Namibia PDNA 2009 - GFDRR

The major long-term environmental challenges for Namibia will
be posed by rapid population growth and climate change. Due
to the relatively light development pressures to date, much
remains to be done to strengthen systems for environmental
impact assessment and mitigation, currently well-established
only for large mining operations. There have been active
successes for environmental management, however, such as
the rapid development of the national CBNRM approach, and
increases in numbers of large wildlife throughout much of the
country.
Damage and Losses Assessment
The 2009 flooding mostly affected three geographically distinct
regions across northern Namibia. From east to west:
Caprivi and Kavango. This is the most densely forested region of
Namibia, but the forests are still relatively dry and open with
grasses and shrub occupying much of the area. The forests are
based on remnants of ancient Kalahari linear dunes that form
a remarkable system of parallel shallow vales only around 2km
in width, but stretching over hundreds of kilometres in length.
The areas actually flooded were confined to the floodplains of
the major rivers. In eastern and southern Caprivi, the Zambezi
and Chobe Rivers have broad floodplains largely covered by
grasses, with only sporadic clumps of trees on slightly higher
mounds that are often also shared with small settlements. The
Okavango and Kwandu have narrower floodplains covered
with mostly with grasses, but also with denser gallery forest
in some areas.
Although the overall population of Caprivi and Kavango is
not high, it is concentrated along the edge of the floodplains,
and increasing within them. Very little of the area (around 4
percent) is converted to permanent agriculture, but that does
not mean that habitats have not been modified over time by
burning, grazing and probably itinerant agriculture. There are
four state protected areas 57 within the impacted area. Caprivi
57 Mahangu Wildlife Reserve, Bwabwata National Park, Mudumu
National Park, and Mamili National Park. Note that Mahangu
is actually a core zone of Bwabwata, but as it is managed as a
distinct unit and separate visitor data was available, it is treated
as a separate area here.
contains eight established communal conservancies and a
similar number are in the process of establishment, which
between them cover most of the area of land outside of the
formal protected areas system.
Cuvelai System. The area of north-central Namibia affected by
the flooding comprises a unique and convoluted fan of shallow
channels called oshanas, which have also formed around a
vestigial ancient Kalahari dune system, and spreads across four
Regions (Oshikoto, Oshana, Omusati and Ohangwena). This
whole system drains gradually into the extensive Etosha salt
pan at the centre of Etosha National Park. This is the most
densely populated Region of Namibia, and there is a stark
contrast between Etosha, one of the world’s most renowned
large game parks, and the oshanas to the north, which have
been extensively degraded for at least two decades.
The natural vegetation consists mainly of grasses in the
seasonally wet oshanas , and of scrub or low-tree savanna on
the higher ground between the channels. Vegetation has been
extensively degraded by over-population, sedentarization and
overgrazing, resulting in increasing soil erosion and threat of
desertification. Although the area still supports important bird
life, large mammals have been largely lost from the landscape
beyond the northern boundary fence of Etosha.
Kunene. The Kunene River forms the western part of Namibia’s
northern border. This river also flooded, but as the extent was
relatively limited and the surrounding area is mostly desert with
only human habitation and infrastructure, it was not covered
in the assessment.
General description of the disaster
From a purely environmental perspective, it is difficult to portray
the flooding as a disaster, even in an abnormally high-water
year. The inundation that occurred in 2009 was within both the
range of historical flood height and the extent of established
natural floodplains. Not only are the natural habitats in these
floodplains adapted and resilient to periodic flooding, they are
probably dependent on it over the longer term to replenish
soil nutrients and maintain specialized communities.
Although the death of some plants that have colonized the
upper reaches of the floodplains since the last extreme floods
Figure 41: National Parks in northern Namibia – Etosha (5), Bwabwata (8), Mudumu (9), Mamili (10).
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Namibia POST-DISASTER NEEDS ASSESSMENT