Issue of the month

Namibians may largely be apathetic to global warming, its causes and effects, as they may believe this phenomenon would be the concern of developed or highly populated countries.

However, one of the most evident places where the effects of global climate change can be observed in Namibia is along its fragile coast.

The sea level has gradually been increasing over a number of years. It has risen to such an extent that Namibia will now have to recognize this and its subsequent coastal erosion as facts and act upon it in a serious way.

Unfortunately, no local statistics are available to indicate the real increase. The effects of the raising sea levels are evident by the erosion and damaged caused to the shoreline at towns and campsites.

With the rising sea level, coastal erosion will increase and this will impact seriously our environment and consequently our economy.

Sea-level rise can be a product of global warming through two main processes: thermal expansion of seawater and widespread melting of land ice. Global warming is predicted to cause significant rises in sea level over the course of the twenty-first century.

In the book Miracles of Hope, Surviving and Thriving in the 21st Century, Carole Knight writes that studies of sea level around the world show that over the past century, the global mean sea level has risen by about 12 centimetres or slightly mare than a centimeter per decade. “It is believed that this could be either due to either polar ice caps melting or to thermal expansion, whereby the upper layers of the ocean expand much like milk expands when heated, often overflowing the mug in which the cold milk was first measured.”

According to Wikipedia, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Third Assessment Report in 2001 predicted that by 2100, global warming would lead to a sea level rise of 9 to 88 cm. At that time no significant acceleration in the rate of sea level rise during the 20th century had been detected. Subsequently, Church and White found acceleration of 0.013 ± 0.006 mm/yr².

Sea levels have risen about 130 meters since the peak of the last ice age about 18,000 years ago. Most of the rise occurred before 6,000 years ago.

From 3,000 years ago to the start of the 19th century sea level was almost constant, rising at 0.1 to 0.2 mm/yr. Since 1900 the level has risen at 1 to 2 mm/yr; since 1993 satellite altimetry from TOPEX/Poseidon indicates a rate of rise of 3.1 ± 0.7 mm yr–1. Church and White (2006) found a sea-level rise from January 1870 to December 2004 of 195 mm, a 20th century rate of sea-level rise of 1.7 ± 0.3 mm per yr and a significant acceleration of sea-level rise of 0.013 ± 0.006 mm per year. If this acceleration remains constant, then the 1990 to 2100 rise would range from 280 to 340 mm.

Future sea level rise, like the recent rise, is not expected to be globally uniform. Some regions show a sea-level rise substantially more than the global average (in many cases of more than twice the average), and others a sea level fall. However, models disagree as to the likely pattern of sea level change.

Shore-based communities could face some serious problems in the next centuries. Major cities such as London and New Orleans already need storm-surge defences and would need more if sea level rose, though they also face issues such as sinking land.

The Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem along Namibia’s coast of 1 570 km is one of the world's most productive marine environments. It is at a critical location in terms of the global climate system. Its marine and coastal environments are also potentially extremely vulnerable to any future climate change or increasing variability in climate. These have obvious consequences for long-term sustainable management of the coast and marine resources.

Coastal erosion

Wave action, tidal currents, wave currents, or drainage cause coastal erosion. They wear away the land or remove beach or dune sediments by wave action. Waves, generated by storms, wind, or fast moving motor craft, cause coastal erosion, which may take the form of long-term losses of sediment and rocks, or merely the temporary redistribution of coastal sediments.  Erosion in one location may result in accretion nearby.

On rocky coasts, coastal erosion results in dramatic rock formations in areas where the coastline contains rock layers or fracture zones with different resistances to erosion. Softer areas become eroded much faster than harder ones, which typically result in landforms such as tunnels, bridges, columns, and pillars.

To see the effect of the sea level along Namibia’s coast one should make a point of observing high or spring tide.

At Swakopmund the Fisheries Research and Information Centre of the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources would come under ‘attack’ during spring tide, hence a barricade of huge rocks on its west side to break the force of the waves. Next door, a popular beach bar had to move some of its structure inland to escape the lunging waves during high tides. In Vineta, a new development built next to the high tide mark, could in future have to contend with the spills or spurts due to the waves crashing into its defence wall.

