NamibRand and Kulala Wilderness Reserve unite for wildlife

On 1 July 2009, members of the NamibRand Nature Reserve and Wilderness Safaris Namibia signed a historic agreement for the benefit of wildlife. The two organisations have agreed to open their common boundary fences to allow the natural movement of animals such as gemsbok (oryx) and springbok across a larger conservation landscape. For animal populations to prosper in arid ecosystems such as the Namib, large open areas are essential to facilitate seasonal movements in response to rainfall.

The agreement focuses on natural resource management and unrestricted wildlife movements between the NamibRand Reserve and the neighbouring Kulala Wilderness Reserve. Both organisations have agreed to work together in the interest of conservation. In the future, wildlife management and research within this area will be undertaken cooperatively.

The agreement was signed in Windhoek. At the event NamibRand Nature Reserve CEO Nils Odendaal and Wilderness Safaris Namibia CEO Bruce Simpson reaffirmed their commitment to conservation in Namibia through such innovative management actions. NamibRand Custodian and Chairman Mr. J.A. Brückner expressed his approval of the move, stating that it furthers his dream to restore and extend the conservation of the Namib landscape.

The border fence will be opened in strategic areas along its entire length. This action will open the Kulala Nature Reserve (37 000ha), owned by Wilderness Safaris, to the NamibRand Nature Reserve (172 200ha). Similar initiatives with additional neighbours will support the Action for a Fence Free Namib Desert initiative which seeks to further open and secure a healthy and extensive desert ecosystem.

Background information on NamibRand
The NamibRand Nature Reserve, located in southern Namibia, is a private nature reserve established in 1992 to protect and conserve the unique ecology and wildlife of the south-west Namib Desert. At 172 200ha, NamibRand is one of the largest private conservation areas in southern Africa. The Reserve consists of thirteen former livestock farms rehabilitated into a continuous natural conservation area and shares a 100km border with the Namib-Naukluft National Park. The Reserve is a model for private conservation in southern Africa as it demonstrates holistic biodiversity conservation balanced with financial sustainability.

Innovative approaches to resource management ensure that this critical area bordering on the National Park is effectively conserved. Research conducted on the Reserve aims to directly benefit management of the Reserve and to contribute to the national scientific knowledge base. The project is financially self-sustaining mainly through high-quality, low-impact tourism. Partnerships with local and regional neighbours, government and other organisations connect the Reserve into a larger conservation landscape throughout Namibia, forming the foundation of the national tourism economy.

Background information on Wilderness Safaris
Wilderness Safaris is a conservation organisation and ecotourism company dedicated to responsible tourism in southern Africa, striving to ensure the protection of Africa’s spectacular natural heritage while sharing the benefits with its people. Focused on creating sustainable conservation-based economies, Wilderness Safaris believes that the primary beneficiaries of ecotourism must be the people whose ancestral land is being visited. As long as these communities receive sustainable economic benefits, that exceed alternative land uses, they have a powerful reason to commit to long-term conservation.

Recognising that conservation is as much about people as about the environment, the company has pursued important goals through its Children in the Wilderness programme, as well as through the Wilderness Safaris Wildlife Trust, which have helped change the face of nature-based tourism in southern Africa. Wilderness Safaris firmly believes that its single most important achievement to date is to have built a sustainable business model that does not compromise environmental principles and which provides jobs, training, skills, careers, adjusted horizons and a realistic alternative to less sustainable development.

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