportunity to stay in touch by interacting with the staff and engaging with their

concerns (Brückner, Interview 1).

Empowerment and autonomy

The idea that empowerment is a strong incentive and personal motivator, is

advocated by Stephan. This premise underlies his leadership style and is

supported by the resultant culture of the organization. The positive effect of

empowerment becomes especially evident on the level of line managers. They

have free reign to manage their department as they see fit and no formal

monitoring is in place. Staff are encouraged to take initiative and take on more

responsibility themselves. For example, when the head chef changes the menu,

the next time Stephan visits Wolwedans they will invite him to have dinner at

one of the camps so that can they can present the new item for approval. One of

the cultural treats for guests is the reading of the menu in the Nama-click

language, but if the staff do not feel like doing it they are not obliged to. In

essence, it is more important for guests to have a genuine and honest interaction

with the staff than merely to have a repetitive list of activities performed

(Webber, Interview 7).

A further example of the extent of autonomy given to staff is that it is very

seldom that either of the two senior managers at Wolwedans is directly involved

with guests. Staff are entrusted with looking after the guests themselves. Guides

meet, greet and generally see to it that guests enjoy their stay, while the camp

manager who doubles-up as a waiter or chef takes care of guests while they are

at the camps. The staff are empowered to the extent that they run the camps

entirely unsupervised, which cultivates confidence and a sense of pride for being

trusted with so much responsibility. Stephan believes this confidence results in a

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more authentic and open interaction between guests and staff, adding to the

magic that is Wolwedans (Shongu, Interview 8).

An employee handbook is used to articulate the culture of Wolwedans. It clearly

explains protocol and provides reasoning to enable employees to have an

understanding of the bigger picture. It is aimed at encouraging employees to

make autonomous decisions that are in line with the values of Wolwedans. This

policy of backing every decision with good reasoning stems from Stephan’s

strategic long-term thinking approach (Dobson, Interview 5). It is visible in every

aspect of the business.

Any employee related issues, including management issues, are dealt with

according to the same strict code of conduct and disciplinary procedures. Such

issues are handled discretely, as everyone deserves equal treatment and as a

matter of mutual respect. A clear explanation and reason are always provided

here as well so that staff can learn to interpret what works well and what not. In

the process staff are able to operate more autonomously still and with less

monitoring. When management notices any specified tasks not completed, there

remains a strong focus on the underlining causal. Asking and explaining “why” is

commonplace: “Why haven’t you done this? This is why we do it this way

(Shongu, Interview 8).

The culture has been described as one where you first think, then do and ask

forgiveness later (Dobson, Interview 5). This however does not extend to all

parts of the operation. There are certain kinds of actions that require prior

consent from Stephan and this is made very clear. These include anything that

would impact the environment or the core product offered as mentioned above.

For example, any type of construction work, even if within the confines of the

Village, has to be sanctioned by Stephan first (Brückner, Interview 4).

Value based and purpose driven

An important part of the Wolwedans philosophy is to take good care of

employees as they are in direct contact with guests; they are crucial to the

success of the entire operation (Brückner, 2000). In order to beat off “desert

fatigue” staff members usually don’t stay on site for longer than six weeks at a

time and while various educational programmes have been provided for the

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development of staff, few have yielded large-scale success. Many staff members

would rather sit down with a beer after work, chat a bit and go to bed than spend

time advancing their careers. Even the option to have their own sundowners on

the dunes after a hard day’s work dwindled after only three days (Webber,

Interview 7).

In an attempt to affect real change in the behavioral patterns of staff at the

Village the current communal areas are being expanded to include more sport

and recreational facilities, such as a soccer, netball and volleyball field, a gym and

a cinema. Sport has been identified as a power tool to change perceptions and

motivate staff towards developing personal goals and working towards

achieving those goals. For example the desire to win the next soccer match will

inspire players to practice harder and come up with strategies to beat the other

team. Not only may this influence their willingness to develop their own

marketable skills, but also have positive spin-offs for Wolwedans. Practicing

sports means fit, motivated, and happy staff, which also means more productive,

efficient and innovative employees better able to take initiative ensuring that

Wolwedans remains a top tourist destination. Soccer has already shown positive

results after a few informal matches against other lodges in the region have been

arranged. The aim now is now to make it more professional and start a proper

local soccer league (Dobson, Interview 5).

Stephan is passionate about developing Namibian talent and derives satisfaction

from helping employees lift their own SME projects of the ground. His passion

and drive towards something bigger than just another tourist destination, a real

sense of purpose can be seen in the way he leads and inspires everyone within

the business. Shortly after the turn of the century the staff compliment at

Wolwedans tripled and the business showed tremendous growth. Stephan felt

the need for guidance and a better sense of the way forward at Wolwedans. He

drafted the strong and very compelling Vision, Mission and Value statements of

Wolwedans. It includes a set of goals very similar to the four cornerstones of

Sustainable Development as captured so elegantly in the 4Cs of the Zeitz

foundation. Both the Vision and Mission statements are captured in the

employee handbook. It also forms part of the two-hour discussion with Stephan

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directly that each new employee has as part of the brief induction process for

new employees.

The extent to which Wolwedans is value based and purpose driven can further

be illustrated by the following: Stephan views Wolwedans as a finite project in

terms of infrastructure development. The constitution only allows for 60 more

beds at which point the total capacity for infrastructure development will have

been reached (For more detail see section: The Future below). It is intended that,

at this point, the focus will shift from mere discussion of the vision and mission

statement to integrating it to all activities as an ongoing process. The vision and

mission statements should be explored in regular staff workshops to increase

staff awareness, understanding, and support of Wolwedans values. As Stephan

points out: “There is a big difference between reading the mission statement

versus hearing someone talk about it and explain why certain things are so

important to us! Especially if it come from the horse’s mouth!” (Brückner,

Interview 4). The philosophy is that everyone should understand the purpose

and goals of the organization so that “everyone pulls on the same strings.”

