IRDNC and the desert giants of the northwest

Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation (IRDNC) is a non-profit organisation that operates in remote rural regions of Namibia. For more than 30 years, IRDNC has worked to improve the lives of rural people by diversifying socio-economic activities in communal areas. The organisation does this by working closely with communities and within the framework of Namibia’s CBNRM (Community-based Natural Resource Management) system to balance the existence of wildlife and humans, and find constructive and sustainable ways in which people can benefit from valuable natural resources, whilst at the same time helping to conserve them.

One of the major conservation issues currently plaguing the northwestern conservancies and landscapes of Namibia is the co-existence of people and the roaming elephant herds of the region, which all too often leads to human-wildlife conflict in the area. Working closely with communities, and in the pursuit of the protection and conservation of the specially-adapted elephant populations who call the region home, IRDNC is undertaking a new project. The core of the project will aim to set up an elephant monitoring system akin to that developed and successfully implemented for many years by Save the Rhino Trust Namibia as they monitor and protect black rhinos in the same area. By keeping tabs on elephant movements, monitoring herds and studying behavioural patterns, IRDNC hopes to be able to prevent human-elephant conflict situations before they occur, set up more feasible mechanisms to completely avoid it and broaden the communities’ and conservation entities’ understanding of what is needed to achieve a balance in which both elephants and humans can thrive.

Two Namibian companies have positively reacted in support of this new initiative. FNB, through the FirstRand Namibia Foundation, recently handed over N$ 300,000 to IRDNC. These funds will be used to enhance and support the efforts of IRDNC toward humans and wildlife coexistence research projects which offer practical solutions to keeping elephants out of crops and villages, and tourism initiatives aimed at helping communities understand the value in keeping these gentle giants alive.

Revonia Kahivere, FirstRand Namibia Foundation CSI Manager said that while people the world over reaped the benefits of maintaining flourishing wildlife populations, there were also cases where wildlife and human conflict has led to death and destruction. “This was the case with the unique elephant population, known as the Kunene Highlands Elephants, which have in the past conflicted with the local communities over natural resources – which has been exacerbated by the drought conditions experienced over the last six years in Kunene.

“With this support IRDNC will continue to work handin-hand with relevant communities, and stakeholders towards establishing a long-term monitoring system as well as facilitating wildlife events. Sharing of knowledge, and incentivising volunteer Elephant Rangers as well as training of rangers and communities on elephant behaviour is also part of this initiative. Since Human-Elephant conflict is one of the issues identified, the focus will also expose communities to different approaches on how to avert and mitigate Human-Elephant Conflicts. Overall, the funding will help to promote the long-term conservation and protection of one of Namibia’s unique elephant populations through implementation of the different interventions and objectives”, said IRDNC Executive Director, Mr. John K. Kasaona.

In March 2022, CYMOT Namibia also contributed products to the value of almost N$ 70,000 to IRDNC’s Elephant Ranger teams. These goods included everything from uniforms, walking boots, backpacks to camping gear - equipping the “boots on the ground” teams to tackle the harsh climate of the northwest in their endeavours to monitor and track these desert giants.

Through research, education, perseverance and teamwork, Namibians have in the past and continue to come together to protect our natural resources and sustain livelihoods for those that choose to live with wildlife everyday. Collaborative efforts such as these, along with the hardy and committed communities that call these regions home and wild animals their neighbours, are what drive Namibia’s continuing conservation success story.

Elzanne McCulloch