Namibia: Walking for Elephants

Desert-adapted elephants: A unique population of elephants in northwest Namibia

 

The northwest of Namibia is home to a unique group of African bush elephants (Loxodonta africana). Over many years they have adapted to the arid environment of the Namib desert. Apart from this group of desert-adapted elephants, it is only in Mali where they can be found, in the Sahara desert. In Namibia, they reside in the Hoarusib, Hoanib, Huab, Aba Huab, and Ugab ephemeral rivers, which run from the Great Escarpment into the Atlantic ocean. Compared to other African bush elephants, desert-adapted elephants can survive without drinking water for several days, and they can travel over long distances to find water. They live in smaller herds, putting less pressure on their food and water sources. Besides adaptations to cope with water and food scarcity, desert-adapted elephants also have physical adaptations to the arid environment, such as a smaller body mass and larger feet, making it easier to walk through the sand.

 

Threats to Namibia’s desert-adapted elephants

 

These desert-adapted elephants are very few in number (less than 150) and are under tremendous pressure from habitat loss and the associated problems of human-elephant conflict (HEC). To handle the effects of climate change and prolonged droughts, local communities increasingly use crop farming as an additional source of livelihood, as it reduces their dependency on livestock farming for food security. However, elephants' destruction of these crops has become a common issue as well as damages to water infrastructure in their desperate search for water. This often leads to HEC, where people take retaliatory measures. On the other hand, out of fear for elephants or misinterpreting their signs, people can react in such a way that causes elephants to get aggressive.

 

The loss of every individual elephant can have long-term consequences. For example, when older females (matriarchs) are killed, it affects the entire herd, often leading to the loss of the baby elephants, disruption of social dynamics, as well as that of valuable "herd memory", for example, the knowledge of food and water sources in a vast desert environment. Similarly, the loss of older males in a herd can mean that there is no male of reproductive age available when a female comes into estrus, which threatens the reproduction of the species. This population is important in its own right as a part of Namibia's biodiversity heritage; it is also essential to tourism. If concerted efforts are not applied to prevent further human-elephant conflict, which often leads to the mortality of these elephants, their future fate is in danger.

 

Conserving Namibia’s desert-adapted elephant through mitigating Human-Elephant Conflict

 

With the support of conservation NGOs and the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT), rural communities use different techniques to mitigate human-elephant conflict. The Kunene Elephant Walk is one of the NGOs that aims to support communities in addressing HEC and raise awareness and funds to implement the following HEC mitigation projects:

 

 

The Kunene Elephant Walk initiative

 

The Kunene Elephant Walk (KEW) is an initiative by John K. Kasaona that aims to help conserve the unique population of desert-adapted elephants by raising awareness about the ecological and economic importance of desert-adapted elephants on a local, national and international level while raising funds for conflict prevention projects.

 

The raised funds will be used for various conflict prevention projects in the conservancies that are within the elephant habitat in this region, such as:

 

 

By walking a distance of 150 kilometers through northwest conservancies that cover important elephant habitats, the KEW team aims to raise awareness of the ecological importance of desert-adapted elephants to raise funds for HEC mitigation projects and contribute to the conservation of this unique population of elephants. The Walk, initiated by John K. Kasaona in partnership with TOSCO, Desert Elephant Conservation, EHRA and the Conservation Film Foundation will start on 16June 2022 over 5 days, and is open to anyone that wants to participate and help raise awareness.

 

Our goal with this fundraiser is to reach N$ 400,000 (€22,300) that will be spent on various projects that aim to mitigate human-elephant conflict and promote co-existence between elephants and rural communities:

 

             - 10 binoculars cost N$10,000 = €555,

             - 10 cameras cost (N$69,000 = €3,830),

             - 10 full uniforms for elephant guards cost (N$ 20,000 = €1200)

 

By donating to this cause, you will help conserve a unique population of elephants in Africa. No donation is too small, any of your chosen amount will help make a difference!