(Brückner, Interview 4).

Commitment to take action

Often quoted, Richard Branson has always been a believer in taking action as the

title of one of his books so aptly states: ‘Screw it, just do it!’ As a pragmatic leader

Stephan also recognizes and appreciates this call to action in other leaders such a

Jochen Zeitz the founder of Puma shoes and the Zeitz foundation (Brückner,

Interview 4). Without the will try something even before it has been either

proven, perfectly preplanned or analysed for every possible outcome,

Wolwedans would not be what it is today. Wolwedans is now three years ahead

of everyone else in Namibia when it comes to the vocational training course they

piloted 3 years ago. As Stephan states: “Even though [the first three years have]

not been perfect [...], the fact is that we are three years ahead of everybody else;

and it will be good. We’ll make sure of it!” (Brückner, Interview 10). Knowing

that the vocational training programme, if done properly, would have win-win

benefits, not only for Wolwedans, but also for the students of the training

themselves, as well as the Namibian tourism industry as a whole, was enough

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reason for Stephan to give the green light for the project. Wolwedans is

committed to the success of the programme; even though they could never have

anticipated how much vested time it would demand. The vocational training, in

part, has also lead to Wolwedans being considered as one of the nine sites

around the world earmarked to lead the GER certification’s development, which

will no doubt lead to other possibilities (Brückner, Interview 4).

As one of the senior managers lamented, “His policy is sort of jump in and then

learn to swim! It’s a bit scary, but it works!” (Dobson, Interview 5)

Creative projects and activities

Initially Wolwedans only employed people from the local district in an effort

support the development of the local region. Thus, most of the employees came

from the closest town, Maltehöhe, some 150 km east of Wolwedans. For most

employees the quality of life they were able to enjoy at Wolwedans surpassed

that of their home environment. Most of the men sent their money back to their

families in Maltehöhe so Wolwedans procured a property there with to develop a

centre where the wives of the men working on Wolwedans could raise their

children safely. The plan was to run a bed-and-breakfast venture, a small home-

baked produce shop, and a laundry facility for the laundry requirements of

Wolwedans. The venture would provide much needed employment for local

woman, while an onsite teacher would educate their children. However, the

project died due to overly complicated social services concerns. Lately the idea

has been revived as Wolwedans has grown significantly and the outsourcing of

all the laundry to Maltehöhe has become economically viable on its own. This

option is now seriously being considered, and would have as massive impact on

the energy and water usage at Wolwedans (Webber, Interview 7).

Eden, the greenhouse vegetable garden and orchid was developed over the last

few years at the passionate hands of one of the staff members. Eden provides

fresh produce for the Wolwedans operation and indigenous trees are also being

planted in the orchid to eventually replace some of the alien trees in the desert,

in line with NRNR’s desert rehabilitation objectives. A wastewater treatment

system for the Village has been built for reuse in the vegetable garden. Although

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this project has not yet yielded the full extent of the desired results as the

standard of water quality is not as high as anticipated, the water an be used for

stem-based plants in the orchid. The plan still remains to raise the quality of the

water so that it can be used for the entire greenhouse garden.

The Namibian Institute of Culinary Education (NICE) is a restaurant and training

school for chefs in the centre of Windhoek. Started in 2004, it has been an

extremely successful venture in its own right however, running a restaurant in

Windhoek was not the initial reason for its development. NICE originated as a

novel solution to a set of seemingly unrelated circumstances. Firstly, the

property used to be the Brückner family home, but the upkeep had become too

tedious as the younger generation moved out. Hence, the Brückner family owned

a large property with a central location that could be better utilized. Secondly,

Wolwedans suffered from a chronic shortness of chefs as most lodges in the

more remote areas do. Chefs would rather work for lower salaries closer to

family and friends. Thirdly, Stephan knew a suitable chef who could use the

opportunity of training new chefs to allow him to stay in Namibia. Lastly, his

entrepreneurial spirit and passion for the development of SME’s meant that

Stephan was eager to take on the challenge. Starting a chef training school and

restaurant would be an opportunity to solve the chef shortage at Wolwedans,

better utilize the property in Windhoek and invest in the country’s social capital.

The consequence of making Namibia a better place to live in and travel to by

boosting the tourism industry as a whole is the positive impact on Wolwedans

and the Brückner family’s other ventures. The tendency to consider the bigger

picture and think holistically in this way is the cornerstone of the success of

Wolwedans in terms of sustainable development (Brückner, Interview 4).

The first mention of the Wolwedans Foundation concept was in the Vision,

Mission and Value document Stephan produced just after the turn of the century

(Brückner, 2000). Therein Wolwedans commits a third of their earnings to the

Foundation to employ the funds for social development and upliftment projects

such as accredited training programmes and sports activities. This is closely

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related to the “community” arm of sustainable development, but with a very

significantly albeit only slightly different interpretation.

