ORKCA FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

ORKCA is technically carrying out ecological restoration, which is proactively restoring an area to what it once was before human interference. Rewilding is a comprehensive process of rebuilding a sustainable, resilient natural ecosystem by protecting and restoring core wilderness areas, providing connectivity between these areas and protecting or reintroducing key, often apex species to recreate natural processes that existed before human disturbance. The United Nations has listed rewilding as one of several methods needed to achieve massive scale restoration of natural ecosystems.

In the Orange River-Karoo region, ORKCA aims to connect 1 million hectares of land, remove fences and work to restore the land, and ultimately reintroduce apex species to recreate the biodiversity and ecosystem that existed before farming and human interference. Unsustainable farming practices, bad land management and outside factors like climate change have wreaked havoc on the natural landscape, and especially the natural wildlife that even 100 years ago was abundant.

No, rewilding efforts also include finding economic alternative activities – nature based solutions – which work in harmony with, and benefit, the environment and people. This can include tourism, indigenous plant nurseries, beekeeping and other sustainable enterprises. Wildlife conservation is our model, and we are committed to establishing land use initiatives which sustainably utilize our natural resources and provide economic benefits and are aligned with our vision and missions.

A nature-based solution – usually referred to in terms of an economic alternative to current practices – are activities which are inspired and supported by nature and the natural world. They provide environmental, social and economic benefits which help build resilience for communities while also maintaining a healthy biodiversity. Nature based solutions work on the premise that before human interference nature was balanced, and working mindfully with nature, solutions to address climate change, human health, food and water security can be found.

Ecosystem services are the many benefits people get from nature. For example, trees and forests provide many things (services) which people benefit from – food, fuel and fibre from wood and vegetation, trees clean the air, filter water supplies, control floods and erosion, sustain biodiversity and genetic resources and benefit human health and well-being through recreation, education and cultural activities.

Ecological restoration is an approach aimed at making the land more resilient to the impacts of climate change, creating more vegetation cover, allowing the land to function without interference from humans and restoring natural processes. Drought will always be an issue in southern Namibia, and degraded areas will struggle to come back from the damage of years of bad practice overgrazing and over-farming, however with proper best practice large scale land management restoration techniques being used in the ORKCA reserve, we have already seen improvements in land quality and know this can be scaled up.

The best way to counter threats like drought is for an ecosystem to be as resilient as possible and this is achieved through careful planning, a model of landuse which is suitable and sensitive to the ecosystem and one that promotes healthy reproduction and recruitment. Our model to reduce climate change impacts is to have as large a footprint as possible so that we improve rain fall and counter changes in the climate and through this the reserve will diversify and build resilience across a large area. Coupled with this will be careful management of wildlife numbers. Wildlife is easier on grazing vegetation than livestock and by removing livestock from the land and allowing the natural species to return, the land will be more resilient with more vegetation cover. Water for ORKCA is not an issue for our needs as our entire southern border is the Orange River.

In five years we have already seen exciting results in the reserve from our rewilding efforts. Taking down fences, stopping livestock grazing and allowing the land to recover means our land has more natural vegetation cover, and native species are able to survive more easily. The time period for fuller restoration will rely on our ability to acquire more land, and work with local landowners and communities to take up restoration practices, but we have a 20 year vision, broken into five year strategic planning, and continue to engage with people within the ORKCA footprint to discuss the benefits of our model and show them the results.

Native wildlife species have been decimated in the entire southern Namibia region over many years. Once the home to the world’s biggest migration of animals, the springbok migration (even bigger than the Serengeti “Great Migration” of wildebeest) wildlife numbers have plummeted through unsustainable hunting, overgrazing, over-farming and putting up fences which don’t allow for the natural movement of animals.

Species in the reserve now include zebra, eland, springbok, oryx, baboons and predators like brown hyena, black backed jackel and leopard, but none in large numbers and all still subject to difficult conditions. There are no elephants, lions or cheetahs and limited rhino and giraffe can only be found in the south of the reserve. As the biodiversity returns through rewilding efforts and the landscape is deemed diverse and strong enough to support apex predators, we will evaluate what species are best suited and appropriate for the restored landscape.

The United Nations defines sustainable land management (SLM) as “the use of land resources, including soils, water, animals and plants, for the production of goods to meet changing human needs, while simultaneously ensuring the long-term productive potential of these resources and the maintenance of their environmental functions”.  It is a holistic approach to achieving productivity and healthy ecosystems by integrating social, economic, physical and biological needs and values, and contributes to sustainable and rural development.

The southern part of Namibia is ancient and spectacular, with rock dating back two billion years and the life-giving Orange River cutting its way through the mountains. The Succulent Karoo, one of the world’s 25 biodiversity hotspots, the Nama Karoo and Desert biomes all meet here making the area an ecotone, the transitional area between three biomes and a catalyst for evolution. Despite the importance of this landscape, ORKCA is the only privately protected area to host this particular ecotone, and less than 1% of the Nama Karoo is formally protected. The Nama culture is unique and threatened, and we want to create avenues to share Nama knowledge and history with the world as well as help preserve such important historical and current traditions and values.

ORKCA will develop a wide ranging tourism portfolio that will focus on cultural tourism and wildlife adventure tourism, with a focus on low impact, low footprint initiatives that are respectful of both conservation and community.

Southern Namibia is isolated from the capital city and other more famous tourist sites in Namibia like Etosha National Park, the Skeleton Coast and Sossusvlei. However, the region is spectacular and ripe for tourism investment. The Orange River is a life giving focal point, the Fish River Canyon, the second largest canyon in the world after the Grand Canyon, is a two hour drive away. The Succulent Karoo, one of the world’s 25 biodiversity hotspots, the Nama Karoo and Desert biomes all meet in ORKCA. Cultural heritage exchange opportunities are also abundant, with the ancient Nama and other tribal cultures of global importance. As ORKCA is restored, and wildlife returns, light touch safaris and other activities will all be considered.

ORKCA fully supports sustainable, well-managed and transparent hunting as a form of wildlife conservation. We recognize the issue of hunting is a contentious and emotional one. However, in Namibia and most other African countries, money earned from hunting is an important income source for communities and is often one of the few ways they are able to effectively utilize the few natural resources available to them. Through carefully monitored hunting – only allowing hunting where wildlife populations can sustain it, and only allowing the hunting of certain species – wildlife remains at healthy levels while communities benefit from the money earned. Money comes from the hunting licences and attached access fees, the tourism income of hunters coming to the region and staying in accommodation, the purchase of equipment and food. In southern Namibia, funds brought in from hunting go towards habitat maintenance, community projects and wildlife management efforts. Hunting is also a food source for local communities, who eat the meat as a source of essential protein.

While we recognize that mining is the largest contributor to Namibia’s economy in terms of revenue (25% of income) and the diamond and other mineral mines provide large employment in Namibia and related economic benefits, yes, ORKCA is against mining. We don’t consider it a sustainable use of land and resources, with few if any benefits going to communities and the impacts on the environment and biodiversity often irreversible. While we understand there is a global need for the minerals to fuel current and renewable technologies, being a conservation area whose vision it is to conserve and protect land and landscape, mining impact does not align with this.

Namibia does have environmental policies around mining, implemented by the Ministry of Tourism and the Environment.

Currently our main funders are TUSK, Rolex Perpetual Planet, Rhino Recovery Fund and private individuals. We continue to fundraise and speak with investors from around the world.