Greater Waterberg Landscape gears up towards veld fire management

The Otjituuo and African Wild Dog Conservancies' management Committee receive firefighting equipment handed over by Ms. L. Halueendo of NAMPLACE

Namibia is prone to veld fires, which poses a serious challenge to the national economy through reduction of grazing land which undermines the agricultural productivity a pillar national economic in the country. Veld fires greatly threaten biodiversity as it reduces habitat diversity and destroys flora and faunas. Soil erosions can also occur as a result of veld fires that reduces land cover and subsequent runoff infiltration. In savannah grassland, the landscape provides an aesthetic appeal that draws tourism to the lands and this value can be lost through uncontrolled veld fires. Further, veld fires also destroy a range of forestry products which most rural areas rely on for their everyday livelihood. In year 2013 alone, about 70 million hectares of national grazing land was destroyed as a result of veld fires. The Greater Waterberg Landscape (GWL) which situated in the central Namibia falls within the highly veld fires prone zone within the national context.

In efforts to address veld fire concerns and curb their effects, an integrated veld fire management approach, drawing and coordinating efforts from different stakeholders has been advocated as strategic move. Community awareness campaigns, precautionary measures such as creation and maintaining of fires breaks and key water points as well as stocking on necessary firefighting equipment and protective clothing all makes up part the integrated fire veld fire management.

In addressing this predicament, the GWL through the Namibia Protected Landscape Conservation Areas Initiative (NAM-PLACE) assisted by the Cheetah Conservation Fund and the Directorate of Forestry of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry offered a 2-days training to more than 30 members of the African Wild Dog, Okamatapati, Otjituuo and Ozonahi communal conservancies, Waterberg Plateau Park, Affirmative and Resettlement Farmers with the GWL. This training aimed at building capacity for veld fires management within the landscape. Topics on fire prevention and suppression were covered during this training.

The Directorate of Forestry offers continuous support to the four communal conservancies through the development and maintenance of fire breaks/cut lines. The further capacitate this landscape, the NAM-PLACE project procured firefighting equipment for the trained stakeholders.