Foreword

As we write this, some 23,000 people from nearly every country on earth are meeting in Cali, Columbia to discuss the conservation of biological diversity. Biodiversity, as it is better known, encompasses all life forms on this planet we call home and which we have a responsibility to conserve. It is therefore particularly fitting to introduce the most biodiverse edition of Conservation and the Environment in Namibia that we have produced to date.

Of all the plants and animals found naturally in Namibia (known as indigenous) the ones that are found only here and nowhere else – endemic species – represent the country's special contribution to global biodiversity. Two articles this year (Uniquely Namibian and Endemic plants and animals on the highlands) provide a tantalising sample of these species and the ‘near-endemics', which Namibia shares with South Africa or Angola.

Worryingly, some of Namibia's most interesting endemic and near-endemic plants are threatened by plant poachers that mainly collect these species to sell to people who want them in their gardens, perhaps without realising that their hobby threatens these plants in the wild. Helge Denker zooms out to consider Namibia's fight against wildlife crime more broadly, which remains a critical national challenge.

Another national challenge for biodiversity is the prevalence of fencing that criss-crosses freehold land. While Peter Cunningham looks at the impacts that relatively low livestock fences have on springbok, fencing that is high enough to keep jumping antelope from crossing is an even greater threat – especially if electrified. The ability of wildlife to move in response to changing climatic conditions in arid and semi-arid ecosystems is their most important behavioural survival mechanism. The freehold conservancy concept, which was initially supported by government, provides a potential solution to this problem by encouraging landowners to drop some of their game-proof fences.

Namibia's communal conservancies continue to enjoy national and international support for their role in supporting sustainable rural livelihoods by managing their biodiversity. Find out more about a new four-year project to support multiple conservancies that create a ‘bridge' between Etosha and Skeleton Coast National Parks. Conservancies in this hyper-arid north-western part of the country also play a key role in connecting lion populations across this landscape. Meanwhile, 12 conservancies and a community association on the north-eastern side of the country have benefitted from the multi-pronged, collaborative Sustainable Wildlife Management Programme.

The state of our biodiversity is not only the concern of a few trained conservation scientists – every Namibian citizen should be concerned about how the environment is managed and be acquainted with related government policies and processes. Most appropriately for an election year, you will discover that democracy and the environment can indeed go hand-in-hand. The system for Environmental Impact Assessments is supposed to allow the public to exercise their democratic rights to comment on new development projects, but as you will find, this system is broken.

The connection between human well-being and biodiversity conservation is most clearly evident in the matter of health. The rabies virus is deadly to humans and animals, posing a particular threat to domestic and wild cats and dogs. Rabies vaccination programmes are critical for tackling this disease and protecting humans and animals.

Finally, we invite you to reflect on the passage of time with the beautiful stamps that depict Namibia's natural beauty. With the rise of email and instant messaging, using and collecting stamps is becoming a thing of the past. Before you get too melancholic, check out the last article of this year's edition to read about the future. We are excited to support the Namibian Youth Chamber of Environment, a dynamic group of students, young professionals and job seekers who are eager to take up the baton of biodiversity conservation to secure their future.

Yours in conservation,

Chris Brown and Gail Thomson