The protected areas of Namibia include its national parks and reserves. With the 2010 declaration of Dorob National Park, Namibia became the first and only country to have its entire coastline protected through a national parks network. [1] Protected areas are subdivided into game reserves and/or nature reserves, such as special protected area, wilderness areas, natural areas, and development areas. There are also recreation reserves. [2] Facilities in the national parks are operated by Namibia Wildlife Resorts. [3] Over 19% of Namibia is protected, an area of some 130,000 square kilometres. [4] However, the Ministry of Environment & Tourism auctions limited hunting rights within its protected areas. [4] The Namibia Nature Foundation, an NGO, was established in 1987 to raise and administer funds for the conservation of wildlife and protected area management. Communal Wildlife Conservancies in Namibia help promote sustainable natural resource management by giving local communities rights to wildlife management and tourism.
Image | Name | Established | Area (km2) | Summary |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bwabwata National Park | 2007 | 6100 | The NP includes the Mahango Game Park and Caprivi Game Park. Vegetation consists of tree and shrub savannah biome such as Zambezi teak (Baikiaea plurijuga), wild seringa ( Burkea africana ), and African teak ( Pterocarpus angolensis ). Some of the larger mammals include the Cape buffalo, hippopotamus, roan antelope, and predators are lion, leopard, Namibian cheetah and spotted hyena. Important bird species include black-winged pratincole and slaty egret. [5] [6] [7] | |
Dorob National Park | 2010 | 57772 | Dorob NP, meaning "dry land", is a 1,600 kilometres (990 mi) long strip of land, encompassing belts of coastal dunes and gravel plains, as well as Ramsar listed wetlands. With the park's creation the coastline from the Kunene River on the Angolan border to the Orange River on the South African border become a solid barrier of parks. [8] | |
Etosha National Park | 1907 | 22220 | The Etosha salt pans are the most noticeable geological features in the park. Vegetation types are mostly of woodland (mopane, the most common tree) and also savanna, grasslands and saline desert. There are about 114 mammal species, 340 bird species, 110 reptile species, 16 amphibian species and 1 species of fish (up to 49 species of fish during floods.) Mountain zebra is found in the largest numbers (2235). [12] | |
Khaudom National Park | 3657.91 | The dominant vegetation in the park, which is located in the Kalahari Desert is species-rich, high and short dry forest and dry acacia forest. Large mammals in the park include more than 3500 elephants, giraffes and antelopes, including horse antelopes, kudus, lyre antelopes, elands and reedbucks. 320 species of birds inhabit the area, including parrots and more than 50 birds of prey. [8] | ||
Mamili National Park renamed Nkasa Rupara National Park in 2012 | 1 March 1990 | 343.17 | The dominant flora is broadleaved trees and can be described as a Savanna biome and the vegetation type is Caprivi floodplains. Some of the mammals found include the elephant, the Cape buffalo (about 1,000 head of population), hippopotamus (560) and crocodile (500). Around 450 bird species have also been reported. [13] [14] | |
Mudumu National Park | 1990 | 737 | This park is an important migration route of African elephant and many other large animals from Botswana to Angola. 430 bird species, including African fish eagle, African skimmer and western-banded snake eagle have been reported. Fish species in the park include the tiger fish and tilapia. [15] | |
Namib-Naukluft Park | 1 August 1979 | 49,768 | The Namib Desert (considered the world's oldest desert) and the Naukluft mountain range are part of the park. The desert dunes taper off near the coast, and lagoons, wetlands, and mudflats. In the hyper-arid region faunal species reported are snakes, geckos, unusual insects, hyenas, gemsboks and Black-backed jackals. [16] [17] | |
Skeleton Coast National Park | 1971 | 16,845 | Designated in 1971, this park gets its name from the skeletal remains of shipwrecks, which numerous on this stretch of coastline. There are elephants that live in desert dunes and lions in the park. Springbok, plains zebra, gemsbok, jackals and ostrich are also reported. In the offshore part of the park, dolphins and whales are sighted. [18] | |
Waterberg Plateau Park | 1972 | 405 | Several of Namibia's endangered species were moved into this waterberg park (waterberg means "hill of water") for conservation. In 1989, black rhinoceros was reintroduced to the area from Damaraland. Sable, rone antelope, red heartebeest and steenbok are reported in the park. The lower hills of the mountain have over 200 species of bird with some rare species of small antelope. Some of the key bird species are black eagles, peregrine falcons and Cape vulture. [19] |
Cape Cross is a protected area under the name Cape Cross Seal Reserve. The reserve is the home of one of the largest colonies of Cape fur seals in the world. [20] Cape Cross is one of two main sites in Namibia where seals are culled, partly for selling their hides and partly for protecting the fish stock. The economic impact of seals on the fish resources is controversial: While a government-initiated study found that seal colonies consume more fish than the entire fishing industry can catch, [21] animal protection society Seal Alert South Africa estimated less than 0.3% losses to commercial fisheries. [22]
The Daan Viljoen Game Reserve is a game reserve near Windhoek, situated in the hill area of Khomas Hochland. [23] Over 200 species are found here, typical of the Namibian highlands, including Hartmann's mountain zebra, blue wildebeest, kudu, gemsbok, springbok, impala, rockrunner, white-tailed shrike, Monteiro's hornbill, Bradfield's swift, Rüppell's parrot and Carp's tit. [23] In the 1990s a number of indigenous people in the area were resettled by the Namibian government. [23] The park has many walking paths and allows tourists to travel around by themselves. It closed in 2010 to allow for the construction of the Sun Karros Daan Viljoen Lodge but has since reopened.