As discussed in the literary study, the notion of community refers to the benefit

for local communities derived from sustainable development ventures. The

Wolwedans team has only recently become aware of the theoretic concepts of

sustainable development via their contact with the Zeitz Foundation. Their views

in this regard have largely been based on their own “gut feel and [what] they

thought was the right thing to do.” (Brückner, Interview 1). The unique

perspective of the Wolwedans team regarding community, originated in the

support of the nearest small community, Maltehöhe. In their view this was a way

of supporting their business, but on a bigger scale. In their recognition of the

win-win benefits of investing in one’s local community, the Wolwedans team was

well ahead of their time. From this humble logic that benefitting the local

community has positive results for their business the concept of providing

benefits to all Namibians and the desire to extend the benefits they can provide

to the whole of Namibia has evolved. Thus, by starting with their own authentic

understanding of the importance of community, the Wolwedans team have

developed and extended the concept of community to include the country as a

whole. This is part of their holistic understanding that benefiting the country and

the tourism industry as a whole also benefits Wolwedans which is in stark

contrast with the traditional misconception that it is counterproductive to

support the industry when this will also result in benefits for one’s competitors.

The southwestern region of Namibia has always been extremely sparsely

populated. There was no prior community or ethic group affected when the

initial livestock farms where introduced. No communities per say would be

negatively influenced by the development of the NRNR or have any claim

benefits from the establishment of the NRNR. However, as part of the

development of Wolwedans the Brückner family felt that they wanted to aid the

economic development of the southwestern region. For this reason they

employed residents from the town of Maltehöhe, which suffered from severe

unemployment and extreme poverty after the collapse of the farming industry in

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the area. The employees required training and this was done along with other

projects in Maltehöhe that benefited the community (Dobson, Interview 5).

Today Wolwedans employs Namibians from all over the country, but the same

concept of developing and supporting their staff and their circumstances first,

remains. In addition, the Wolwedans Village, a micro cosmos of Namibia’s wider

population, witnesses many of the social ills and concerns which many

Namibians face today. Due to the isolated nature of the operation these issues,

which usually include personal and family related issues of staff members have

to be managed on a daily basis. This gives Wolwedans a unique environment

where social development and skills transfer projects can be explored.

In order to build a national tourism product, Namibia needs a qualified and

skilled workforce in the various fields of tourism. One of Namibia’s major

problems is that there is a lack of training facilities while the demand for skilled

resources far exceeds the supply of graduates from various vocational and

tertiary training institutions. The demand is further exacerbated by the severe

shortage of management staff and that the Namibian government actively

pursues substantive equality through BEE and would like to see more formerly

disadvantaged Namibians taking higher positions within the tourism industry.

Merging the widespread need for educated Namibians and the practical skills

and knowledge Wolwedans have to offer in a variety of trades within the tourism

industry has lead to various partnerships with education and governmental

institutions. Wolwedans annually provides opportunities for students seeking

internships and job attachments as part of their formal curriculum. The fields

receiving attention covers hospitality, nature conservation, carpentry (which

include plumbing and construction) and agriculture (as part of developing their

greenhouse garden) (Dobson, Interview 5).

The Wolwedans Foundation have already spent over N$1.5 million since 2007 on

developing the Wolwedans Desert Academy a hospitality training institution

where comprehensive theoretical and practical training is provided in

accordance with the syllabi compiled by the Namibian Training Authority (NTA)

and approved by the Namibian Qualifications Authority (NQA). The aim of the

training is not only to improve the service delivery of the tourism and hospitality

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industry of Namibia, but also to improve the employment opportunities, job

security and income of the trainees. Thus far the Foundation covered all costs

and training was provided free of charge, however, as per the National Training

Authority request the quota of trainees will be increased to 45 per annum

starting 2011 and depending on the pending funding agreement between the

Wolwedans Foundation and the National Training Authority, tuition fees may

become a reality (Wolwedans Foundation, 2010).

Wolwedans also benefits from this arrangement, as they are able to assess how

the trainee tolerate the distance from their families and approach the top

candidates for positions at Wolwedans. Additionally some of the students,

especially those from the Polytechnic of Namibia have to write research reports

as part of their studies, which sometimes may reveal useful information for

improvements at Wolwedans (Dobson, Interview 5).

The future

Stephan plans to complete the Wolwedans Collection in the next five to six years

with the addition of two more camps, which would bring them to the 60-guest

limit they are entitled to by the NRNR constitution. Thereafter focus will shift to

marketing, fine-tuning, proactive maintenance and tying up loose ends


Stephan remains committed to social development via the Wolwedans

Foundation. As Wolwedans has become a family institution, it will never be sold

or replicated elsewhere. This connection to a sense of ‘place’ for the Brückners

has been so from before the Wolwedans Collection realised. It played an

instrumental role in creating a culture at Wolwedans where primary

consideration is given to the NamibRand’s long-term protection. It has guided all

development plans. However ‘place’ does not refer solely to Wolwedans. It

includes the southern region, and Namibia as a whole. It is a philosophy where

all action is informed by a “Focus[...] on the long term; No quick fixes”, where you

believe you are an integral part of the whole and thus must play your part in

creating a country where one’s “kids would want to live in” (Brückner, Interview

10).

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From Stephan’s point of view, education and SME development is not only an

integral part of the empowerment of all Namibians but is essential for the

meaningful and sustainable development of a country. The old “Giving someone

a fish feeds her once, but give someone a fishing rod feeds her for a lifetime”

comes to mind. An anecdote told by Stephan is more true to the desert landscape

of Wolwedans where trees are a true symbol of life: “Is it not better to stay the

guardian of a fruit tree – water and protect it for years and remain able to share

the fruits and use it to teach others to care for and plant their own tree from its

seeds than to give a part of the tree away, from which others will eat once before

chopping it down for firewood?” This is partly a reference to BEE which is

actively pursued by the Namibian government. The Wolwedans ethic has a much

more sustainable approach to the develop of Namibia as whole. The view is that

vocational training initiatives, the employment of over 200 people in the whole

of the NRNR project, and the simultaneous conservation and sustainable land

utilization all form an important part of the Wolwedans contribution to

sustainable development of a country with rich biodiversity, breathtaking beauty

and a diverse human population (Brückner, Interview 10).

