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Issue 5 — December 2007

On 14 November Tim Parkhouse, administrator of Eco Awards Namibia, presented: "Why eco awards and what is the aim of the programme".

The world’s natural resources are being consumed faster than nature can replace them and faster than man can try to replace them with artificial means. While tourism in many areas in the world is dependent and relies on an attraction of natural resources the over-use or destruction of these natural resources will not only deprive a local population of its natural environment and possibly their cultural habitat, but it will eventually have a negative effect on the economy of the area and country, as tourists find the area area less and less attractive, and stop visiting. Tourism puts a strain on nature, no matter how gentle and eco-friendly the manner in which it is conducted. Why the need for an 'eco awards Namibia' Programme? The idea behind eco awards Namibia, a voluntary certification programme to promote sustainable tourism and ecotourism, is to have a mark of distinction for accommodation establishments which are planned and managed according to eco-friendly principles. The criteria for the eco awards Namibia which form the basis of assessment are sub-divided into seven categories:

1. Conservation
2. Water
3. Waste & sewerage disposal
4. Energy
5. Social responsibility
6. Staff welfare & development
7. Sustainable and appropriate construction & landscaping

Each category contains a detailed catalogue of possible measures and the number of points which can be earned. Thus the assessment criteria also serve as an instructive manual for future steps. The eco awards Namibia are intentionally modelled on the well-known quality grading system of stars: up to five eco award Namibia flowers may be awarded. An assessor visits applicants for assessment and on the basis of his/her report an independent jury determines the number of flowers to be allocated.

Similar to the badge with the stars, establishments can display the flower emblem at their entrance, in the brochure and on the website. It is assumed once established, the eco award Namibia will prove a considerable boost to the competitive edge as holidaymakers will now be able to choose their lodge or guest farm according to the numbers of flowers. The eco awards Namibia programme is sponsored by the Ministry for Environment & Tourism, supported by the Namibia Nature Foundation (NNF) and financed by the Namibia Development Tourism Programme (NTDP) of the European Union.

For more information contact:
Eco awards Namibia C/o Namibia Nature Foundation P.O. Box 245, Windhoek, Namibia
info@ecoawards-namibia.org
www.ecoawards-namibia.org

[Manuela Schmid]

NaDEET Centre and the Namibian Environment and Wildlife Society (NEWS) held a joint environmental essay contest during the second school term this year, as reported on in our last newsletter. Learners were asked to write an essay about “Apathy and the Environment”. Two girls, Ashley Nyambe and Talitha Litwayi, from Hoeksteen Primary School in Rosh Pinah tied for first place. Although their essays gave opposite view points, they were well written and they gave good examples to support their opinions. Ashley and Talitha won a free trip to NaDEET Centre for forty learners from their school. Hoeksteen Primary School visited NaDEET Centre from 22-26 October which coincided with NaDEET Centre’s 4th Birthday on the 24 October. Hoeksteen learners and NaDEET staff celebrated their achievements with solar baked chocolate cake and juice.

Our second place winner, Noeline Jantze from Nautilus P.S. in Lüderitz, received a NaDEET T-shirt. Roeline Goases from Stampriet PS won an environmental poster as the third place winner. We congratulate all who participated in this contest and hope that it has increased their own awareness and appreciation for Namibia’s unique environment.

The contest forms part of the Namibian Environment & Wildlife Society's NEWS-4-the-future Youth Programme. NEWS considers environmental apathy and lack of awareness as being amongst our biggest environmental problems and works towards overcoming these through its activities. NaDEET is a logical partner as it aims to empower Namibians for a sustainable future through environmental education. NaDEET Centre’s environmental education programmes focus on alternative energy, water conservation and the biodiversity of the Namib Desert. All education activities are designed in a hands-on learner centred way to encourage learners to reflect on their current living practices with the aim to improve them. NaDEET Centre is open for bookings from school, youth and adult groups throughout the year.

[Victoria Keding]

On Wednesday 31 October, the Namibia Nature Foundation (NNF), the Southern African Institute for Environmental Assessment (SAIEA) and NEWS held a joint office-warming party to celebrate their new shared facilities. A representative of each of the partners said a few words, with NEWS Director, Helge Denker, pointing out that even though NEWS has the smallest offices, we are actually the most senior organisation on the premises, having been founded in 1966. He also urged everyone present, including the Honourable Minister of MET, Rev. Willem Konjore, to become a member of NEWS in order to strengthen our country-wide network of members and partners. The Honourable Minister gave the keynote address and officially opened the offices.

