Namib dunes in contention for global heritage status

Namibia has submitted the ‘Namib Sand Sea’ for nomination as a World Heritage Site.
If successfully listed as a World Heritage Site, the Namib Sand Sea would be the second in the country, after Twyfelfontein, which was declared as a World Heritage Site in 2007.

The Namibia National Commission for UNESCO has submitted the Namib Sand Sea Nomination Dossier to the World Heritage Centre.

Although the entire Namib Desert, extending over 2, 000 km from South Africa through Namibia to south-western Angola, exemplifies elements of the natural criteria worthy of inscription, their integrity and management are not all as well developed as that of the Namib Sand Sea.

The boundary of the Namib Sand Sea lies within the Namib Naukluft Park, south of the Kuiseb River in central Namibia.
Starting from Sesriem in the centre of the eastern boundary, the envisaged site boundary extends southwards to a point where the boundary of the Naukluft meets the border of farms Kanaan and Kamaland.

It further extends west-southwest to Gibraltar on the coast before following the coastline north to the Sandwich Harbour Ramsar site.
The northern boundary then heads inland to the Kuiseb River, skirting an area earmarked for bulk water production boreholes, from where it bends along the southern bank of the dry Kuiseb riverbed before turning south, encompassing a small extent of gramadullas with incomparable vistas over the sand sea, past the Gaub River tributary to Sesriem.

The identified site is considered to be essentially pristine dune-scapes, entirely encompassed within the Namib Naukluft Park under the management of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism.

The southern extremity of the Namib Naukluft Park and the Namib Sand Sea were excluded from the proposed property based on the presence of active Exclusive Prospecting Licences, the fossil aquifer, which supplies water to the town of Lüderitz and the intention to leave some of the area available for potentially destructive adventure dune tourism.

The Namib Sand Sea encompasses vast panoramas of majestic dune-scapes, strikingly crystallised in sharply silhouetted forms continually transformed with wind and time.

The Welwitschia Mirabilis is the next in line, which could be nominated as a World Heritage Site.

The plant can only be found in Namibia and some parts of Angola.

Derived from: New Era

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)