Hardap Recreation Resort surrounds Namibia's largest Hardap Dam, which opened in 1964 as a recreational area. [24] Listed under IUCN Category IV, [24] as of 2004 the park it covered an area of 252 square kilometres (97 sq mi), of which about 10% formed the lake area. [25] [26] As Reader's Digest said though, "ironically, although Hardap is one of Namibia's best-known resorts, the nature reserve is unfamiliar to the large majority of visitors." [27] It contains over 100 species of birds. [26]
The Popa Game Park is a small park where the Popa water fall, which drops by only 3 m over rapids on the Okavango River, is situated. Its thunderous sound is heard over a long distance. Bird species are a common sight and hippopotamus inhabit the river. [28]
Ehirovipuka Conservancy is a gazetted communal area conservancy situated in the Kunene Region. It was established in January 2001 and covers an area of 1,980 square kilometres (760 sq mi). [29] The reserve consists of mainly semi-desert and savannah woodlands, and the Ombonde River flows through the area. [29] Animals living there include African bush elephant, African leopard, lion, South African cheetah, common eland, kudu, duiker, warthog, steenbok, gemsbok, Angolan giraffe, springbok, South African ostrich, and Hartman's mountain zebra. [29] [30] [31] It contains a meat processing plant supplying tourist lodges. [32] Other economic activity includes forestry and the sale of traditional craft products. [33] Ehirovipuka Conservancy received a 20-year tourism concession in 2010. [34] [35]
The Erindi Game Reserve ('Erendi' meaning "Place of Water") is in the heart land of Namibia and covers an area of 70,000ha. It is located 40 km to the east of Omaruru town and lies between the Erongo Mountain Rhino Sanctuary Trust of Namibia and the Omatako Mountains. Habitats recorded are of mountainous areas, riverine vegetation, inselbergs and grassland savannahs. Leopard research is an important activity in the reserve. It also has a notable population of south-western black rhinoceros, lion, brown hyena, leopard and cheetah. [36]
Gamsberg Nature Reserve is in central Namibia, located west of Rehoboth. It surrounds Gamsberg, Namibia's fourth highest mountain, with a peak elevation of 2,347 metres (7,700 ft). [25]
The Naankuse Wildlife Sanctuary covers an area of 3,200 ha which is a sanctuary for orphaned animals. Some of the animals tended are lions, leopards, cheetahs, wild dogs, caracals and baboons. The animals reported in the wild of the sanctuary are giraffe, zebra, kudu, hartebeest, springbok, eland, jackal and also wild cheetahs and leopards. [37] The sanctuary has developed a new method to identify cheetahs in the wild based on their paw prints. This is done in association with Wildtrack, AfriCat and Chester Zoo. [38]
The NamibRand Nature Reserve is a private nature reserve (largest such reserve in Africa) covering an area of 202,200 ha with four habitats of dunes and sandy plains, inselbergs and mountains gravel plains, and sand and gravel plains interface. The largest number of oryx (gemsbok or oryx) (3,200) and Antidorcas marsupialis (springbok) (12,400) are the dominant mammal species in the reserve. 150 bird species of birds are also reported. Other wild animals which are predators, recorded in the reserve are leopard, spotted and brown hyena, black-backed jackal, aardwolf, bat-eared fox, Cape fox, Southern African wildcat, caracal and genet. [39] [40]
The Tsaobis Leopard Park is the only nature reserve in Namibia to conserve leopards in particular. [41] Situated south of Karibib and east of Swakopmund, it was established in 1969. [42]
Sandfontein Nature Reserve is located in southern Namibia near the Orange River. The nature reserve covers an area over 200,000 acres and is home to many species of animal including aardvark, aardwolf, baboon, black backed jackal, cape clawless otter, eland, gemsbok (oryx), giraffe, Hartmann's zebra, klipspringer, kudu, leopard, ostrich, red hartebeest, rock hyrax, springbok, steenbok and wild donkey.
