Friday, March 30, 2012

Namibians to take part in Earth Hour

Switch off for Mother Earth
Namibians are encouraged to switch off their lights on Saturday, March 31 to celebrate Earth Hour and show their support for environmentally sustainable action.
The lights should be switched off for one hour between 20h30 and 21h30.
Earth Hour's 'I will if you will' concept invited individuals and organisations to challenge each other and others to an ongoing commitment beyond the hour. 
Earth Hour began in one city in 2007 and by 2011 it had reached over 1,8 billion people in 135 countries across every continent, receiving reports as the World's largest campaign for the planet.
Earth Hour was conceived by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and The Sydney Morning Herald in 2007 when 2,2 million residents of Sidney participated by turing off all non-essential lights.
Since then the event has grown with more and more people participating and more cities and landmarks going dark.
The human population is currently consuming resources at a faster rate than ecosystems can regenerate them.
People are encouraged not only to switch off their lights for one hour on March 31 but to also get involved in conservation, decreasing their carbon footprint and looking after their environment after Earth Hour.
Derived from: The Namibian

Water reaches Sossusvlei

Water from the Trauchab River reaches Sossusvlei.
People that were on their way from Sossusvlei, on Tuesday, were met by the Trauchab River flowing. The water reached the Sesriem valley and Sossus Dunes.

Photo: Tamsyn Kintscher
Derived from: The Republikein

Namibian Winter Time Change

Goodbye Summer
Namibia's annual five-month-long Winter Timer period starts on Sunday.
The country’s official time changes at 02h00 on Sunday morning, when clocks and watches have to be adjusted an hour back, to set the time at one hour in advance of Greenwich Mean Time.
The Winter Time period lasts until the first Sunday in September, when the country reverts to Summer Time, which is two hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.

Derived from: The Namibian

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Heavenly Rain

The Klein-Aus Vista lodge received 147,8 mm rain within two hours on Tuesday. The average annual rainfall there is about 90 mm. The swollen rivers caused substantial damage to the roads “and changed the landscape quite a bit”, a resident said. Klein Aus Vista is situated west of Aus in the Karas Region.

Photo: Piet Swiegers
Derived from : The Namibian

Thursday, March 22, 2012

The worlds largest Conservation area

WINDHOEK – The Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) is situated in the Kavango-Zambezi river basins where the borders of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe converge.
KAZA area, which spans over 444,000 square km, is the world’s largest international conservation area and is about the size of Sweden.
It will include 36 proclaimed protected areas such as national parks, game reserves, forest reserves, community conservancies and game/wildlife management areas.
The most notable features include the Okavango Delta, which is the largest Ramsar Site in the world and the Victoria Falls, a World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.
Under the geographical scope of the KAZA TFCA fall Angola’s Luiana Partial Reserve, Mavinga Partial Reserve, Longa-Mavinga Hunting Area, Luengue Hunting Area, Luiana Hunting Area and Mucusso Hunting Area.
In Botswana, the Okavango Delta, including Moremi Game Reserve, the Chobe-Linyanti River System, including Chobe National Park and Makgadigadi Nxai National Park, is part of the KAZA TFCA.
The Bwabwata, Mudumu, Mamili (Nkasa Lupala), Khaudum, Mangetti National Parks, Caprivi State Forest and conservancies and community forests between and around these protected areas, also form part of the conservation area.
The Zambian area of KAZA includes Kafue National Park, Sioma-Ngwezi National Park, Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park and their adjoining game management areas, forest reserves, heritage sites and open areas of Kalomo, Kazungula and Shesheke districts.
Zimbabwe boasts the highest number of protected areas in KAZA, such as the Hwange National Park, Zambezi National Park, Victoria Falls National Park, Kazuma Pan National Park, Chizarira National Park, Matusadona National Park, Matetsi, Deka, Chete Chirisa and Charara Safari areas.
This includes Bembesi, Fuller, Gwayi, Kazuma, Mzola, Ngamo, Panda Masuwe, Sijarira and Sikumi forests, incorporating Hwange, Tsholotsho, Bulilima, Binga, Gokwe, Nyaminyami and Hurungwe communal lands, as well as privately held state land and conservancies extending eastwards to Lake Kariba Recreational Park and Kariba town.
KAZA lies on migration routes of several big game and Red Data Book animal species, making it a wilderness of global biological significance.
The area is home to the largest contiguous elephant population in the world, estimated at approximately 250 000.
With some of its parts still relatively undisturbed by human activity and a surprisingly high number of species recorded in the miombo woodlands, it is anticipated that KAZA will play a valuable role in the conservation of biodiversity not covered elsewhere in Africa.
The area is also expected to make a significant contribution towards the conservation of such threatened species as the African wild dog, the wattled crane, the Nile crocodile and the cheetah.
Derived from New Era (22.03.2012)