In terms of NamibRand Nature Reserve, work will continue to extend the

protected desert frontiers through joint management initiatives and the

development of Large Landscape Management agreements aimed at free wildlife

movement and the sustainable utilization of the region as a whole. By means of a

joint venture with the Ministry of Environment and Tourism and other

stakeholders a project is underway to pilot regional conservation management

activities in five planed ‘pockets’ in southwestern Namibia (Odendal, Interview

3).

B. GER Certification

Many of the stated benefits and concerns regarding the efficacy of certification

schemes in general (see literature study above) in promoting or enforcing more

sustainable practices can also be ascribed to the GER certification of the Zeitz

foundation. However the adaptive, reiterative process of the certification process

holds promise while the self-developed preliminary E4C management approach

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holds a variety of advantages for those applying for the GER certification. The

main benefits and some of the concerns of the certification and the E4C-plan are

discussed below. It must however be noted that the findings are largely based on

the perceptions of all the individuals involved as the certification is yet to prove

its worth.

1. Impact of the GER certification

Wolwedans caters largely for the international market with more than 90% of all

guests coming from Europe, the USA and the UK. There is a strong belief within

the Wolwedans management team in a growing trend, especially within the

developed world, towards a new kind of holiday planning. Tourists are more

inclined to book holidays through tour companies and to holiday destinations

that are engaged in responsible tourism, pursuing ethical and more sustainable

“green” practices (Brückner, Interview 1).

In light hereof the GER certification is seen as a strong marketing tool which will

yield positive results in the medium to long term future as more tourists become

selective about their chosen holiday destinations. It is expected that the Long

Run Destinations brand of Jorgun Zeitz the founder of both Puma shoes

worldwide and the Zeitz foundation will strengthen with time, affecting the

market. As the brand strengthens internationally through the marketing prowess

and experience Zeitz, the importance of GER certification is expected to grow


Despite the fact that Wolwedans does have a highly marketable product, they

judge their marketing activities as lacking potency. Better communication of the

products on offer as well as the other activities they are involved in should have

a profound influence on the number of visitors. Wolwedans believes that

certification is the best way to prove claims of sustainability to potential guests.

Moving towards a more sustainable operation has high initial expenditure costs

associated with it, but in the long term the change should prove to be the most

economical choice. This is because it is believed that the value of refraining from

negatively affecting the environment will become more evident with time. It also

provides a sound business case for experimenting and spending more time on

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sustainability projects, for example building a biogas plant as part of their waste

treatment facilities. The biogas concept has, since serious discussions with the

Zeitz foundation started in 2009, gained more momentum as the possibility to

partner with the Ministry of Mines for the development of such a system is

already being investigated. Such industry leading projects, if successful, would

provide further publicity, putting Wolwedans “in a whole different light” within

Namibia and the world (Dobson, Interview 2).

From Stephan’s point view the sustainable development cornerstones captured

as the 4Cs within the GER certification is fundamentally positive. Therefore, even

if the GER certification scheme fails internationally, its guidelines as well as the

E4C framework will still be implemented as part of the Wolwedans management

activities and the vision statement will be updated to reflect the 4Cs (Brückner,

Interview 4).

One of the difficulties with GER certification, and in fact any sustainability

certification scheme, is the interrelatedness between the 4Cs. As the Desert

Academy will feature as part of Community, it most probably feature as part of

Conservation and Commerce too. The resultant overlap between the concepts

may cause some confusion with regards to division and assignment of

responsibilities amongst management. Furthermore, GER certification may

require collaboration between the two or more entities as is the case with

Wolwedans and the NRNR. The NRNR carries a large part of the conservation

related responsibilities. This means that the NRNR will need to be willing to

apply the E4C-plan and recommendations from the Zeitz foundations in order

for Wolwedans to retain the certification. It may strain an already difficult

relationship between the various parties involved. Furthermore, it raises the

question of which entity should receive the certification. It also remains

uncertain and how strongly regulated the use of Wolwedans’s GER certification

status is. For example, could some of the other non-complaint concessionaires

use the mere fact that the NRNR is party involved in Wolwedans’s certification to

market themselves as more sustainable.

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2. Impact of the E4C adaptive management approach

Zietz foundation

The adaptive nature of the E4C-plan is a strategic management approach. This is

beneficial for both the Zeitz foundation and Wolwedans. It allows the Zeitz

foundation to continuously develop and update the GER certification criteria. It

allows Wolwedans to utilize its content for internal and external communication

and to quantify, via a structured approach, the existing strategic thinking that

Stephan himself employs. It will, however, require considerable time, effort,

commitment and accountability from all involved to keep the document up to

date. At it’s most efficient the approach should be utilized not only for

sustainable development goals, but also other aspects such as hospitality quality-

control in the case of Wolwedans. This leads to a major concern that if the

adaptive management approach is not fully embraced the annual updating

required may become an overbearing administrative load that could in its

extremity result in non-compliance and ultimately the cancelation of the

certification or otherwise low adoption levels.

As sites are required to develop their own E4C-plans which the Zeitz foundation

would receive as soon as updates are made the Zeitz foundation is in a powerful

position to stay at the forefront of sustainable development practices as they are

able to update their certification criteria continuously. Furthermore this body of

knowledge will put the Zeitz foundation in the ideal position to study and tap

into the practical knowledge and creativity of many tourist driven enterprises in

order to gain a better understanding of and identify new and innovative ways in

which each of the 4C’s can be interpreted. It will also provide practical steps for

the various LRD sites to use to measure their own progress. If the GER

certification is widely adopted, the E4C-plans from the various sites could

become a valuable body of knowledge providing good resources for further

research within the sustainable development field. For example the analyses of

the plans will allow for the creation of new and better criteria for each of the 4Cs.

