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15 November, 2020

Migration Miracles – The Sanderling

28 December, 2020

Authors: Ailla-Tessa Iiyambula, Natalie Barry and Ruben Portas

Threats to Namibia’s Biodiversity

Namibia is a vast country with magnificent scenic beauty and well-preserved natural habitats.

The country is rich in fauna and flora with a large number of endemic species concentrated along the west coast of the Namib Desert.

These resources enrich the country through tourism and the ecosystem services provided.

However, biodiversity conservation is threatened by several factors such as over-exploitation of natural resources, poaching, overgrazing and bush encroachment.

Humans have a dominant influence on the environment and most activities may pose a threat to biodiversity conservation.

This places humans in a position of “primary drivers” of biodiversity loss.

In this article and the following ones, we list and discuss the main threats and impacts to the conservation of biodiversity in Namibia.

Degraded land where game is being fenced in and kept at high densities for an extended period of time. Photo: Ruben Portas

Landscape fragmentation

Namibia´s wildlife roaming freely across the landscape is one of the best and most remembered sights for tourists when visiting the country.

Linear structures such as game fences and roads limit wildlife movements and increase their vulnerability to human related mortality (i.e. wildlife collisions with cars, illegal traps set to non-selectively kill animals that move across the fence, or animals entangled in fences).

There is an ongoing trend to erect game fences across the country motivated by an increase of farms that breed valuable game species such as sable antelope, roan antelope, exotic species or different colour morphs of the native antelope species (i.e. chocolate springbok, golden wildebeest, royal oryx etc).

These game fences aim to keep carnivores out and prohibit the movement of wildlife outside of designated areas. Some of these fences are electrified which may contribute to the death of ground-dwelling animals and even have mechanical methods to deter carnivores from large areas.

The impact on wildlife is considerable as there is a loss of habitat because large areas become islands where wildlife is restricted and the free movement of wildlife is limited by the complex framework of fences.

Namibia should not become like South Africa where free roaming wildlife and populations of large carnivores have mostly been confined to protected areas.

In addition, if the erection of game fences persists or even increases, negative effects on the gene pool and population size of the Namibian wildlife are to be expected.

Roads as linear structures that cut through the landscape over hundreds of kilometers have a strong impact on the environment. In Namibia, thousands of animals are run over by vehicles every year.

Research has proven that roads do not only have an impact on mammal species but can even shape the genes of birdlife and remove tons of insects per year.

Data provided by GPS-collared animals have shown that the presence of a gravel road is enough to limit the movements through the landscapes.

Large mountain ranges or valleys oblige the construction of tunnels and/or bridges and contribute to create corridors when roads are being constructed.

Namibia lacks such structures and features in the landscape, thus a road crossing a flat landscape between fenced land creates a barrier that few animals will cross.

The current policy seems to encourage commercial farmers to erect game fences because fewer hunting permits are required once game fences are erected.

The policy should instead promote the constitution of conservancies where wildlife roams freely and is managed by the largest number of landowners possible.

Namibia should not become like South Africa where free roaming wildlife and populations of large carnivores have mostly been confined to protected areas.

In addition, overseas hunters should be educated, to request, as clients to carry out their activity in large open systems without fences.

Hunting several animals within a short period of time within small game camps does not contribute to conservation and it is closer to fanatical collectionism than ethical hunting.

Namibia needs policy that ensures the free movement of wildlife within our land, the connectivity along roads and promotes that fences remain permeable to wildlife.

Degraded land where game is being fenced in and kept at high densities for an extended period of time. Photo: Ruben Portas

Overgrazing

Southern Africa hosts 10% of the world´s flora.

Two of the floristic diversity hotspots are located in Namibia: the Succulent Karoo and the Kaokoveld.

Overgrazing has been identified as one of the threats to the flora diversity in the region and it occurs when land is exposed to intensive grazing for extended periods.

Fencing and installation of artificial water points ended the migratory patterns of many wildlife species while keeping livestock in localized areas.

This scenario increased pressure on vegetation, reduced the recovery periods and limited the frequency of natural wildfires, which are key components for the renewal of the vegetation. This cascade effect leads to either bush encroachment or desertification. Overgrazing in Namibia takes place on both game and livestock farms.

On one hand, game farmers keep game species for breeding, selling, tourism and trophy hunting. Native antelopes are well adapted to the characteristic arid conditions of Namibia. This allows game farmers to keep high numbers of grazers year-round with acceptable body condition.

However, this has negative long-lasting effects on the vegetation and ecosystem as a whole.

On the other hand, farming with high livestock numbers is seen in some cultures as a sign of wealth. Nevertheless, there is a need to increase the necessary rangeland management skills because overgrazing in northern communal lands of Namibia has left large areas of land heavily degraded due to the imbalance between stocking and size of grazing area.

Overgrazing transforms heterogeneous and rich habitats by lowering their biodiversity, creating erosion, degrading the seed bank and grass species composition causing water depletion.

The impacts of overgrazing and human pressure are evident in our ecosystems with an increase of unproductive land that will likely not recover.

To overcome this, Namibia needs to reduce meat production and consumption and look into alternative ways to sustain its population while reducing pressure on the land.

The impacts of overgrazing and human pressure are evident in our ecosystems with an increase of unproductive land that will likely not recover. To overcome this, Namibia needs to reduce meat production and consumption and look into alternative ways to sustain its population while reducing pressure on the land.

Hoanib ephemeral river during a flooding event after good rains in the north west of Namibia. Photo: Ruben Portas

Over-utilization of water

Namibia`s perennial rivers are located on the northern and southern country borders.

However, many ephemeral rivers flow after good rains and are one of the most important places where the erratic rainfall infiltrates into the ground.

These water bodies are linear oases where diverse vegetation dominated by large trees grow and provide food, shade and shelter to a broad number of living creatures.

African indigenous tribes were nomads, and the presence of humans and wildlife was highly dictated by food availability and water, creating a constant migratory pattern.

At the beginning of the last century, humans established waterholes and built dams, turning the valuable ephemeral water into a permanent resource.

Temporary settlements became towns, the human population increased dramatically and livestock and crop farming became main activities throughout the country.

The secured availability of water together with the erection of fences created irreversible changes in the environment and landscape. As a result, the land suffered a cascade effect because of higher grazing pressure leading to bush encroachment and to changes in biodiversity.

A higher density of herbivores and bush means an increase in the amount of water required, which also leads to an impact on the underground water.

The results of these changes in the environment are still to be seen and we are only observing the more obvious ones.

We can expect for example, a reduction in aquifer levels. This will inexorably impact our ephemeral rivers, Namibia´s linear oases, as water is deeper and harder to reach.

In other areas, higher grazing pressure means an increase of erosion, less water infiltrates and likely results in more flooding episodes. There is no easy solution to reduce our impact and water requirements.

It requires everyone’s effort.

High water consumption mitigation measures include the control of human population growth, reducing meat production and consumption, and recycling water in cities, industries and mines that are the largest water consumers after agriculture and livestock sectors.

At a local level, we can reduce our daily water consumption by harvesting rainwater and fixing leaks. Every drop counts!