The protection is not necessarily limited to inside the borders of Namibia. In 2007 the Ai-Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park, an international peace park, was created through the joint management of the Ai-Ais Hot Springs park, which includes parts of Fish River Canyon, and the Richtersveld National Park in neighbouring South Africa. [4] Fauna includes rock hyrax, ground squirrel, jackal buzzard and Hartmann's mountain zebra.
In 2006, the countries of Namibia, Angola, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Botswana signed an agreement creating the Kavango–Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area, a vast expanse of land designated primarily "'to establish a world-class transfrontier conservation area and tourism destination in the Okavango and Zambezi river-basin regions within the context of sustainable development", by linking different habitats and allowing animals the freedom of movement throughout this region of Africa. [4]
In addition, there is ongoing discussion between the governments of Namibia and Angola regarding the creation of a trans-border coastal park, formed from the concatenation of the Skeleton Coast National Park, and Angola's Iona National Park. [4]
Maasai Mara, also sometimes spelled Masai Mara and locally known simply as The Mara, is a large national game reserve in Narok, Kenya, contiguous with the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. It is named in honor of the Maasai people, the ancestral inhabitants of the area, who migrated to the area from the Nile Basin. Their description of the area when looked at from afar: "Mara" means "spotted" in the local Maasai language, due to the many short bushy trees which dot the landscape.
The Namib-Naukluft Park is a national park in western Namibia, situated between the coast of the Atlantic Ocean and the edge of the Great Escarpment. It encompasses part of the Namib Desert, the Naukluft mountain range, and the lagoon at Sandwich Harbour. The best-known area of the park and one of the main visitor attractions in Namibia is Sossusvlei, a clay pan surrounded by dunes, and Sesriem, a small canyon of the Tsauchab. The desert research station of Gobabeb is situated within the park.
Nairobi National Park is a national park in Kenya that was established in 1946 about 7 km (4.3 mi) south of Nairobi. It is fenced on three sides, whereas the open southern boundary allows migrating wildlife to move between the park and the adjacent Kitengela plains. Herbivores gather in the park during the dry season. Nairobi National Park is negatively affected by increasing human and livestock populations, changing land use and poaching of wildlife. Despite its proximity to the city and its relative small size, it boasts a large and varied wildlife population, and is one of Kenya's most successful rhinoceros sanctuaries.
Mountain Zebra National Park is a national park in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa proclaimed in July 1937 for the purpose of providing a nature reserve for the endangered Cape mountain zebra.
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is a large wildlife preserve and conservation area in southern Africa.
Iona National Park is the largest national park in Angola. It is situated in the Southwestern corner of the country, in Namibe Province. It is roughly bound by the Atlantic Ocean to the West, an escarpment to the East that marks the beginning of the interior plateau, the Curoca River to the North, and the Cunene River to the South. It is about 200 kilometres (120 mi) south of the city of Namibe and covers 5,850 square miles (15,200 km2) sq. miles.
Mokolodi Nature Reserve is a private not-for-profit game reserve in southern Botswana. Founded in 1994 by The Mokolodi Wildlife Foundation, it is situated on 30 square kilometres (12 sq mi) of donated land, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) south of the capital Gaborone. The nature reserve is inhabited by a wide variety of indigenous African game, bird and reptile species, some of which are rare and vulnerable to the threat of extinction. The southern white rhinoceros herd at Mokolodi Nature Reserve is part of a national breeding programme, which contributes to the rebuilding of the national herd in Botswana.
The wildlife of Botswana refers to the flora and fauna of this country. Botswana is around 90% covered in savanna, varying from shrub savanna in the southwest in the dry areas to tree savanna consisting of trees and grass in the wetter areas. Even under the hot conditions of the Kalahari Desert, many different species survive; in fact the country has more than 2500 species of plants and 650 species of trees. Vegetation and its wild fruits are also extremely important to rural populations living in the desert and are the principal source of food, fuel and medicine for many inhabitants.
