CMS was contracted to prepare a management plan for a newly established (private) conservation area in southern Namibia. The area consists of rugged mountains and sandy plains just north of the orange river and not far from the Vioolsdrif/Noordoewer border crossing into Namibia. It is very arid, receiving only 90 -120mm rain per year.
The veld is a succulent lovers paradise with impressive Euphorbias and with Kalahari-like vegetation along the seasonal rivers. The conservation area includes an established game reserve, non-farming residents and local communities, most of which farm with cattle and sheep along the Orange river. There are plenty of conservation management challenges including illegal grazing, mining rights, Prosopis invasion along the river, periodic flooding and open access.
Kudu, gemsbok, springbok, Hartmann’s mountain zebra and a number of smaller and medium sized predators still occur in the area and black rhinoceros have already been introduced. Some of the area has been overgrazed but some of the farms are in a pristine condition due to livestock removal some time ago.
We visited just after some heavy rains and had to sleep in our vehicle while waiting for flooding rivers to subside.