At Mile 14 the ablution facilities of a campsite of Namibia Wildlife Resorts have been exposed to the might of the waves, its foundation being eroded away. Also elsewhere along the coast the damage of the rising tide can be seen, especially in sandy areas. At Sandwich Harbour it seems that the old fossil reed beds to the north is also being affected by the rising tides.

What can Namibians do?

Surely, everyone should become much more aware of the global climate change and its causes.

It is estimated that about one trillion metric tons of carbon dioxide is dissolved into the ocean, with a colder ocean absorbing more carbon dioxide than a warmer ocean. “Global warming could result in a significant increase in the mean sea temperature with more carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere and less carbon dioxide being dissolved, which in turn would increase the greenhouse effect in a feedback cycle.” (From the Miracles of Hope, Surviving and Thriving in the 21st Century)

Namibia should voice its concern and opinion at all international fronts, with the overall aim of decreasing carbon emissions and all its effects. We should all become part of this international debate. The global climate ‘game’ is being played on our doorstep and disturbances to the global elsewhere may be spilling over to us in a major way, some or other time.

Another step for Namibia would be to monitor the morphology of our coast, sea level raises, the effects thereof and coastal land uses over the long term. The accretion of sand at places on the coast due to erosion at other places also needs to be studied. The effect of silts no longer being washed down in the ephemeral rivers due to upstream dams or below normal rainy seasons, could also have an effect on the geomorphology of the coast.

Property or mining developments should from now consider constructing buildings and structures at a safe distance from possible future sea levels.

Should you wish to contribute to this topic by just voicing your opinion or to make a constructive contribution, the NACOMA Project invites you to send an e-mail to: ncadot@nacoma.org.na

There is more to the dune belt between Walvis Bay and Swakopmund than meets the eye. These countless heaps of sand and plains harbour a variety of natural life, where man, as a guest should tread softly and with respect.

If viewed from different perspectives, the value and significance of this ecologically sensitive area should be appreciated much more in terms of conservation, utilization, its aesthetics and geology.

On a satellite image the dune area appears quite insignificant compared to the Namib Sand Sea between Lüderitz and Kuiseb River, covering an area of 100 - 150 km in width and 400 km in length.

If one digs for geological reasons, the occurrence of the dune belt, 30 km long and about 8 km in breadth, will trigger your amazement and curiosity.

Satellite images show the Namib Sand Sea to stop on the southern banks of the Kuiseb River. The Kuiseb River originates in the mountainous Khomas Hochland, runs westward over a distance of 300 km and disappears into the sands of the Namib, a few kilometers east of Walvis Bay. On its northern banks the desert continues as plains covered with gravel and thin layers of sand.

Would there be any connection between the Namib Sand Sea and the small and narrow dune belt between Swakop and Walvis? It would appear not since they are clearly divided by gravel plains.

However, the dune belt is actually a ‘branch’ of the Namib Sand Sea south of the Kuiseb River.

The Namib Desert was formed five million years ago. The formation of the dunes of this desert started about two million years ago and continues unabated until today.

According to Nicole Grünert in her book, Namibia, Fascination of Geology (A Travel Handbook), the reason for Namib Sand Sea advancing northwards can be found in the dryness of the lower course of the Kuiseb River. Contrary to former times, its floods during rainy seasons now vanishes into the sand, “so far upstream, that some very mobile barchan dunes were able to cross the river in the immediate vicinity of the coast”.

“These permanently shifting dunes were forced onwards by strong south-west winds and grow by further sand supply from transverse dunes along the coast, thus spreading adjacent to the coastal B2 road as far as the southern banks of the Swakop River. The existing sand masses in the bed of the Kuiseb are already so huge, that even the volume of water in the good rain year in 1997 was not able to break through these barriers. Due to the enormous amounts of water in the 2000 rainy season, the Kuiseb managed to break through to the Atlantic for the first time in about 50 years.”

The Kuiseb’s waters infiltrated down in a silted up delta some kilometers off the coast up to this time. “The dunes, however, shift irresistibly northwards and are only stopped by the Swakop. This river serves as an impregnable barrier for the sand masses, as in good rainy seasons it reaches the sea, flushing the stand out of its bed. Although this happens quite seldom, the sporadic floods are sufficient to stop the dunes from extending further north. If this ephemeral river, however, does not reach the sea anymore due to increasing dryness, the dune fields in the future will extend across into the town of Swakopmund, Grünert writes.”

