Elephant conservation project in Namibia
Description of Elephant conservation project in Namibia
Become part of an elephant conservation project in the deserts and wilderness regions of Namibia. There are countless conservation tasks to help out with, not least of all the camp cooking. Joining a team of dedicated researchers and conservationists will allow you to understand more about not only the elephants but also the local Namibians who are learning how to live harmoniously with one of the largest animals on earth.
Human conflict with elephants, through poaching and farming, has greatly impacted on herd numbers. Although desert elephants in Namibia have become protected, there’s still lots to be done in order to keep populations increasing as well as ensuring their relationship with humans is harmonious.
Local Damara and Herero people often don’t know what to do when encountering an elephant. After all, these gigantic beasts can damage precious water facilities and cause further threats to livestock and farmland.
Your participation in this project will not only place you in close proximity to Namibia’s elephants but you’ll also become part of a team attempting to untangle tension between humans and animals.
Helping to build protective walls around water facilities, patrolling areas against poachers, and undertaking school building projects, are just some of the ways that you can help to diffuse elephant issues. Make sure you find out more about which voluntary donations to schools are needed most.
You’ll also be asked to collect data, record behaviour and track herd movements. This is usually completed on week two, after a week of construction and building projects. Getting out in the field is an amazing experience and much more interactive and informative than any safari.
By improving the lives of local Namibians you’ll also help the elephant populations. Elephants are one of the cornerstones of the region’s natural ecosystem. They dig the earth with their big tusks, assist with pollination through seeds in their dung, and maintain Namibia’s biodiversity without humans having to lift a finger. However, elephants need you to help them in their sustainable quest for a happy, harmonious and healthy environment.
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Planet
Tracking and monitoring the desert elephant in the southern Kunene Region of Namibia is vital in the efforts to restore healthy human – elephant relations. The data that is collected helps project staff to ascertain the positions and behaviours of the desert elephants and as a consequence, they are able to monitor them and help prevent any situation that may cause conflict with local communities.As the desert-dwelling elephants of Namibia are still adapting to the end of poaching and over-hunting with vast areas of land now open to them, their movements and habits are still transient and largely unknown. The accurate data collected by the project is essential in changing this situation so the project can understand how best to preserve the species. This is currently the only organisation providing accurate data to the Namibian government on the movements of desert elephants.
People
The Namibian Desert Elephant Project works directly with local communities to protect vulnerable water-source structures from damage. This work, which volunteers are a vital part of, not only reduces human-elephant conflict but also benefits the communities living in in the elephant’s roaming areas.The Desert Elephant project works on the belief that education is also an important tool in safeguarding the future and conservation of the country’s desert elephants. Volunteers also help with this effort, providing the local communities with information about the importance of conserving this magnificent species, and teaching strategies for living peacefully alongside them.
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