Nyae Nyae Conservancy and N‡a Jaqna Conservancy in Tsumkwe Constituency of northeast Namibia are the home of some of the best-known, and simultaneously some of the most marginalised, communities in the country. The whole of Tsumkwe Constituency, situated in what is today known as Otjozondjupa Region, corresponds with the former homeland “Bushmanland” established in 1969 under the apartheid system of South West Africa, and is today the constituency with the highest concentration of San in Namibia. The majority of the residents of both Tsumkwe East (which largely comprises Nyae Nyae Conservancy) and Tsumkwe West (most of which is part of N‡a Jaqna Conservancy) are San. They are the largest San-majority conservancies in the country,1 but the demographic composition of the two areas differs in some important ways, as will be outlined in the following sections. As conservancy members, the San communities living in these two areas have rights over the wildlife resources in their areas, and community forest designations also give them rights over plant resources. Both communities also have political representation in the form of a Traditional Authority (TA), which in combination with their conservancy and community forest status provides a level of recognition by and access to the national government that most other San do not have. Both conservancies today have the support of a well-funded organisation that has been operating continuously for decades, and that assists the communities with financial, political and legal advice, and logistical support.