Activities in the Swakop River, such as the mining of sand, could impede the natural flow of water and perhaps restrict it to reach the coast.

North of the Swakop the Namib is essentially sand-free. A new dune belt is found in the vicinity of Torra Bay in the Skeleton Coast Park, which extends as a strip northwards into Angola.

Walvis Bay, as Namibia’s biggest seaport, accommodates and facilitates various important industrial and economic activities for itself and the hinterland, while Swakopmund serves as one of the country’s major important tourist destinations.

In between, the dune belt has to live up to many expectations due to its excellent position for tourism and recreational opportunities these days. Tourists don’t have to drive as far as Sossusvlei to view large dunes. Dune 7 near Walvis Bay is a huge enough exponent and together with the variety of activities and amenities the coast provides so much entertainment.

This dune area provides for off-road driving, sand boarding, sand skiing, paragliding, ballooning, land sailing, hiking and picnics. Tour and quad bike operators keep to special demarcated areas, ensuring that the desert ecosystem is not harmed by recreational activities.

It is when you ‘scratch’ the surface of the dunes that you discover the real life. The dune belt accommodates a whole food chain. A variety of desert creatures live from the organic matter of plants and animal, blown there from the inland by the east wind, as well as moisture provided by the fog rolling inland from the sea.

It is here that you will find the diminutive web-footed Palmato Gecko, the Shovel Snouted Lizard, the Namaqua Chameleon, the Fitzsimons Burrowing Skink, Sidewinder, Fog Basking Beetle and the White Spider. Among the intriguing fauna is the succulent – dollar bush. Water flows from its fleshy leaves when broken.

The rare and endemic minute bird, the Damara Tern, breeds in sandy areas near the shore where they feed. Their breeding colonies sometimes are found up to eight kilometers inland and also in the gravel plains between the dunes. This is to avoid predators such as brown hyena and black-backed jackal, which look for food along the beaches. (Please read more about this bird and other Flora and Fauna on the webpage Fauna & Flora on this website.)

As the majestic dunes, its gravel plains, the Kuiseb and Swakop rivers have become major tourist attractions and playgrounds for leisure seekers and holidaymakers this area should be harnessed as a piece of gold.

Care and conservation of the dune belt have become increasingly important due to some off-road drivers who wander outside the specially demarcated areas and subsequently thrash the natural life.

The total area between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay, which includes the dune belt as well as the Kuiseb Delta, is set to become a protected area. It will either be established as a park on its own or be incorporated into the Namib Naukluft Park.

This, however, does not imply that the different activities in the dune area as well on the beach areas will be stopped. The area will be demarcated properly for different uses and the relevant laws and regulations will be processed under the new Environmental Act and the Park and Wildlife Management Bill.

The Ministry of Environment and Tourism already started with stricter and successful law enforcement and monitoring, as was experienced during the past Easter Weekend in March.

Consultants appointed by the NACOMA Project should recommend land uses from the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) carried out for the Erongo and Kunene region coastal zones. They will start working in April and target the Namib Naukluft Park, the Skeleton Coast Park, the Walvis Bay Nature Reserve and the National West Coast Recreation area (NWCRA).

The protection status of the NWCRA will be increased a national park where the same measures as intended for the area between Walvis Bay and Swakopmund will apply.

The consultants will work closely with all stakeholders and do the following:

Government will apply different means such as concessions and a permit system to allow people to utilize and manage different land zones within this area.

More information on the research and recommendations regarding the land-uses of the different areas, and specifically regarding the dune belt, will be posted on NACOMA’s website and be announced in the mass media.

Man remains nature’s worst foe. Vehicle tracks, which crisscrossed the gravel plains and the conservation dune areas between Walvis Bay and Swakopmund and defaced the beach areas in the National West Coast Tourist Recreational Area during the past holiday recess, testified that off-road driving was out of control.

Offenders drove into the no-go lichen area northwest of Wlotzakasbaken, into bird breeding areas and over vegetation. Numerous vehicles tracks were visible northwards up to the Ugab river mouth.

