2 minute read
The Last Free Rhinos
Namibia’s northwestern Damaraland, which stretches across the Kunene and Erongo regions, forms the homerange of the desert-adapted black rhino, Diceros bicornis bicornis. After a shocking decline of 98% due to poaching between 1960 and 1995, the population stabilised towards the end of the 90s, followed by a resurgence in poaching in the years 2012 to 2017.
Today, Namibia is home to the last free-roaming population of black rhinos outside official protected areas.
Behind this conservation success story is the visionary approach of the government of Namibia to allow communities to become custodians of the endangered black rhino. This has been supported by an efficient coordinated response from non-governmental organisations to help apply the technical demands of meeting this responsibility. The backbone of these operations is government and law enforcement. This component ensures that perpetrators of wildlife crime are stopped, sometimes before they can even start. The multiple arrests over the past three to four years, many of which were preemptive, are evidence of the value of supportive government and law enforcement personnel in the fight against wildlife crime. Without this critical factor the extensive work to protect the iconic black rhino of the Kunene and Erongo regions would be in vain.
Ultimately though, this approach only works because of the local communities who have chosen to embrace conservation and create a space for wildlife in an otherwise marginal area. Namibia has over 20% of its land dedicated to community conservation, which means that today one in four rural Namibians are choosing to live with, and conserve, wildlife. These communities are the eyes and ears everywhere, and the first line of defence against wildlife crime.
In March 2021, a new four-part documentary series was launched that delves deeper into the partnerships and collaboration that formed the foundation of this conservation success story.
The Last Free Rhinos follows the tale of Namibia’s rhino conservation community and how collaborative efforts have resulted in this tremendous achievement and curbed wildlife crime in the region.
The producer of the docu-series is the Namibia Nature Foundation (NNF) with contributions from World Wildlife Fund Namibia (WWF), Save the Rhino Trust Namibia, and the Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation (IRDNC).
The series elevates rural voices, recognising their efforts, and helps build pride among the communities that live with wildlife and are the true custodians of nature.
The docu-series was created by Venture Media and Kirsty Watermeyer and funded and endorsed by USAID - US Agency for International Development.
Watch The Last Free Rhinos here: www.thisisnamibia.com/this-is-namibia-tv
Elzanne McCulloch
