Protected areas of Namibia

The protected areas of Namibia include its national parks and reserves. With the 2010 declaration of Dorob National Park, Namibia became the first and only country to have its entire coastline protected through a national parks network. Protected areas are subdivided into game reserves and/or nature reserves, such as special protected area, wilderness areas, natural areas, and development areas. There are also recreation reserves. Facilities in the national parks are operated by Namibia Wildlife Resorts. Over 19% of Namibia is protected, an area of some 130,000 square kilometres. However, the Ministry of Environment & Tourism auctions limited hunting rights within its protected areas. The Namibia Nature Foundation, an NGO, was established in 1987 to raise and administer funds for the conservation of wildlife and protected area management. Communal Wildlife Conservancies in Namibia help promote sustainable natural resource management by giving local communities rights to wildlife management and tourism.

Brandberg Nature Reserve is located in Damaraland and surrounds the entire Brandberg Mountain massif, the highest mountain in Namibia which 175 kilometres north of Swakopmund. It became a nature reserve in 1951. The Ugab River flows in the area.

Cape Cross is a protected area under the name Cape Cross Seal Reserve. The reserve is the home of one of the largest colonies of Cape fur seals in the world. Cape Cross is one of two main sites in Namibia where seals are culled, partly for selling their hides and partly for protecting the fish stock. The economic impact of seals on the fish resources is controversial: While a government-initiated study found that seal colonies consume more fish than the entire fishing industry can catch, animal protection society Seal Alert South Africa estimated less than 0.3% losses to commercial fisheries.

The Caprivi Game Park is located within Bwabwata NP. The reserve is 5,715 square kilometres (2,207 sq mi) in size. It is situated in the northeast of the country on the Caprivi Strip. It is one of the wettest areas of the country, especially during the southern hemisphere winter months of December to March. The landscape consists mainly of swamps, floodplains, wetland, and deciduous woodland, especially wild seringa, copalwood and Zambezi teak, and is biologically rich with over 450 animal species such as elephant, roan, kudu, and buffalo, and over 400 species of birds. Elephants are particularly populous in the western part of the Caprivi, where they flourish in the thick mixed vegetation and dunes.

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