Namibian Carnivore Working Group

The Namibian Carnivore Working Group activities support the identified actions which can help to mitigate the threats which Namibia's carnivores face.

The first working group meeting was held in December 2022.

Expectations:

• The WG provides a conducive platform to meet, discuss, plan, collaborate and find solutions
• A platform to share and learn from each other, to set priorities and align outcomes
• A forum to give technical presentations on research findings, effectiveness of management actions and assessment of priorities
• An institutional mechanism to work with MEFT to collectively address national and local conservation and management priorities, and focus research to fill key information gaps
• A forum to share information on all people / institutions issued with research permits working on carnivores who are not part of this WG
• The members and potential members of the WG constitute a valuable set of resources, skills and commitment for carnivore conservation in Namibia – not currently fully utilised but committed to contribute even more
• That the WG and its members will provide continuity in partner collaboration and in addressing challenges in the medium to long-term.

Progress to date:

Despite the fact that the Carnivore WG is just starting, there are a number of tangible outputs already in place and upon which the WG can build:

• Carnivore Red Data Book – baseline data, threats identified, actions suggested (see Resources)
• Poster summarising the above (see Resources)
• Website as a tool to share information and facilitate the work of the WG
• Article in the 2022 Conservation and Environment in Namibia magazine
• MSc bursaries made available by NCE for priority projects identified from information needs in Carnivore RDB. First student at UNAM is currently writing up her study on otters in northern rivers. A further two or three bursaries are on offer for similar work through UNAM and NUST.

The second working group meeting is scheduled for April 2023.