National Parks
Namibia's protected areas - including national parks - cover more than a quarter of its territory. The conservancies, or areas self-managed by local populations, ensure sustainable management of natural resources, combining protection of wildlife and management of the economic spin-offs linked to ecotourism, which in particular 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 zone constitutes an ecological continuum, which, by allowing the migration of species, including large mammals, promotes the evolutionary dynamics of living organisms. The area also protects the Okavango ecosystems and the Caprivi floodplains, an immense wetland rich in biodiversity.
Namibia's natural 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 the Mangetti dunes, as well as a rich diversity of wildlife including antelope, leopard and blue wildebeest.
Waterberg Plateau Park: located in central Namibia, home to the Waterberg Plateau and endangered species.
Sperrgebiet Rand Park: located in the south-west of the country, it protects Namib desert ecosystems and their endemic flora, and is home to a diamond mining area.
Skeleton Coast Park : located in north-western Namibia, it protects the Skeleton Coast coastline and the Ugab and Kunene river ecosystems. It is home to numerous marine mammals, birds and reptiles, including endemic species.
Namib-Naukluft National Park: located in the south-west of the country, it protects the dune ecosystems of the Namib Desert and the Naukluft Mountains, dotted with inselbergs, or isolated reliefs, and kopjes, small hills topped with rocks.
Etosha National Park: located in the north of the country, this protected area is also one of the most popular with tourists. Large mammals and numerous bird species can be observed here.
Khaudum National Park : located in the north-east of Namibia, in the Kalahari region, it protects large mammals and a variety of dry forest and wetland ecosystems.
Namibia facing climate change
A report published by the UN in December 2020 warns that the trajectory we are following is that of global warming of +3.2°C compared to the pre-industrial era by the end of the century. If nothing is done, this will mean the irremediable transformation of the world we know, with serious consequences for mankind. Namibia, like other southern African countries, is particularly vulnerable to climate change, which is reflected in the greater frequency and intensity of extreme phenomena (cyclones, floods, droughts). In 2019, the country experienced one of the most severe droughts in fifty years, affecting agricultural yields and raising 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 watering places. To prevent wildlife from starving to death, 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 buffalo) and to donate the proceeds 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 in conjunction with NGOs aim to secure agricultural resources and promote food resilience, for example by working with farmers to introduce more adapted and resistant local plant crops. Actions have also been deployed to secure drinking water supplies, in an arid country with scarce water resources. Pumping stations and dams are used to store and distribute water. The capital Windhoek is also equipped with water purification 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. At the end of 2020, a Canadian company (Recon Africa) began drilling for oil and gas in the Namibian part of the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area. Local populations and NGOs are concerned about the potential exploitation of these resources. It could deplete and contaminate the area's scarce drinking water resources, and threaten the Okavango Delta.
Reduce energy dependency and promote renewable energy
Renewable energy projects have also been launched to combat the country's energy dependency, including the installation of solar and wind power plants. The country's government has set itself the target of achieving an energy mix comprising 70% renewable energies by 2030.
All actors to fight against global warming
We can all take individual action to protect the climate and limit global warming to +2°C compared with the pre-industrial era, which will ensure a livable world for mankind. The commitment made by France as part of the Paris agreements in 2015 should lead us to carbon neutrality by 2050. To measure your carbon footprint and discover possible courses of action, try out the Ademe simulator: https: //nosgestesclimat.fr/simulateur/bilan