Dr. Kalumbi Shangula, the Permanent Secretary of MET was also present, as where numerous partners and friends of the three organisations. The generally very informal function was a big success, for us particularly in the celebration of the first dedicated offices of NEWS. [More photos of the event]

[Helge Denker]

Keith Rittmaster, the Natural Science Curator of the North Carolina Maritime Museum, will give a presentation on the Bottle-nosed Dolphin in the Fisheries Auditorium (Swakopmund) at 15h00 (3pm) on Wednesday 12th December.

For more information contact:
Keith Wearne
Coastal Environmental Trust of Namibia
P.O Box 786
Walvis Bay

Phone +264 64 205057
Fax +264 64 200728
cell 081 269 3280
www.nnf.org.na/CETN/index.htm

Recent development issues are:

1. Proposed Cement Quarry & Factory near Karibib.
2. Feedback meetings on EIA for proposed Valencia Uranium Mine.
3. Environmental & Social Impact Assessment for the Trekkopje Uranium Project.
4. Social & Environmental Impact Assessment For Rössing Uranium Mine's Phase 1 Expansion Project. [NEWS representatives attended a related workshop entitled Rössing’s Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) Stakeholder Engagement Workshop, and found Rössing's commitment to mitigating impacts very positive]

For more information on the above mentioned proposed developments please contact:

1. Enviro Dynamics: Jeanéne D’Emiljo (061-223336 or jeanene@uda.com.na).
2. Queries: Alan Fitzsimons (+27 11 5041404 or alison@digbywells.co.za)
3. Marie Hoadley mariehoadley@iafrica.com
4. Marie Hoadley mariehoadley@iafrica.com

Newsletter editor: Peter Cunningham

Issue 4 — November 2007

Dr Brand presented her results and conclusions from studying giraffes in Etosha National Park. Her fieldwork began by documenting her study population through photographs of each giraffe. The distinctive skin pattern of giraffes allowed her to use her photographs to then identify each giraffe in the field. In this way, Dr Brand identified over 400 individuals. The study method created minimal disturbance, as no animals needed to be fitted with ear tags or other forms of identification.

Dr Brand found that male giraffe neither defend a territory nor a harem. Adult males were generally solitary in a hierarchy of dominance, while female giraffe formed loosely associated groups, with the largest congregations found during the wet season. Food and water supply generally determined the location of the giraffe, with distinct seasonal shifts according to availability of food and water. For example, up to 80% of the population was found feeding on Acacia nebrownii during the flowering period of this species (August). Females with young also tended to prefer more open habitat in order to be able to detect predators more readily.

Giraffe have a gestation period of 15 months. The period between pregnancies is only around six months, with short periods of oestrus. This means that males need to associate with a large number of females in order to find a suitable mate. Males thus spent more t ime at waterholes and roaming preferred feeding sites hoping to find a female in oestrus. Dr Brand inferred from her observations that the colour of the male giraffe is used as a dominance signal and plays an important role in its dominance over other males and its mating success, with only very dark-coloured males being successful. [Helge Denker]

Next NEWS public talk: 14 November @19h30 at the Namibia Scientific Society: Tim Parkhouse of Eco Awards Namibia Alliance: ''Why Eco Awards and what is the aim of the programme"

The following development issue of concern was sent to NEWS by Keith Wearne of the Coastal Environmental Trust of Namibia (CETN):

“This building that you see here is for a sewage pump situated in a hole 50m from the high tide mark on the shoreline below the ecovillage. No EIA or meeting was held on this proposed pumphouse. Apparently the Municipality was given permission to build this by the DEA, the DEA have denied this to Fisheries whose P.S has now written a strong letter to the Walvis Bay Municipality. As you may remember MET categorically stated that there would be no development allowed in the buffer zone! No one was informed about this especially Fisheries and the Aquaculture guys. If this sewage spilt into the sea because of a pump failure or a leak it could spell disaster as it would be raw sewage. Below are the points that we brought out in our initial letter to Fisheries when CETN discovered this on a coastal bird count:

• CETN has a letter from the P.S of MET stating that no buildings will be allowed in the 100m zone from the High Tide mark.
• We had a meeting in July in which no mention was made of this pump station below the road. We were assured that everything would be above the road. MFMR was at this meeting as well as ourselves and MET.
  If a pump station for the sewage was to be erected near the shoreline; there should have been an EIA with all local stakeholders before any construction was started. Does there not have to be a sump built from which to pump the effluent?
• Should not this building be stopped immediately and this whole sewage system reviewed.
• This is poor and bad planning from the Municipal Planning Dept.