It will show the criteria that is common to all sites and those that are applicable

only to specific kinds of operations or environments. Each site must have

modifications made to the default certification indicators. This, coupled with the

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subsequent set of E4C management plans allows the Zeitz foundation to marry

the theoretical concepts from academia with the real world practical

interpretation and application thereof. This will result in a very positive

breeding ground for active sustainable development research. Innovative new

strategies to manage and solve difficult sustainable development can be

identified and shared within the GER or even wider community leading better

sustainable development practices and initiatives worldwide.

It does however depend how widely the certification is adopted and respected

within the international community. In addition to the specific criteria employed

in determining the award of GER certification, the certification itself will have to

be tailored . will be susceptible to personal interpretation of the independent

assessors employed by the Zeitz foundation. This raises consistency concerns

within the assessment process that have not yet been dealt with. These complex

issues will have to be resolved before the validity of the GER certification scheme

can be guaranteed. This is even more so as the first nine E4C-plans will form part

of the development of the GER certification scheme. Therefore it is the first nine

E4C-plans that will largely determine the assessment criteria of the GER

certification.

Wolwedans

Wolwedans itself will benefit from the above approach, not only the Zeitz

foundation. Although Wolwedans already have a strong holistically driven

management approach, which emphasises strategic long-term thinking, they can

still benefit from developing the E4C-plan in a variety of ways. Wolwedans is

currently documenting all the aspects of their business. This will add to their

growing body of guiding documents that will make up “The Wolwedans Way”

and cement the founding principles on which the NRNR and WD are built. The

aim of these documents is two fold; One, to communicate to future generations

the wishes of the founding fathers and; two, to provide material that can be used

for internal and external communication to educate, inform, and motivate staff,

guests and the public at large to become more aware of the importance of the

various aspects of sustainable development. Similarly, the process of developing

the E4C-plan is as important as the final product as it requires of management to

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clarify their thinking and develop clear objectives. Furthermore, the document

serve as a measurement tool for the progress of each of the 4Cs. If extended to

include other aspects of the business as well, it should allow management to

determine where aspects of the business are lacking attention more easily.

Currently water usage measurements are collected, but the raw data remains

untouched. It is not synthesised into user-friendly information. The hope is that

the E4C-plan will act as a guiding document for current decision making and

ensure that the various and sometimes scattered activities and loose ends such

as water measurements are properly managed and are in fact consulted in the

decision-making processes.

The Brückners have for some time realized the importance of protecting the

environment for future generations, but only recently that the organization they

created to facilitate the protection of the environment is just as important. As the

founders, part-owners and leaders of both the NRNR and Wolwedans they have

to plan for the future of both operations. In an attempt to ensure Wolwedans will

stand the test of time and continue to push the boundaries of sustainable

development practices, they are creating the “Wolwedans Way” which includes

not only the practical operational activities, but also captures the road ahead.

Thus, it includes their strategic short, medium, and long-term plans, values,

purpose, policies, and vision. Simultaneously, it needs to prevent future leaders

from making fundamental alterations to the essence of what the NRNR and

Wolwedans sets out to achieve. The E4C-plan is a well-structured model that can

be employed to effectively capture the direction forward and ensure that

management work strategically. It is a tool for the thorough development of

goals, as it requires of management to consider every aspect in terms of long,

medium, and short-term objectives and to identify areas that may require more

attention. Furthermore, it can be used to benchmark individual employees’

performance to ensure accountability.

As Stephan is the creative and strategic thinker for Wolwedans, the E4C-plan

provides a platform for the communication of his long-term strategies to the rest

of the management team and staff. Moreover with minimal manipulation of the

content it could be used on a variety of media for communication to employees

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and management. It could form part of Stephan’s campaign to transmit

Wolwedans’s purpose to the entire organization so that everyone “pulls on the

same strings” and “move[s] in the same direction.” Stephan believes that

working towards achieving goals and instilling a goal-orientated mindset

amongst the staff will not only make them more efficient and motivated at work,

but will also change their personal perception of their own development and

empowerment. Achieving set goals that employees can be proud of develops

their self-confidence, which positively changes their own life and ultimately also

enhances the Wolwedans product.

The management plan may infringe and limit the freedom that the Wolwedans

team to find creative solutions. There may be certain overly restrictive criteria

set out in the plan, that do not allow for sudden changes. This may have a stifling

effect leading to a follower-culture where creative problem-solving and out-of-

the-box thinking is negatively impacted. In opposition to this the GER states that

it aims to promote innovation through creative problem-solving and

experimentation. Even if the GER does provide financial support for innovation

through experimentation, balance is still called for within the E4C-plan to avoid

overly restrictive objectives. In addition, the document must balance the need to

be comprehensive with the practicality of trying to maintain a sizable document.

Wolwedans perceives the preliminary E4C-plan as complex and in need of

“academic muscle”. As it is perceived to be a daunting and time consuming task,

the Wolwedans team have decided to make use of an external consultant for

forging the E4C plan. It is likely that other applicants feel the same, which may

oppose widespread adoption of the approach and of GER certification

applications. This would limit the positive impact of the certification on

ecosphere protection. Nevertheless, perhaps the need for an external consultant

may be attributed not to the inherently daunting nature of the construction of a

preliminary E4C-plan but to the size and complexity of the Wolwedans

operation. Perhaps the inaugural plan merely seems increasingly daunting for

this reason. Besides, once the preliminary plan has been drafted, keeping the

document updated should be more manageable. Applicants would nevertheless

benefit tremendously from support by the Zeitz foundation with the

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development of the preliminary E4C-plans. As the process evolves LRD would

also gain the knowledge they perhaps feel they lack at the outset.

