Beginning in November, IRDNC put into place an important drought relief program in NW Namibia. With money raised directly from the organization’s supporters, IRDNC staff have been making their way through conservancies hit hardest by drought to engage in a cattle buying program. The goal of the program is to get conservancy farmers to destock during this time of limited grazing so that grasses may rebound in coming years. This will allow for improved grazing, not just for livestock, but for wildlife as well, with important effects on prey and predators across the region. Hats off to IRDNC and its supporters for implementing this important program: it really shows the depth of support for communal farmers during this incredibly difficult time.
Communal farmer and program participant, Henry Mapanka; Torra Conservancy.
It is important that the perspectives of community members are incorporated into management decisions concerning desert-adapted lions on communal land. Residents of communal conservancies who have to pay the price of living with lions deserve to have their voices heard, even amplified. In late 2017 we surveyed a representative sample of livestock owners in core lion-range conservancies to assess local perceptions of living with lions. Since that time, preliminary results from these surveys have informed management recommendations and actions of the Northwest Lion Working Group. Today we are excited to announce the release of this research, which is being published in the journal Biological Conservation.
This survey is the first of its kind in the area. It serves as an important baseline for assessing the effectiveness of activities to limit human-lion conflict going forward.
Collared lioness in northwest Namibia. Photo: AJ Wattamaniuk
Conservation of northwest Namibia’s lions is more than just
time in field. Management planning and policy development is critical to the successful
long-term conservation of the population. The Northwest Lion Working Group (NWLWG)
spearheads policy development, management decisions, and the development of
field protocol and methodology for all aligned governmental, community, and NGO
actors helping to conserve the lions in northwest Namibia and limit human-lion conflict.
On 7 May, 2019, the NWLWG gathered in Swakopmund to review progress over the
past year, plan for field activities for the rest of 2019, hear presentations
from potential partners, review policy and make recommendations to the Ministry
of Environment and Tourism (MET). This meeting was chaired by Kenneth //Uiseb,
the MET Deputy Director of Scientific Services and Uakendisa Muzuma, the MET
Large-Carnivore Coordinator who also chairs the NWLWG Technical Committee.
Lion Rangers and Rapid Response teams moving livestock; Sesfontein
April was busy for the Lion Rangers and IRDNC Rapid Response teams, as almost the entire month was spent in the field responding to or preventing human-lion conflict (HLC) incidents. As reported by Rapid Response Team Leader and Coordinator Cliff Tjikundi, the Lion Rangers and Rapid Response teams “successfully responded to eight (8) lion conflict incidents/occasions (2 in Sesfontein, 2 in Anabeb, 3 Ehi-rovipuka and 1 in Torra), preventing further [livestock and lion] incidents/losses. The most crucial ones were the two (2) incidents in Sesfontein conservancy, at Ganamub and Elephant song, where the team was actively collecting livestock from the field into kraals at night. In the process two (2) cattle were killed, but this could have been worse as the situation lasted for about two weeks, before the lions returned to the Hoanib river. This was one of those situations where lions find themselves in areas with lot of cattle and are difficult to access with vehicles. The lions seem to use the geography to their advantage to avoid people.” In the past such situations have often resulted in lions being translocated. This process is led by Philip Stander of the Desert Lion Conservation Project (DLC). However, for the first time the Rapid Response teams and Lion Rangers resolved an intensive series of conflicts without the direct assistance of DLC! This is a monumental development in efforts to foster community-based conservation of the desert-adapted lion population. The greater responsibility that the Lion Rangers, Rapid Response teams, and community members can take in fostering safe human-lion interactions, the brighter the prospect for the area’s farmers and lions.
There have also been dramatic improvements concerning
lion incidents in Ehi-rovipuka and Omatendeka conservancies, as there were no
recorded livestock losses in April. This is due to improved lion monitoring by
a team consisting of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET), AfriCat North
and the Lion Rangers/Rapid Response teams. Efforts in this area have been
emphasizing regular patrols and monitoring along the Etosha and Hobatere
fences, while community engagement efforts are focusing on developing farmers’
willingness to report lion movements in farming areas.
In northwest Namibia communal farmers and desert-adapted lions share an arid landscape. When prey is scarce, lions can predate farmers’ livestock, leading to lions being killed in response. The Lion Rangers, a group of trained, community conservationists are working to limit livestock losses and reduce human-lion conflict. One tool in the Lion Rangers’ arsenal is the Early-Warning System, an innovative new program that began operation in 2018.
It starts with the erection of an Early-Warning Tower at a farmers’ homestead. This tower searches for collared lions and alerts farmers when lions are in the area by activating a series of lights and sirens so farmers can take precautions to secure their livestock.
Lion Rangers are then deployed to the field to find lions in the affected area, to fit them with Early-Warning collars.
Working with community leaders and farmers the Lion Rangers use local information and tracking to pinpoint where the relevant groups of lions move and reside.
Lions are tracked and lured, then darted by trained and registered professionals and fitted with Early-Warning collars that respond with the erected towers. The collars’ location and status can also be monitored remotely. The goal is to inform farmers’ of lion movements BEFORE lions enter the affected farming area. This is helping limit livestock losses and human-lion conflict.
When lions move into potential conflict areas, the information can be monitored and then disseminated to the relevant people.
The result are groups of lions that are observed safely and monitored remote. The aim is the long-term transformation of human and lion behavior: so that lions no longer seek farmers’ livestock and farmers are not forced to make the difficult decision to kill lions to protect their livestock.