The aesthetic value and natural assets of this once pristine coast are under severe threat and strong action against the demise of the coastal zone should be taken sooner than later.

An aerial survey undertaken by the NACOMA Project and the Coastal Contingency Management Committee along the coast on 10 and 11 January indicated that off-road vehicle damage has been the worst in years. Patterns carved into the sand from above looked in spots like fairy circles while on the contrary they represent indelible lines drawn by a marker across a beautiful and costly painting.

It was estimated that up to 2 000 quad bikes could have been operating along the coast during the holiday season. The many circles or ‘dough nuts’ all over the coastal area were damaging evidence against their drivers. Also the countless tracks of 4x4 vehicles to and on the beach areas emphasized that their drivers did not pay heed to requests to stay on well-used vehicle tracks and not to drive on the beaches in secluded areas.

A comprehensive information campaign by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET), the coastal authorities, tourism organizations and the Namibia Coast Conservation and Management (NACOMA) Project prior to the holiday season, seemed to have elicited limited or no behavioural change from off-road vehicle drivers. The campaign included pamphlets handed out at roadblocks, media articles, radio and TV interviews, workshops and various meetings.

The net result was that the aesthetic value has been degraded and more flora and fauna have come under severe pressure.

Government, the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET), NACOMA and its stakeholders have now reached the end of the road.  The present state of affairs cannot be tolerated anymore.  A meeting convened by NACOMA and MET on 30 January at Swakopmund decided that Government would through the Ministry of Environment and Tourism ensure that proper and effective means are implemented to end the destructive behaviour and to safeguard the sensitive coastal areas for once and for all.

The Ministry in consultation with the NACOMA Project and its stakeholders has decided to carry out the following actions:

By implementing the above measures the Ministry of Environment and Tourism strongly believes that it will be in possession of the legislation and means to manage the respective areas more efficiently and effectively. The current lack of appropriate land tenure has necessitated the proclamation of the areas to become national parks.

It is hoped that these measures will be finalized by June 2008 and be implemented fully before the end-of-the-year holiday season.

The Ministry will in the meantime ensure that sufficient staff members will join the local MET staff at the coast during upcoming peak holiday periods such as Easter weekend to carry out the necessary law enforcement.

MET will shortly issue a statement to officially announce the above actions and measures.

MET would like to appoint honorary nature conservators to assist its staff at the coast. NACOMA, on behalf of MET, requests stakeholders at the coast to submit the names and particulars of people who could be appointed as honorary nature conservators. They will be empowered to enforce the existing and new legislation.

It remains the approach of NACOMA as well as that of Government, on behalf of whom the project acts, to consult all stakeholders. NACOMA wishes to invite individuals and interest groups to get into contact with its office in Swakopmund.

Inputs can also be made during the regular meetings of the Contingency Management Committee, which consists of MET, NACOMA, the Erongo Regional Council, the municipalities of Walvis Bay and Swakopmund, the Namibian Police, the Roads Authority, various tourism organizations and interest groups.

Also further communication opportunities such as the second round of White Paper meetings to take place during February and March in the coastal regions of Kunene, Erongo, Hardap and Karas should be utilized.

NACOMA is during its lifetime committed to address root causes of biodiversity loss and coastal degradation. It wishes to address the sustainability of the environmental and economic potential of the coast through the mainstreaming of biodiversity conservation and sustainable use into coastal policy, legislative framework, and institutional and technical capacity. Targeted investments for biodiversity conservation in critical ecosystems on the coast are also supported.

The contact details of the project appear on this website under the heading Project Team.

We would like that you remember that we live in the Namib Desert and that drought is a natural occurrence in Namibia!!! For our future and the future of our children, start by not ever wasting water. We present you here some hints:

Yes, there are many other ways to be thoughtful and considerate to our fragile earth. Our population is growing exponentially and our resources dwindling and temperatures souring. We need to ensure to invest in our children and not have more children than we can cope with. We also need to set an example to our children and practice what we preach.

We need to only buy goods with minimal packaging and try to reuse our plastic bags or better still use a cloth reusable shopping bag, this will significantly reduce your waste load. Remember that at present the municipal dump sites are not too well managed and your discarded plastic aided by the wind could contribute to the demise of some poor animal and lead to tourists deciding not to return to the littered country Namibia!

