The Ministry of Environment and Tourism is facing a funding shortfall of approximately N$165 million, raising concerns about the sustainability of conservation. The funding constraints are outlined in the parliamentary standing committee on natural resources' final report on a capacity-building workshop with stakeholders held at Swakopmund, which was tabled before the eighth National Assembly. For the 2025/26 financial year, the ministry has been allocated a total budget of N$797 million. Of this amount, N$382 million is allocated to personnel costs for the ministry's 1 742 employees, reflecting the labour-intensive nature of environmental protection, conservation enforcement and regulatory oversight. Additional allocations include N$89 million for park maintenance and N$76 million for conservation programmes. Despite these allocations, the committee reports that the ministry remains significantly under-resourced in key operational areas. The report identifies an immediate funding gap of N$45 million for anti-poaching equipment, which the committee says is essential for protecting wildlife across Namibia's 21 protected areas, including flagship conservation sites such as Etosha and Sossusvlei. These protected areas span more than 13 million hectares and are currently safeguarded by 648 rangers.