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ECOLOGY
Four distinct habitats are found
on the
Reserve: dunes and sandy plains, inselbergs
and mountains, gravel plains, and sand and
gravel plains interface. The predominant
large mammals on the Reserve are Oryx
gazelle (gemsbok or oryx) and Antidorcas marsupialis
(springbok).
The latest game census indicated that there
were 3,200 oryx and 12,400 springbok on the
Reserve. Other large mammals include kudu,
Hartman's and Burchell's zebra, giraffe,
klipspringer, steenbok, hartebeest and
baboon. Predators include leopard, spotted
and brown hyena, black-backed jackal,
aardwolf, bat-eared fox, Cape fox, African
wildcat, caracal and genet. To date more than 150
bird species have been identified, while work
is still in progress on the inventory of
rodents, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates
and plants.
RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT
Innovative approaches to resource
management
help ensure that this critical area bordering
on the Namib-Naukluft National Park is
effectively conserved. The Reserve
maintains a conservation policy of minimal
interference with constant monitoring,
implemented through an environmental
management plan. A new monitoring
system has been introduced which includes
population census methods. The Reserve
is a member and contributor to the Southern
African Avi-Faunal Atlas and the Large
Carnivore Atlas of Namibia. Local
outreach efforts focus mainly on
predator-livestock management on neighboring
properties.
NamibRand Nature Reserve supports
the
sustainable utilization of its resources
through the following activities:
-
High
quality, low
impact tourism including accommodation,
photographic safaris, walking trails, and
hot air ballooning;
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Environmental
education
and sustainable living centre;
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Capture
and sale of
live game; and
-
Development
of a
horticultural project to grow indigenous
medicinal plants for commercial
production, creating local jobs and
earning funds for
conservation.
SPECIAL
PROJECTS
Although
the daily management of the Reserve is adequately funded
through tourism, special projects require additional funding. To
help fund such projects, the Reserve has established the NamibRand
Conservation Foundation. This independent, non-profit
organization raises funds through initiatives such as the
Adopt-a-Fairy-Circle Project. The Foundation has already provided
the Research and Awareness Centre and the Namib Desert Environmental
Education Trust (NaDEET) with significant funding and hopes continue
this support as well as identify new projects.
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Relocation of problem
jackal
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