Namaqua National Park

Perhaps a lot of people will look down their noses at his particular park. There are no lions, elephants or rhino's in this park. And unfortunately for some people these mammals are the only reason to care about our country's natural heritage.  Comparing Namaqua to our other - far more popular - parks like the Kruger Park or Kgalagadi National Park, Namaqua would certainly seem dull. Except of course in flowertime - that time of year when we can rejoice in creation putting up the most incredible show of colour and diversity. Around about 100 000 tourists (65% South African) annually visit the Namaqualand for this particular reason. But to come for a camping stay of six nights in summer time, would be frowned upon by many people. It is though, the rich variety of plants and scenery in sharp contrast to the adjoining mine areas, that have us excited about our stay in this park. In a next post I'll tell you all about the wonderful flora found here.

In 1988 WWF-SA bought a part of the farm Skilpad with the purpose to protect the large diversity of succulents and other flora.  A decade later SANParks took over the management of the Skilpad Wildflower Reserve and adjoining farms which were by then also bought out.   The Namaqua National Park was formally declared on 29 June 2002.

The extension of the park did not stop here. Since that day in 2002 the park has grown in size and today it covers more than 150 000 ha, almost twice the size of the Karoo National Park (88 000 ha). The large scale of mining activities in this area has resulted in the park having a very strange shape: consisting mainly of a northern and southern part connected by a narrow corridor.

The elephants one Jacobus Coetsé was hunting in 1680 and the lions about which the explorers William Paterson and John Barrow reported towards the end of the 18th century, are long since gone.  In spite of this, the park boasts enough fauna to keep any nature lover happy: approximately 200 bird species, 45 land mammal species, 23 marine mammal species, 28 reptile species and 6 amphibian species were recorded in the park so far. Among others unknown and rare species like the Namaqua Speckled Padloper (the world`s smallest tortoise species - Homopus s. Signatus)), Geometric tortoise (one of the rarest reptiles in the world) and the burrowing Namaqua rain frog.

One of the most interesting projects in this park is the Anatolian Sheperd Dog Breeding Project. Farmers in the neighbourhood lost a lot of livestock annually due to predation by leopards, caracal and jackal.  To prevent this, the desperate farmers used different strategies. The methods used like “doodslaners” or poison indiscriminately killed thousands of smaller mammals. The method of using Anatolian Sheep dogs in these circumstances has proven to be successful in other countries for thousands of years.  Farmers in the area who have used these dogs have reported a drastic reduction in loss of livestock.  In an attempt to help the community's farmers, the Namaqua National Park started its own breeding and training program and they sell these dogs for reasonable prices. In this way the park contributes to the protection of both livestock and wildlife. I spoke with several farmers in the area, they are optimistic about the possibilities the dogs offer, but they are also frustrated. The issue of training is one on which the park and the farming community do not see eye to eye. Especially when it comes to who should do the training and which training methods should be used. It would really be wonderful if the parties could come to an agreement, because on paper it looks as if the park has found a solution to an age old feud in the area.  It would be a shame if the human-factor sinks the project.

The park is still in its developmental stages, but already the park offers a lot to do for any nature lover. Apart from short hiking trails like the Skilpad Walking Trail (5km), Korhaan Walking Trail (3km) and Heaviside Hiking Trail (6km), the park is also ideal for mountain biking.  There are no formal trails, all roads are open to the public.  Additionally there is also a beautiful 188km long Caracal 4x4 Eco Route which take you past the most attractions of the park. The park has a road network of 220 km and although one can mostly cover the terrain in a high clearance vehicle, there are three parts between the Spoeg- and Groen river where the sand is so soft and thick only a 4x4 will suffice.

It is here - in the southern parts, the part between the Spoeg- and Groen river - that we are spending the next couple of days. Here we have quite a few choices of what to see and do. We'll report back later...