Namibian Coastline Offically Declared a Protected Area

The entire Namibian coastal area, stretching from the mouth of the Kunene River in the north to the mouth of the Orange River in the south, has been officially declared a conservation area.

With the declaration of the Dorob National Park on December 1, the last piece of the puzzle has finally been put in place, thus converting the total Namibian coast into the eighth largest protected area in the world and the largest park in Africa – called the Namib-Skeleton Coast National Park.

The fact that the government declared the last section of the Namibian coastline as a national park during 2010, being the International Year of Biodiversity, underlines the country’s role and commitment towards global, regional and national conservation and sustainable development.

The Namib-Skeleton Coast National Park stretches along the total length of the Namibian coastline 975 miles, covering an area of 26,575 million acres or 66,822 square miles. It comprises four main terrestrial management areas, the Sperrgebiet National Park in the south, the Namib-Naukluft Park, the Skeleton Coast Park and now the Dorob National Park (Dorob means dry land).  The park will also not exist in isolation as it borders on the Richtersveld in South Africa, the Iona National Park in Angola and various communal conservancies inland.

According to the ministry, the proclamation of the protected area represents one of Namibia’s greatest conservation achievements since independence in 1990, and one of the most significant developments in the history of conservation in the country.

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