Namibia is one of few countries in the world to specifically address habitat conservation and protection of natural resources in their constitution. Article 95 states, "The State shall actively promote and maintain the welfare of the people by adopting international policies aimed at the following: maintenance of ecosystems, essential ecological processes, and biological diversity of Namibia, and utilization of living natural resources on a sustainable basis for the benefit of all Namibians, both present and future.".
The Naankuse Foundation Wildlife Sanctuary, also stylized Nǀaʼankusê, is a wildlife sanctuary in central Namibia, situated c. 42 kilometres (26 mi) outside Windhoek. Besides the sanctuary the establishment also runs a carnivore conservation research programme, the Clever Cubs Pre-primary School, and a clinic for the San people. Naankuse is a Juǀ'hoan word that means "God will protect us", or "God watches over us." The sanctuary opened in 2007. It is run by Namibian conservationist Marlice van Vuuren and her husband Rudi van Vuuren. Naankuse is funded by voluntary donations and relies on the time of volunteers to continue its projects.
Palmwag is a Tourism Concession on Communal Land in northern Namibia. It is located in the Kunene region, in northwestern Damaraland, halfway between Swakopmund and the Etosha National Park. It covers an area of 400,000 hectares. An interesting tree species that are being found there palm tree Hyphaena petersiana. Wildlife species in Palmwag include leopard, lion, cheetah, mountain zebra, Angolan giraffe, springbok, kudu, and African bush elephans. The reserve also has the largest population of south-western black rhinos in Africa; a local organization called Save the Rhino Trust protects them.
Bwabwata National Park is a protected area in northeastern Namibia that was established in 2007 and covers 6,274 km2 (2,422 sq mi). It was created by merging Caprivi Game Park and Mahango Game Reserve. It is situated in the Zambezi and Kavango East regions, extending along the Caprivi Strip. It is bounded by the Okavango River to the west and the Kwando River to the east. Angola lies to the north and Botswana to the south.
Mudumu is a National Park in Caprivi Region in north-eastern Namibia. The park was established in 1990. It covers an area of 737 square kilometres (285 sq mi). The Kwando River forms the western border with Botswana. Various communal area conservancies and community forests surround Mudumu National Park.
Nkasa Rupara National Park, also Nkasa Lupala National Park, formerly Mamili National Park, is a national park in Namibia. It is centered on the Nkasa and Rupara islands on the Kwando/Linyanti River in the south-western corner of East Caprivi. Botswana lies to the west, south and east, and Sangwali village to the north. It is Namibia's largest formally protected wetland area. It is one of Namibia’s protected areas that benefits local communities surrounding parks. The unfenced park forms a trans-boundary link for wildlife migration between Angola, Botswana, Namibia and Zambia. Nkasa Rupara is part of the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area.
Dorob National Park is a protected area in Erongo, along the central Namibian coast, which is 1,600 kilometres (990 mi) in length. It was gazetted as a national park under the Nature Conservation Ordinance No.4 of 1975 on 1 December 2010, and with Namib-Naukluft Park covers an area of 107,540 square kilometres (41,520 sq mi).
The Southeast African cheetah is the nominate cheetah subspecies native to East and Southern Africa. The Southern African cheetah lives mainly in the lowland areas and deserts of the Kalahari, the savannahs of Okavango Delta, and the grasslands of the Transvaal region in South Africa. In Namibia, cheetahs are mostly found in farmlands.
The Hardap Recreation Resort is a National Park located in southern Namibia. It was proclaimed in 1968 and measures 252 square kilometres (97 sq mi). Hardap is situated in Hardap Region, about 250 kilometres (160 mi) south of Windhoek and about 24 kilometres (15 mi) west of Mariental. It surrounds the Hardap Dam, Namibia's largest dam, which lies on the Fish River. There is a game park on the southern side of the dam.
The Dinokeng Game Reserve is a large wildlife sanctuary in the province of Gauteng, South Africa, which is easily accessed via the arterial N1 route. It is a 40 minutes' drive from Pretoria or some 75 minutes from the O. R. Tambo Airport and Johannesburg. The reserve is the only wildlife sanctuary in Gauteng that offers Big five game free walks and is available for visitors to explore. It covers an area of approximately 21,000 hectares. Its name, Dinokeng, is derived from the language of the baTswana and baPedi people, and is translated as “a place of rivers”.
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