Conservation
and the Environment in Namibia

WWF Namibia – Communications, and Wildlife and Landscapes teams

Communal conservancies in north-western Namibia form a conservation ‘bridge’ between the Skeleton Coast and Etosha National Parks. This massive, arid landscape hosts people and wildlife that are increasingly impacted by climate change. The Legacy Landscapes Fund seeks to strengthen the parks and conservancies by providing a US$1 million a year for 50 or more years. This is a timely boost to community-based natural resource management in the region.

Conservancies Association of Namibia

Namibia’s first freehold conservancy was established in 1991 as a means for neighbouring game ranchers to cooperate and reduce fencing that cuts off natural migration routes. Unfortunately, initial government support for the concept was withdrawn, resulting in many conservancies becoming inactive. In light of global conservation targets, this is a renewed call for support to freehold conservancies and their representative association.

John Pallett

The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process in Namibia is not working as it should. Instead of ensuring sustainable development that takes into account the socio-economic and ecological impacts of new projects in a transparent manner, many EIAs in Namibia are sub-standard, opaque box-ticking exercises. The authors call on the Office of the Environmental Commissioner to make substantial changes to the current system.

John Mendelsohn

A recently published scientific monograph explores the unique (endemic) biodiversity that occurs only on the highlands and escarpments of Angola and Namibia. The rich variety of plants, insects, arachnids, amphibians, reptiles, fish, birds, mammals and many more found in this publication is a just a taste of the true diversity to be found in this area. We need more scientists and citizen enthusiasts to find and document this natural wealth.

Herta Kolberg and Sofia Amakali

Namibia is home to approximately 4,200 plant species, of which 700 occur nowhere else on earth (endemic) and a further 715 occur mainly in Namibia (near-endemic). Few people know about or could identify these important species and our information on them is scattered and limited. This project aims to improve our understanding of these species and invite citizen scientists to contribute photographs and knowledge to a central database.

Ministry of Environment, Forestry & Tourism

Plant poaching increased dramatically in 2021 and remains a concern for Namibian authorities. The multi-agency Protected Plants Task Team was formed to address this threat. Their work includes public awareness, investigations, arrests, prosecutions and rehabilitating confiscated plants. Although the PPTT have had some success in arresting poaching kingpins, the global demand for unusual plants continues to threaten our unique plant species.

Namibian Lion Trust

The Namibian Lion Trust works in four communal conservancies that connect Etosha National Park with tourism concession areas in far west. Maintaining this connection is critical for the long-term survival and genetic health of desert-adapted lions. They do this by working with Lion Rangers that help local farmers to protect their livestock, in collaboration with other organisations working on lion conservation in Namibia.

Cheetah Conservation Fund

Rabies is a global health threat that is transmitted between domestic and wild carnivores and humans. Cheetah Conservation Fund therefore initiated a rabies vaccination campaign in 2019 aimed at dogs and cats in communal areas in the Greater Waterberg Landscape – home to cheetahs, African wild dogs and other carnivores. By vaccinating thousands of pets, they have protected untold numbers of wild animals and humans from this fatal virus.

Peter Cunningham

Southern Namibia, a predominantly sheep-farming area, is criss-crossed by fences that manage sheep movements and keep predators out of grazing camps. These fences pose a significant hurdle to springbok that are trying to move in response to rainfall or to survive particularly dry years. Peter Cunningham did a 10-year survey of springbok deaths on his farm fences to find what impact they have and what farmers can do to reduce these fatalities.

Helge Denker

Wildlife crime is a complex issue that involves many sectors of society and laws regarding access to natural resources. Helge Denker calls for a nuanced and holistic approach towards poaching and trafficking that considers the circumstances of those involved and the reasons for committing crime. Rather than militarising conservation, people should be able to generate value from wildlife in ways that are legal and sustainable.

EduVentures Trust

Environmental education and awareness can be further strengthened by civic education, which helps people understand how government processes work in a democratic society. EduVentures therefore partnered with the Namibia Institute for Democracy as part of their expanded EduLink project, which reached 333 teachers from 180 schools across Namibia. Teachers and their pupils have thus been inspired to do their part for sustainable development.

WWF Namibia's Wildlife and Landscape team

Reducing human-wildlife conflict, diversifying livelihoods and increasing food insecurity is all part of the larger goal to conserve the whole landscape in the Kavango-Zambezi (KAZA) Transfrontier Conservation Area. The Sustainable Wildlife Management Programme has provided funding for implementing partners working closely with 13 community-based organisations over four years to achieve these goals in north-eastern Namibia.

Helge Denker

Postage stamps are becoming obsolete as fewer people send physical mail and postal services become increasingly inefficient. Yet stamps based on nature – like many of Namibia’s stamps – are a beautiful mix of science and art. Stamp designer, artist and writer Helge Denker shares some insights into creating some of Namibia’s award-winning stamps, while contemplating the future of science and art in a digital world.

Trendy Masule and Gail Thomson

The Namibian Youth Chamber of Environment (NYCE) was established in June 2024 to create a network of young Namibians who want to contribute to conservation and sustainable development. This new network has already hosted several webinars on pertinent topics and established a strong leadership team to take them forwards. NYCE is the ideal vehicle for established conservation professionals to pass on their knowledge and passion to the next generation.