ECOLOGY
Four distinct habitats are found on the Reserve: dunes and sandy
plains, inselbergs and mountains, gravel plains, and sand and gravel
plains interface. The predominant large mammals on the Reserve are Oryx
gazelle (gemsbok or oryx) and Antidorcas marsupialis (springbok). The
latest game census indicated that there were 3,200 oryx and 12,400
springbok on the Reserve. Other large mammals include kudu, Hartman's
and Burchell's zebra, giraffe, klipspringer, steenbok, hartebeest and
baboon. Predators include leopard, spotted and brown hyena,
black-backed jackal, aardwolf, bat-eared fox, Cape fox, African
wildcat, caracal and genet. To date more than 150 bird species
have been identified, while work is still in progress on the inventory
of rodents, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates and
plants.
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Innovative approaches to resource management help ensure that this
critical area bordering on the Namib-Naukluft National Park is
effectively conserved. The Reserve maintains a conservation policy
of minimal interference with constant monitoring, implemented through
an environmental management plan. A new monitoring system has been
introduced which includes population census methods. The Reserve
is a member and contributor to the Southern African Avi-Faunal Atlas
and the Large Carnivore Atlas of Namibia. Local outreach efforts
focus mainly on predator-livestock management on neighboring
properties.
NamibRand Nature Reserve supports the sustainable utilization of its
resources through the following activities:
- High quality, low impact tourism including
accommodation, photographic safaris, walking trails, and hot air
ballooning;
- Environmental education and sustainable living
centre;
- Capture and sale of live game; and
- Development of a horticultural project to grow
indigenous medicinal plants for commercial production, creating local
jobs and earning funds for conservation.
The NamibRand Nature Reserve recognizes the importance and the value of
keeping the night sky dark. The concept ties in well with our objective
to “conserve all indigenous natural resources occurring in the
Reserve and thus to restore and maintain biological diversity”.
If not managed correctly, artificial light could well have a negative
effect on both plant species as well as nocturnal and diurnal animal
species in terms of causing habitat and behavioural changes, impacts
that we would like to avoid. Similarly, excessive artificial lighting
has a major negative effect both on aesthetics and on the quality of
night sky experiences for guests.
For these reasons, we at NamibRand
have made a staunch effort in adapting all our artificial lighting
fittings to meet International
Dark-Sky Association (IDA) standards. We have also enshrined
lighting guidelines, such as the maximum allowable brightness of
outdoor light fixtures, as well as the use of vehicle headlights in our
management plan. Monitoring these mediations is done regularly to
ensure that our night sky is kept pristine.
In May 2012, IDA endorsed the recommendation of their advisory
board to inscribe the NamibRand Nature Reserve as an
International Dark Sky Reserve (IDSR) at the
“Gold” tier level – the darkest and the strictest
available category.
Our designation as an IDSR is significant as we are the first in Africa
and the first in any developing nation!
Read the IDA press release here.
SPECIAL PROJECTS
Although the daily management of the Reserve is adequately funded
through tourism, special projects require additional funding. To help
fund such projects, the Reserve has established the
NamibRand Conservation Foundation. This
independent, non-profit organization raises funds through initiatives
such as the Adopt-a-Fairy-Circle Project. The Foundation has already
provided the Research and Awareness Centre and the Namib Desert
Environmental Education Trust (NaDEET) with significant funding and
hopes continue this support as well as identify new projects.
