National Parks
Namibia has protected areas - including national parks - that cover more than a quarter of its territory. The conservancies, or areas self-managed by local people, ensure sustainable management of natural resources, combining protection of wildlife and management of economic benefits related to ecotourism, which tends to reduce poaching.
Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area
(KaZa TFCA): This is a self-managed conservation area between Angola, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia (Mudumu National Park, Bwabwata National Park and part of Nkasa Rupara National Park). This area constitutes an ecological continuum, which, by allowing the migration of species, including that of large mammals, promotes the evolutionary dynamics of life. The area also protects the Okavango ecosystems and the Caprivi floodplains, a huge wetland rich in biodiversity.Namibia's nature parks include:
Mangetti National Park
: located in the north of the country, in the eastern Kalahari Woodlands, it protects savannah ecosystems, the Kalahari Woodlands and Mangetti Dunes, as well as an important diversity of wildlife including antelopes, leopards and blue wildebeest.Waterberg Plateau Park
: located in central Namibia, it is home to the Waterberg Plateau and endangered species.Sperrgebiet Rand Park
: located in the southwest of the country, it protects ecosystems of the Namib Desert and its endemic flora, and is home to a mining area related to diamond exploitation.Skeleton Coast Park
: located in the northwest of Namibia, it protects the Skeleton Coast and the Ugab and Kunene River ecosystems. It is home to many marine mammals, birds and reptiles, including endemic species.Namib-Naukluft National Park
: located in the southwest of the country, it protects the dune ecosystems of the Namib Desert and the Naukluft Mountains, punctuated by inselbergs, or isolated reliefs, and kopjes, small hills topped by rocks.Etosha National Park
: located in the north of the country, this protected area is also one of the most frequented by tourists. It allows the observation of large mammals and numerous bird populations.Khaudum National Park : located in the northeast of Namibia, in the Kalahari zone, it protects large mammals and varied ecosystems of dry forests and wetlands.
Namibia facing climate change
A report published by the UN in December 2020 warns that the trajectory we are following is that of a global warming of + 3.2 °C compared to the pre-industrial era by the end of the century. This means, if nothing is done, the irremediable transformation of the world we know, with heavy impacts for humanity. Namibia, like other countries in southern Africa, is particularly vulnerable to climate change, which is reflected in the greater frequency and intensity of extreme events (cyclones, floods, droughts). In 2019 the country experienced one of the most severe droughts in the last fifty years, which affected agricultural yields and raised the spectre of food insecurity, prompting an alert from the World Food Programme. The drought, which was declared a state of natural disaster, resulted in a lack of grazing land and water points. In order to prevent wildlife from starving, as was the case in 2018, the country's authorities decided to auction off a thousand animals present in the parks (including elephants, giraffes and buffaloes) and to donate the proceeds of the sales to park management. In response to these situations, climate change mitigation and adaptation actions are being implemented in the country.
Promote food resilience and secure drinking water supplies
Programs designed with NGOs aim to secure agricultural resources and promote food resilience, for example by working with farmers to introduce more adapted and resistant local crops. Actions have also been deployed to secure the supply of drinking water in an arid country with limited water resources. Pumping stations and dams are used to store and distribute water. The capital Windhoek is also equipped with water treatment plants that recycle water for consumption and irrigation. But there are threats to the country's water resources, which could affect both local populations and wildlife. In late 2020, a Canadian company (Recon Africa) began drilling for oil and gas in the Namibian part of the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area. The exploitation that could ensue worries local populations and NGOs. It could contribute to the depletion of the area's scarce drinking water resources and contaminate them, also threatening the Okavango Delta.
Reduce energy dependency and promote renewable energy
Renewable energy projects have also been developed to combat the country's energy dependence, including the installation of solar and wind power plants. The country's government has set a goal of achieving an energy mix of 70% renewable energy by 2030.
All actors to fight against global warming
We can all act individually to protect the climate and limit global warming to +2°C compared to the pre-industrial era, which is a guarantee of a livable world for humanity. The commitment made by France in the 2015 Paris agreements should lead us to carbon neutrality by 2050. To measure your carbon footprint and discover possible actions, take the test with the Ademe simulator: https: //nosgestesclimat.fr/simulateur/bilan