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VI. RESEARCH CONCLUSIONS

As a summary to this case study the conclusion addresses the extent to which the

themes identified and explored as part of the analysis of Wolwedans as an

exemplary sustainable organisation can be integrated into the structure of the

E4C-Plan. The structure of the E4C-Plan, as explained in the literature study, sets

four aspirational goals at the top of the E4C pyramid. These articulate that the

impact on Conservation, Community, Culture, and Commerce must be

functioning ecosystems, sustainable livelihoods, cultural creativity and diversity,

and business resilience respectively. Each of the aspirational goals is supported

by a set of tangible outcomes that need to be identified as part of the E4C-Plan.

These have been depicted as a pyramid structure by the Zeitz foundation and in

the literary study. Therefore, each of the C’s, the overarching goal that the Zeits

foundation articulates under each of them and the extent to which Wolwedans

practices can be generalized to other sites will be discussed in turn. Thereafter,

the effect of the pyramid structure itself will be summarized in the same way.

1. Conservation

The goal or impact of conservation, as articulated by the Zeitz Foundation, is

healthy, functioning ecosystems and the sustainable utilization of natural

resources. Wolwedans is primarily focused on this aspect of the pyramid,

forming, largely, the modus operandi of the entire concept. Conservation has

always been the primary concern of the organization and the commercial aspect,

far from overshadowing this concern, has been clearly articulated as the means

to that end throughout. This is achieved through the structure of the

organization and the central nature of all decisions concerning conservation. It

also has important consequences for the sense of purpose experienced by staff

and guests alike and for the quality of the product itself.

With regards to the structure, the NamibRand is the over-arching entity. It’ sole

focus is conservation activities. On the other hand, the concessionaires are

responsible for securing commercial viability. The NRNR has veto power on all

decisions affecting conservation. There is a clear separation between these

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entities. Traditionally these entities would simply act as opposing forces within

one entity. It may occasionally lead to strained relations but the overall benefit is

that it requires reasoned debate and a more valuable dialogue in that buy-in is

recognized as important for effective implementation. Conversely, it also means

that no justification needs to be given for the protection of fundamental

conservation principles. This is positive for the concessionaires as they are

better able to function as a coherent unit without internal strife as a result of

controversial decisions made in the interest of conservation.

With regards to the central nature of all decisions concerning conservation, there

is one person within the Wolwedans organization who enforces conservation

principles. The existence of a central autocratic authority for decisions that have

a fundamental impact on conservation, has proved beneficial to Wolwedans. This

is so even in an organization managed much more openly when it comes to all

other aspects of the business.

With regards to the quality of the product, the fact that conservation is primary,

means that the main commodity that Wolwedans offers, i.e. nature and scenic

beauty, is kept in a pristine state. The effect is that the guests experience Africa

much as it has been for hundreds of years. This will be further discussed under

commerce. The beneficial effect of the focus on conservation for a sense of

purpose experienced by guests and staff alike will be discussed below with

regard to the sense that a ‘movement’ is created. Ultimately there are various

positive spin-offs to identifying that the primary commodity on offer is an

unspoilt landscape and keeping that landscape in a pristine state.

Therefore, considering the practices of Wolwedans and the NRNR already

discussed, it can be deduced that such practices are transferable to other sites

and that implementing such practices has positive spin-offs, not only for the

product offered, but also for the efficacy of staff. These practices include having 1

bed per 1 000 ha; having a 20 pax limit per site; the exclusive use of solar power

at all sites, growing one’s own produce, using a waste water system and

innovative practices such as the use of Biogas. Furthermore, holistic approaches

such as being engaged in large co-management and development efforts within

the surrounding area to effect joint conservation plans such as the Protected

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Areas Association of Namibia (PAN) and the Greater Sossusvlei-Namib Complex

(GSNC) are exemplary for any site striving for the goal of conservation (Odendal,

Shaw, Scott, & Scott, 2010).

Futhermore, it can be deduced that a central authority within each

concessionaire and the separation of entities involved is beneficial in an

organization aimed at the preservation of ecosystems and the ecosphere at large.

2. Commerce

Financial Viability and responsible business practices are the main concerns of

the commercial aspect of the E4C-plan for GER certification. The approach to

commerce of Wolwedans can be epitomized by the ‘high-quality, low-impact’

eco-tourism venture it so often is described as in its marketing efforts. This

immediately links the commercial aspect of the organisation to conservation.

With regards to the product being of a high quality, a certain exclusivity of the

product is achieved by the primacy that is given to conservation. By focusing on

conservation, the preservation of the natural environment and scenic beauty is

ensured. The result is that the product offered is of a high-quality. This is

enhanced by having a maximum of 20 people per site as well as the theoretic

idea that there is one person surrounded by a thousand hectares as suggested by

the 1-bed-per-1000 ha limitation.

The price of a visit to Wolwedans is neither cheap nor moderate but blatantly

expensive. The higher the price, the fewer people are required to generate the

same amount of revenue, the lower the environmental impact on the reserve.

This only serves to further contribute to the exclusive nature of the product.

The price also has an effect on the brand. The effect is that visitors have a sense

that they are making a contribution to conservation. This is attributed to the

‘story’ surrounding Wolwedans. Every brand benefits from being associated with

a ‘story’ and the Wolwedans story is enhanced by the name itself which means

the dance of wolves; by the assurance that a certain magic of un-spoilt nature is

still ‘out there’; by the mystique of the fairy circles and by the integral

importance of community to the organization. The last point is ever-present to

guests; the staff component is comprised of people from diverse cultures who

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are confident and who interact with guests and one-another with ease. Despite

the development of effective marketing tools such as a story, however, marketing

has been identified in interviews, as an area where Wolwedans could benefit

from improvement. It is anticipated that tourist sites will increasingly be

selected for being green. The Zeitz Foundation envisions that GER certified sites,

known as Long Run Destinations will be sought out via their website and so

provide Wolwedans with an additional branding and marketing avenue.

