Nature in Namibia

Namibia is extremely arid, so water, grazing, wildlife movement and land condition shape many environmental questions. The country contains 56 vegetation types and landscapes including the Coastal Plain, Namib Sand Sea, Central Plateau, Great Escarpment, Naukluft, Nama Karoo, Succulent Karoo, Kalahari Sandveld, dry bushveld, seasonal oshanas, rivers, pans, springs and wetlands. The Namib Escarpment and Tsau //Khaeb, formerly known as the Sperrgebiet, are global biodiversity hotspots. These landscapes support wildlife corridors, carbon storage, soil protection and local livelihoods. Namibia has 20 state protected areas covering about 17% of the country. Major areas include Etosha National Park, Namib-Naukluft Park, Skeleton Coast Park, Dorob National Park, Tsau //Khaeb National Park, Bwabwata, Mudumu, Nkasa Rupara, Khaudum, Waterberg Plateau and the //Ai-//Ais area. A marine protected area covers 13 offshore islands and islets. Transfrontier conservation areas connect Namibia with neighbouring countries, including the Kavango-Zambezi, //Ai-//Ais-Richtersveld and Iona-Skeleton Coast areas. Namibia also had about 375,569 square kilometres, or 45.6% of its land, under some form of conservation or protection in 2021 when protected areas, conservancies, concessions, community forests and private reserves were counted together. Namibia records about 4,350 vascular plant species, including 687 endemic species, 644 bird species, 217 mammal species and 256 reptile species. Characteristic or threatened wildlife includes desert-adapted black rhinoceroses and elephants, cheetahs, lions, Hartmann's mountain zebras, black-faced impalas, pangolins, African wild dogs and Cape fur seals. Welwitschia is a distinctive desert plant. Habitat fragmentation, drought, fire, wildlife crime, invasive plants and human-wildlife conflict put pressure on these systems. Human-wildlife conflict includes damage, livestock losses or safety risks involving elephants, predators, hippos and crocodiles near settlements, farms and water points. Community-based natural resource management, usually shortened to CBNRM, gives registered communal structures conditional rights to manage and benefit from wildlife and other natural resources. Namibia has used this approach since 1992. About 86 registered communal conservancies cover roughly 19.6% of the country, and 32 community forests support related resource management. A conservancy needs a registered or gazetted structure, a democratic constitution, an elected committee, a wildlife management plan, an annual general meeting, financial reporting and compliance. Possible activities include wildlife quotas, meat harvesting, trophy hunting, tourism partnerships, lodges, indigenous natural products and community forestry. Farming remains the main livelihood in many areas, and communal resource rights do not create unrestricted public access or simple private ownership. The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, including the Directorate of Wildlife and National Parks and the Department of Environmental Affairs and Forestry, manages major parts of the formal system. Traditional Authorities, conservancy committees, Regional Councils and other local bodies also affect access and land-use decisions. Wildlife removal, trade, research and specimen collection are controlled by Namibian conservation and trade laws and may require MEFT, CITES or other permits. A research permit is generally required for fauna or flora research throughout Namibia, including protected areas. Research applications can involve the Research Committee, area managers and local authorities, and a permit normally lasts one year; an extension requires a progress report. Access to protected areas usually requires a park permit obtained at a gate or MEFT office. Some zones require prior approval. Park rules commonly prohibit off-road driving, leaving marked routes, disturbing or removing wildlife, bringing pets and using motorcycles in restricted areas. Khaudum National Park requires travel in a convoy of at least two vehicles. Park fees follow MEFT tariffs, including a tariff published with effect from 1 January 2021; current fees and access conditions should be checked before travel. Nature-based activities include wildlife viewing, birding, landscape viewing, photography, camping, hiking, nature walks and angling, each subject to local permits, fees, zones and safety requirements. An environmental clearance certificate, or ECC, controls listed activities that may affect the environment, including mining, energy projects, infrastructure, sand mining and tourism development. The process can require environmental assessment or baseline screening, public comment and an environmental management plan. The Environmental Commissioner handles the clearance system; published portal fees have included N$300 for an application or amendment and N$1,000 for a transfer or appeal, but current fees should be verified before applying. Access to genetic resources or associated traditional knowledge can require an access permit, prior informed consent and benefit-sharing arrangements. Drought and failed rainfall increase water and grazing shortages, wildlife movement and conflict. Flash floods can occur in ephemeral rivers, oshanas and floodplains. Veld fires, desertification, land degradation, coastal erosion and sea-level-related coastal risks also affect people and ecosystems. The Office of the Prime Minister and its disaster-risk structures, the Namibia Meteorological Service, Regional and Local Authorities and MEFT fire-management structures share different parts of risk preparation and response. Environmental education operates through schools, universities, vocational institutions, educators, civil society, park interpretation, ranger and guide training, conservancy and human-wildlife-conflict programmes, community knowledge and the Namibia Environmental Education Network. The Etosha Ecological Research Institute supports research and monitoring. Conflicts commonly arise between wildlife and farming, conservation and trophy hunting or meat use, mining or renewable energy and habitat protection, roads or water infrastructure and wildlife corridors, and off-road tourism and fragile dunes, lichen fields or Welwitschia sites. Environmental clearance and public comment, protected-area management plans, concession conditions, permits, conservancy governance, predator-proof kraals, water-point planning, land-use planning and anti-poaching measures address different parts of these conflicts. Namibia's five Ramsar sites listed by MEFT in 2024 are Walvis Bay Wetland, Sandwich Harbour, Orange River Mouth, Etosha Pan and Bwabwata Okavango; an older national biodiversity strategy listed four, so the date matters when comparing figures.