Every individual’s contribution to reducing carbon emissions makes a difference to our collective wellbeing. Each one of us can walk or use our bicycles more, only use cars when absolutely necessary. Ensure that your car tires are well inflated and your engine well serviced, this reduces fuel consumption and reduces Co2 emissions. Please bring your litter home and recycle as much as possible also use energy saving bulbs!

Also remember that in the Namib Desert vehicle tracks can last a lifetime and are often regarded as the worst form of pollution. Tread softly on the desert substrates remaining on well used tracks and better still stay on roads. When driving on beaches or on sand dunes, try to remain on the hard surfaces between tides that washes away or on the windward side of the dunes. Remember that most of the life in the dunes lives on the slip faces, and on the beaches the areas between the high tide mark and the vegetation hummocks has breeding plovers or terns. Many other animals also live in this splash zone. Do not race around but drive slowly, you see more and have the chance of avoiding juvenile birds and other small reptiles or animals. The environment is sustaining us respect it and work with it not against it. It has taken millions of years for plants and animals to survive on this coastline, humans have only inhabited the coast permanently very recently, before that we were nomadic only spending short periods of time here. We are extracting more water from our aquifers than is sustainable, desalination comes with its own set of problems although the technology if improving. The rise in temperatures in the desert and the increase in irresponsible off road vehicle traffic is systematically leading to the destruction of the soil binding lichens (Lecidella sp.) this in turn is leading to an increase in the volume of loose silt and sand that strong winds can transport. We have experienced an increase in extreme wind events so prepare for more intense dust storms especially now with the increase in mining and prospecting activities.

These are just a few thoughts. Please give something back to the earth and feel good about it! Christmas is a time of giving the more you give the more you will get!

Following the annual Ocean Conservancy initiative (http://www.oceanconservancy.org) for a global coastal clean-up, Swakopmund schools guided by the Swakopmund Municipality's Berdine Potgieter and Clive Lawrence joined the party on the 15th of September 2007. Every year, on this date over 100 coastal countries participate with over 500,000 volunteers removing marine litter from over 21,000 kilometres of coastline.

A group of 70 school kids from various schools in Swakopmund offered their services to the community to clean the Swakopmund beaches of litter. Many bags of litter were collected comprising mainly plastic in the form of bottles, shopping bags, caps and lids, straws, cups, glass bottles both broken and whole plus numerous other items of paper, cardboard, cement bags and other items. Very prevalent was also polystyrene food containers and cigarette buts.

There are two types of litter on our beaches, marine litter which comes from ships and land based litter coming from harbours, rubbish dumps, or irresponsible people. It has been estimated that globally about 80% of coastal litter is from land-based sources whereas the remaining 20% is from ocean-based sources. Namibia does not have the volume of shipping traffic close inshore that South Africa does nor the huge number of stormwater drains or licensed pipeline outfalls. However the ships anchored off Walvis Bay often discard litter overboard especially at night or in thick fog to avoid prosecution. During strong winds litter is blown from the harbour or the towns into the desert and then later with easterly winds into the sea.

Litter is a major threat to marine animals and birds, marine turtles ingest plastic mistaking it for jellyfish, over 300 different species worldwide of seabird, turtle, seal, sea lion, whale and fish are known to have suffered from entanglement or ingestion. The scale of contamination of the marine environment is immense, litter is found from equator to pole, in the Pacific Ocean there is a litter gyre the size of the African continent where plastic has accumulated sometimes up to 20 metres in depth. Plastic forms 90% of floating marine debri. It is an environmental, economic, cultural, health and aesthetic problem.

During July 2004 an extensive litter survey was conducted between Walvis Bay and Henties Bay where the coastal litter problem persists. As can be seen by the table below the most prevalent litter items are glass and plastic, the measurements are given in kilograms. The litter was collected by volunteers from the Namibian Surfing Association supported by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism.

Figure 3: Beach litter between Walvis Bay and Henties Bay in July 2004

To address the problem attitudes, behaviours and management approaches need to be addressed requiring the involvement of everyone. We all have a role to play, by building awareness of the damage done by litter to our seas and their wildlife including people depending on the marine and coastal environment for their survival. Now is the time to act!