The commercial ventures of the organization at large include the various

concessionaires, NICE, Vocational Training such as the Desert Academy, and the

Adopt-a-Fairy-Circle initiative. An important aspect of these ventures, especially

NICE and the vocational training, is the recognition that community activities can

be commercially viable on their own. An extra example is that the planned

outsourcing of the laundry service will not only save money but benefit the

nearby community of Maltehöhe.

The lessons to be learnt from the Wolwedans approach to commerce are that

their contribution to sustainability and conservation are a useful tool in

branding. The fundamental belief fueling much of the critical decisions at

Wolwedans, as well as the premise that the Zeitz Foundation is based upon is

that there is a growing trend towards ‘green travelling’ whereby tourism

destinations are consciously selected on the basis of the dedication of

destinations to conservation and sustainable development (which includes

cultural and community aspects). The success of the commercial aspect of the

organization can be attributed to two main points of focus that are transferable

to other sites. Firstly, superbly accurate budgets using budgeting software

enables informed planning. Secondly, cash flow management is crucial to

manage the seasonality within the tourism industry and development phases.

3. Community

The aim that the GER certification seeks to achieve in the incorporation of the

community facet of the pyramid is sustainable livelihoods. This is articulated as

three fundamental responsibilities: Livelihood benefits to individuals and

relevant communities must be attained; Two-way interaction must be sustained;

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Fair working conditions must be established. However, the Wolwedans initiative

has far loftier and farther-reaching aims than those required by the proposed

outcomes as per the E4C-plan. Wolwedans is a comparatively excellent employer

in Namibia providing medical aid and pension benefits to all employees. The

ways in which Wolwedans go beyond the call of duty in the development of their

community can be understood firstly in terms of the social context of Namibia as

a developing country, secondly in terms of a wholly holistic approach.

As to the first, in the developing world, poverty and alcohol abuse are real

concerns. There is genuine care from the top down for the private life of all staff

beyond mere organizational aspects. There is a culture of going beyond the call

of duty to effect genuine empowerment of all employees but also of the larger

Namibian population.

Empowerment of the employees is focused on effective change from a culture of

apathy to purpose-driven and autonomous people who are aware of their own

capacity to affect change in their own lives. For the advancement of a culture of

personal development, sport and especially soccer has been found to be

effective. Sport is strongly advocated by the Zeitz Foundation as a contribution to

the community component and is viewed by the Wolwedans team as a means of

promoting happy, fit and more productive staff.

Staff happiness arose time and again as a key theme in the success of

Wolwedans. There is a recognition by staff that from the top down, nothing is too

much trouble, and that management is willing to go the extra mile (King,

Interview 6). Conversely there is a recognition by management that although

“happiness is to a large extent the paycheck, [...] there is seriously more to

happiness.” It is all-about-the-people as the team is seen as “the company’s most

valuable asset and as such the only one which will increase its value over the

years” (Brückner, 2000). This is evidenced in that the Village provides staff with

a space of their own where increasingly each employee has their own room.

SME’s that staff are interested in are encouraged by management even when

there is no direct benefit for Wolwedans (Brückner, Interview 10). The result of

employees who are assured that they are cared for is a relaxed, friendly and

hospitable environment (Webber, Interview 7) which has a direct influence on

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guests’ experience. Two-way interaction is maintained not only in that staff are

encouraged to propose their own initiatives to management and voice their

concerns but that they are also encouraged to interact with the guests. This

further enhances the guest experience and cultural exchange which is discussed

below.

As to the second way in which the activities of Wolwedans go beyond the call of

duty, they are set on approaching all activities from a holistic point of view. The

holistic approach means that a wider range of communities and people benefit

from the activities and that the all activities are approached with a view to their

long-term effects. The vision goes beyond the responsibility to care for staff to

the effective empowerment of staff. It further goes beyond the staff and the

immediate community component to the tourism industry as a whole, and even

to the conservation of the entire country and the empowerment of all Namibians.

This is because of the paradoxical recognition that far from diluting their

competitive edge, making a contribution to the industry at large and to all

Namibians makes Namibia a more attractive tourist destination and a better

place to live. This translates into commercial benefits for the business. To this

end, Wolwedans employs only Namibians and provides varieties of vocational

training opportunities to transfer skills.

Lessons to be learnt from the Wolwedans approach to community are a holistic

perspective where affective empowerment is an achievable goal. The

commitment to the community is shown by the pledge of a third of the revenue

of Wolwedans to the Wolwedans Foundation aimed at socio-economic

development projects. This is a valuable transferable tool for the focused

commitment to Community.

4. Culture

The goal of the Zeitz Foundation with regards to the cultural facet of the E4C

plan is cultural creativity and diversity. The implication is that outcomes must

include an understanding of the cultural environment; that a cultural platform

must be sustained; and that the cultures of the local community, Wolwedans

itself and of visitors must be represented (Zeitz Foundation, 2010a).