When the Sewage question was brought up at the meeting in September 2005 with the P.S of MRLGHRD we were informed by the then Town Planning Officer and the previous CEO that this was all in hand and the sewage would be pumped back to the sewage ponds in Walvis Bay.

We would like to add that we brought up the cost and planning of the infrastructure for these new coastal developments along the coast back in 2004 and were verbally informed that everything was in hand and planned.

It just shows how easily one can be fooled. We look for your support in having this building stopped and a proper EIA to take place.

For more details please contact Keith Wearne at: CETN, P.O. Box 786, Walvis Bay Phone +264+64+205057 Fax +264+64+200728 Cell 081 269 3280 cetn@iafrica.com.na / www.nnf.org.na/CETN/index.htm

FEEDBACK:
The Director of NEWS (Helge Denker) contacted the Walvis Bay Municipality resulting in the following: “[The Walvis Bay Municipality] clearly makes the case that the stations need to be below the height of the urban developments in order to collect the sewage (logical). This is then pumped from the stations to a higher treatment plant on the east side of the road. The stations are constructed so as to be only around 1m above ground, with the rest below. They are constructed so as to minimise the risk of accidental leakage (and include a warning system). According to the statement, there is an environmental clearance for the construction of such infrastructure closer than 100m to the high tide mark. The closest of the stations is 70m from the high tide mark.”

Please be informed of the launch of the wiki Decision Support System (DSS) for Bush Encroachment in semi-arid rangelands in Namibia on the Chameleon Website. The DSS is a proposed tool to assist in Rangeland Management in semi-ar id rangelands. Al though developed with the semi-arid savannas in Namibia in mind, the idea is universally applicable, and the DSS can grow to suit a particular region and situation. As some of you might know, wiki technology allows editing online, and so the purpose of this DSS is to grow as knowledge grows. Through its flexibility, the wiki DSS is potentially an ideal tool for communication. Farmers can adapt to suit their own local needs.

The Server is accessible at : http://chameleon.polytechnic.edu.na/ and the Wiki DSS is located at: http://chameleon.polytechnic.edu.na/wiki/

For more information contact: Dave Joubert 061 2072462 djoubert@polytechnic.edu.na

I wish to inform you that BIOTA AFRICA goes online with an improved layout.
The new multilingual website is located at: http://www.biota-africa.org

For more information contact:

Bertchen Kohrs
BIOTA Liaison Officer for Namibia
PO Box 24892, Windhoek, Namibia
bertchenk@iway.na
Tel: +264 (0)61 227 913

The annual summer Walvis Bay Ramsar Site bird count will be held on 19 & 20 January 2008.

For more information contact:

Keith Wearne
Coastal Environmental Trust of Namibia
P.O. Box 786, Walvis Bay
Phone +264+64+205057
Fax +264+64+200728
cell 081 269 3280
www.nnf.org.na/CETN/index.htm

Recent development issues are:

1. Economic feasibility & viability for the development of an urban expansion for Tsumeb (Portion No. 22 - Farm Tsumeb Townlands No. 737) & a solid waste dump site (Portion No. 39 - Farm Consolidated Tsumore No. 761).

2. Kavango Biofuel Project EIA submitted to the Ministry of Environment & Tourism (MET).

For more information on the above mentioned proposed developments please contact:

• Urban Green cc: Brand van Zyl (081 129 5759; Fax 061 207 2276 or urbangreen@iway.na).
• For the executive summary contact: M. Fidler at bob@iway.na

Members are encouraged to inform NEWS of development issues should these be known.

The NEWS/NaDEET essay competition winning school: Hoeksteen PS (Rosh Pinah)

See NEWS-letter Issue 3 (October 2007) for more information regarding the essay competition sponsored by NEWS.

Newsletter editor: Peter Cunningham

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