Source of information:
Pocket Guide to Marine Debris, South African Coastal Information Centre - Education & Awareness
http://sacoast.uwc.ac.za/education/educindex.htm

The Erongo Region in Namibia is experiencing a boom in uranium mining as a result of the phenomenal increase in the price of the commodity. Low-grade deposits have become viable, and the investment regime in Namibia has made the country an attractive investment haven for many mining companies, the vast majority foreign and junior companies. These companies are free of the (usually) strict control of mining activities in their home countries which require consideration of post-mining closure and of cumulative impacts. A consequence of this is development that compromises the natural environment and undermines the creation of sustainable economies in local communities.

Figure 1: Uranium prices (source: InfoMine, 2007)

The closure of one substantial mine, like Rössing Uranium, would have a serious impact on the local economy, but the growing eco-tourism sector could generate alternative livelihoods. The real danger lies in the closure of a group of mines close together in both time and space (always a possibility with volatile global commodity prices – see Figure 1). The existing and developing mines in the region are within 100 km of each other and have expected minimum mine lives of around 10 years (see the map of uranium occurrences in Erongo shown in Figure 2). Should commodity prices experience a sustained collapse, large-scale, simultaneous closure could occur, leaving thousands of people destitute. Variable quality of mine closure planning at some sites could also result in extensive environmental liabilities on early closure, burdening the state and resulting in destruction of the sensitive desert ecosystem that is the foundation of the region’s eco-tourism industry.

Figure 2: Uranium occurrences in the Central Namib part of Erongo Region

Overview of Rössing Uranium Mine - Arandis (© Rössing Uranium Mine)

While there is much public debate around environmental impacts of uranium mines, such impacts are not radically different from those associated with other metal mines and, in many low grade mines, radiation levels are close to the public exposure limit of 1 mS/a. This not-withstanding, large scale mining in sensitive desert environments requires comprehensive environmental and social management plans, which should ideally address cumulative impacts.

In Southern African countries a broader framework for sustainable development is frequently absent. Under these conditions cooperation and collaboration between developers (in this case mining companies) is essential.

It is no longer feasible to assess potential impacts on the basis of a single operation, nor can cumulative impacts be assessed on the basis on one operation’s activity. A piece-meal and uncoordinated approach to sustainable development will not result in sustainable growth, effective protection of fragile ecosystems or the conservation of scarce water resources.

The cumulative benefits of employment of the new mines, and extensions to existing ones, will be in excess of 1,000 jobs – conservatively, 6,000 livelihoods. These benefits can be destroyed more quickly than they were created unless strategic avoidance or mitigating measures are established as a matter of urgency. Measures to address the cumulative socio-economic impacts of mining closure cannot be successful if adopted by one mining company. Decisions and actions must be aligned with each other and with national, regional and local development plans. This requires a multi-stakeholder forum to establish guidelines for social and community engagement and it must include all mining companies operating in the Erongo Region, as the unsustainable practices of one company can bring the entire industry into disrepute and undo the potential benefits of mineral exploration.

During the consultative process preceding the granting of a mining license, the vast majority of stakeholder groups raise questions around water: how much is the mine going to use? Where will it come from? How will groundwater pollution be prevented? What are the implications of mining requirements for other users? What programmes do mines have for water-use reduction? Desalination is clearly the only way of avoiding a critical shortage of water, but other concerns around this development include a proliferation of desalination plants along the coast, pipelines across valuable ecosystems and in protected areas and national parks and the impacts on marine systems. Concerns are also expressed about the requirements for additional electricity and the associated infrastructure required to supply it. These questions are best addressed collectively by the broader industry, working closely with government.

Marie Hoadley & Daniel Limpitlaw

Reference: InfoMine (2007) Uranium Prices, http://www.infomine.com/investment/metalschart.asp, accessed 09/2007.

For more information about the uranium mining sector in Namibia, consult the following websites:
- Update on new uranium mining projects in Namibia: http://www.wise-uranium.org/upna.html
- Rössing Uranium: http://www.rossing.com
- UraMin: http://www.uramin.com
- Langer Heinrich Uranium mine: http://www.lhupl.com

For more information about Rössing Uranium Mine expansion and the construction of a desalination plant for UraMin, you can download the following documents: