Etosha National Park (original) (raw)

Natural features: The park is dominated by an expansive saltpan and several smaller pans. Scenic waterholes have abundant game. The veld is flat and open, with the only hills around
Halali Rest Camp and in the extreme west of the park.

Vegetation: Lakes and Salt Pans, Nama Karoo and Tree and Shrub Savannah biomes.

Vegetation types: Karstveld Pans, Western Kalahari, Mopane Shrubland, Etosha Grass and Dwarf Shrubland, North-Eastern Kalahari Woodlands, Western Highlands, Cuvelai Drainage. African moringa tree (Moringa ovalifolia) at Fairytale Forest, water-thorn (Acacia nebrownii), trumpet- thorn (Catophractes alexandri), mopane (Colophospermum mopane), purple-pod terminalia (Terminalia prunoides).

Wildlife: Elephant, black and white rhino, black-faced impala, lion, giraffe, leopard, eland, Burchell’s zebra, springbok, blue wildebeest, gemsbok, Damara dik-dik. The 407 bird species recorded include Woolly-necked Stork, Lappet-faced Vulture, Hartlaub’s Spurfowl, Carp’s Tit, White-tailed Shrike, Ruppell’s Parrot, Meyer’s Parrot.

Tourism: Game viewing. Bird-watching. Photography. Okaukuejo: Premier waterhole chalets, waterhole, family and bush chalets, double rooms. Camping. Restaurant. Bar, kiosk, shop, post office, swimming pool. Flood-lit waterhole, guided morning, afternoon and night game drives. Halali: Family and bush chalets, double rooms. Camping. Restaurant, bar, kiosk, swimming pool. Flood-lit waterhole, guided morning, afternoon and night drives. Nature walks within the camp. Namutoni: Bush chalets, double rooms. Camping. African fusion restaurant, steakhouse, bar, curio shop, jewellers and bookstore within the renovated fort. Swimming pool, flood-lit waterhole. Onkoshi: Low impact, environmentally friendly, only 15 units. No entry without a booking. The western part of the park is restricted to Namibian-registered tour operators only.

Key management issues: Water provision is probably the most important activity in the park. Apart from the few natural springs, most waterholes are artificial and need maintenance. Boreholes are either powered by wind or solar energy. The biggest challenge is usually during spring when gaming concentration at waterholes is high and it is cloudy, reducing the effectiveness of solar panels. Diesel engines are used to supplement windmills or solar pumps during windless and cloudy days respectively.

At present, poaching levels are low due to community involvement in the Community-based Natural Resource Management Programme. Anti-poaching patrols are conducted by the Wildlife Protection Services by vehicle, on foot and via aerial patrols. Tourist patrols are also conducted, with speeding and not obeying other park regulations problematic.

Fencing teams are constantly challenged to keep up with maintenance and repair new breaks in the over 800-km perimeter fence.

Maintenance of the gravel roads and firebreaks is carried out by the maintenance team within MET. Firebreaks are graded once a year after the rainy season.

Despite the fencing, animals such as lions, hyaenas and elephants leave the park and cause problems on neighbouring farms and communal areas. Staff spend a lot of time trying to resolve human-wildlife conflicts and holding problem-animal forums with neighbours to share ideas on minimising these conflicts.

Future plans: A business plan, developed during Etosha’s centenary year, will be developed and implemented further. Staff will start implementing the recently approved National Policy on Human Wildlife Conflict Management.

Interactive information centres at Halali, Namutoni and Okaukuejo with specific themes will be developed further. These will include interpretive displays, touch screens, auditoriums and other tourist information. The centre at Namutoni will incorporate a museum. Namibia Wildlife Resorts will develop a fifth camp in western Etosha.