Discover why Namibia is one of Africa's leaders in wildlife and nature conservation!
Did you know that Namibia was the first country in the world to include environmental protection in its constitution? This puts the country at the forefront by prioritizing our wild spaces for the preservation of our native flora and fauna. As such Namibia has become the home of a number of leading international wildlife conservation organisations and we think you should know about them!
These organisations work hard to secure a wild future for their species, often not just in Namibia but across the African continent. Their tireless work allow us at Chameleon Safaris to provide you with top class safaris in Namibia.
For those that want to do more than just holiday when travelling to Africa, why not check out the following organisations so you can not only enjoy an incredible holiday but give back to some of Namibia’s wildlife and wild spaces.
Cheetah Conservation Fund
Cheetah in Namibia, and throughout other parts of Africa, are facing a precarious future due to ongoing human and wildlife conflict. Where cheetah thrives on farmland enjoying the ease of preying on domestic livestock, farmers face ongoing loss and as such conflict occurs. The Cheetah Conservation Fund use science to develop conservation strategies that help to mitigate the human and wildlife conflict. Learn more about and support the Cheetah Conservation Fund.
Giraffe Conservation Foundation
There are still so many things that we don’t know about giraffe, like did you know there are 4 distinct species? Or that there is only an estimated 111,000 giraffe left in the wild, that is 1 giraffe for every 4 elephant! The Giraffe Conservation Foundation is a science-based conservation organisation that not only facilitates groundbreaking research to better understand giraffe and their habitat, but has developed and implemented a variety of programmes across the continent from environmental education classes for children, to giraffe translocations to boost giraffe numbers and re-establish giraffe in areas they have previously gone extinct. Learn more about and support the Giraffe Conservation Foundation.
Save the Rhino Trust
As the name suggests, the Save the Rhino Trust Namibia is working tirelessly to stop the critically endangered black rhino from disappearing completely. With estimates of 100,000 black rhino in the 1960s and just 5,630 left today, it is obvious to all that something drastic needs to be done. So in addition to data collection and research, the Save The Rhino trust conduct 24 hour patrols in known rhino habitats to ensure their safety and security. These habitats are remote, and some of the worlds harshest for wildlife to survive so the SVR rangers are some of the toughest in the world. Learn more about and support the Save The Rhino Trust.
Pangolin Conservation and Research Foundation
So you’ve never heard of a pangolin, we aren’t surprised. In over 20 years of safaris around Namibia our pangolin sightings can be counted on just 1 finger. These scaly dinosaur looking anteaters are burrow dwelling nocturnal creatures that in addition to rarely being sighted are the MOST TRAFFICKED mammal in the world. Not surprisingly, very little is known about the pangolin and pangolin ecology in Namibia and as a result, the Pangolin Conservation and Research Foundation are not only conducting groundbreaking research but assisting the Namibian government to manage and monitor pangolin that are rescued from traffickers. Learn more about and support the Pangolin Conservation and Research Foundation.
Naankuse Wildlife Sanctuary
Naankuse is a sanctuary for injured and problem animals or animals that have been hand-reared and are no longer ideal to keep as pets. Where possible their aim is to always release animals that have a good chance of a wild future, however at any one time the Naankuse Wildlife Sanctuary is home to a number of animals that need taking care of. This creates a variety of volunteer opportunities ranging from 1 day to a few months. In addition to this, Naankuse is not only committed to Namibian wildlife, but also to local communities and the San community in particular and volunteer programmes include those for medical doctors, veterinarians, and those with a passion for education. Check out the volunteer opportunities here. Have a look at our Namibian volunteer and safari combinations.
All volunteer programmes can be combined with our tours to Namibia either before or after your volunteer experience, and so you can leave Namibia not only having enjoyed an incredible holiday but the feeling knowing you have contributed in a small way to nature conservation!
While these organisations (and more) work to understand the science of their species, to subsequently conserve the animals and their habitats, their strong focus on capacity building within the communities that they work means that there are limited resources to manage international and unskilled volunteers.