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Wolwedans promotes intercultural understanding and relations both through

cultural exchange and by emphasizing authenticity. With thirteen different

indigenous Namibian races, the staff component represents many diverse

cultures. As a result, the village is a cultural microcosm that promotes cultural

exchange between these races. The guests provide further opportunity for

cultural exchange. Since discussions with the Zeitz Foundation, Wolwedans have

given extra attention to culture as a separate component to the community

component already focused on. Cultural heritage has always been promoted

through the demarcated wilderness areas where there are bushmen artifacts to

be found. Similarly, expressions of culture have been promoted by the

presentation of the menu at dinnertime in the local, clicking Nama language as

well as the crafts that are for sale at the curio shop. New directives are to

promote social cohesion through soccer but also to invite guests to join in the

game to promote cultural exchange. There is also a planned bar, cinema and

library and the NRNR are investigating the commercialization of medicinal

plants.

Thus, Culture is a fledgling concern at Wolwedans but already an ethic of

authenticity and cultural exchange has been established. Authenticity is

emphasised in that the presentation of the menu in the Nama language has

always been optional and all staff are encouraged to interact with guests at their

own discretion about their own perspective. This also advances cultural

exchange as it adds to the feeling of autonomy and empowerment of staff and

enhances the guest experience.

5. The E4C Structure

The E4C-Plan is structured in such a way that it does not require adherence to

strict, fixed criteria but rather is innovative in that it recognizes that true

sustainable development is an ongoing goal. For this reason the plan is adaptive

and can be employed as a useful management tool. A management tool of this

nature instills a culture of strategic thinking, a long-term focus, and a more

holistic approach. A spin-off for the Zeitz Foundation is that it allows them to

develop assessment criteria that are appropriate to the specific sites and that are

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more relevant than they would otherwise be. This strikes an appropriate balance

between the need to codify high-level concepts into measurable criteria on the

one hand and a recognition that sustainable development is an ongoing process

where qualitative measures evolve over time.

From the very beginning of the organization, Wolwedans has been concerned

with the development of the very values articulated by the 4C’s. This is evident in

all that has been demonstrated in this report and in the very fact of the selection

of Wolwedans by the Zeitz Foundation. Stephan articulated the goals of

Wolwedans as a commitment to “sustainable growth by carefully balancing

quality leadership, economic progress, social responsibility and care of [the]

environment” before becoming acquainted with the 4C’s. Thus, although the

goals were already well established they were largely dependent on a single

visionary leader for their advocacy and enforcement. In order to give these aims

longevity to successive leadership teams, the GER certification has been

considered and pursued as a means of cementing the Wolwedans Way.

6. The Wolwedans ‘Movement

The result of all the lessons to be learnt from Wolwedans is that there is a vision

and a sense of purpose so expansive that a movement has been created.

Involvement in the organization is not just a job, it is a lifestyle (Shongu,

Interview 8). This is supported by a multitude of the factors explored in this case

study. Wolwedans does not merely pay lip service to the values it claims to

support; its aims are reflected in the very structure of the organization.

Autonomy is emphasized in the leadership style of the organization which

further facilitates trust in the organization. The effect is true empowerment of

the cultural capital of the company which is not only highly prized by highly

invested in.

The long-term approach pervades the entire system and consideration thereof

precedes all important decisions. The vision includes certain non-negotiable

norms which underscores the passion that drives the organization and that is not

for sale as evidenced by Stephan himself: “ The aim is not to make allot of money,

but rather to create real value” (Brückner, Interview 4).

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VII. FUTURE RESEARCH

This study examined the management practices and other contextual factors that

helped shape the sustainable development of Wolwedans and the potential

impact the GER certification and the adaptive management strategy it postulates

hold for Wolwedans.

A number of avenues for future research became apparent during this study.

Firstly, there exists the opportunity for longitudinal studies investigating

Wolwedans and their management practices after the transient phase of

adjusting to the use of the E4C-plan has passed. This would provide a better

understanding of the usefulness of adaptive management strategies as part of

sustainable development certification schemes and its efficacy in promoting

more sustainable practices.

Secondly, an immediate option exists to conduct similar case studies on the other

nine sites targeted by the Zeitz Foundation. Providing collective case study

material would allow for comparative analysis between the findings of each case.

Moreover, correlating the various contextual and managerial factors that

positively influence the willingness of a site to delve into sustainable

development initiatives may be of utmost value in developing better strategies

for the promotion of sustainability globally.

Thirdly, research analysis of the leadership and other managerial factors that are

in strongest support of sustainable development initiatives and how these

factors correlate with the leading certification programs globally, could prove

insightful. If any certification hopes to promote sustainable development and the

sustainable utilization of the limited resources available to mankind, it must

address not only the outcomes of the activities of a business, but also focus on

the drivers that ultimately define those activities in the first place. As this study

has already shown, leadership as well as strategic and holistic long-term

approaches are critical in shaping an organization and its activities. Further

research may do well by investigating these drivers.

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VIII. BIBLIOGRAPHY

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and Certification (pp. 1-29). Washington, DC: Island.

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conservation initiative in south-western Namibia. Brochure. Retrieved

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IX. APPENDICES

Appendix 1: Formal Interviewees

Interviewee # Date Organization

Brückner, S Interview 1 October 6, 2010 Wolwedans HQ

Dobson, G Interview 2 October 6, 2010 Wolwedans HQ

Odendal, N Interview 3 October 7, 2010 NamibRand Nature Reserve

Brückner, S Interview 4 October 11,

2010

Wolwedans HQ

Dobson, G Interview 5 October 12,

2010

Wolwedans HQ

King, A Interview 6 October 12,

2010

Wolwedans HQ

Webber, E Interview 7 October 13,

2010

Wolwedans

Shongu, T Interview 8 October 13,

2010

Wolwedans

Nel, T Interview 9 October 15,

2010

Wolwedans HQ

Brückner, S Interview

10

October 15,

2010

Wolwedans HQ

Klemmer, B Interview

11

October 1, 2010 Zeitz Foundation

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