By Petronella Sibeene
WINDHOEK
Holidaymakers heading for the coast to spend the Easter Holiday at Swakopmund and Walvis Bay have been warned not to use the dune belt area unless they obtain permits issued by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism.
The warning comes after the Ministry of Environment and Tourism yesterday announced that it has taken as an interim measure, the issuance of utilisation permits for people intending to use the dune area for recreational purposes.
Minister Willem Konjore told a media confe-rence that Cabinet on 27 March 2007 approved that the ministry manages the dune belt area through the issuance of certificates as an interim measure until it is formally proclaimed as a protected area.
This comes after several complaints and concerns that extremely sensitive areas of high bio-diversity importance such as the breeding site for red data listed Damara Tern and the estuary of the Swakop River into the Atlantic Ocean are tempered with as they exist in the dune areas.
Permits to use the dune belt area for recreational purposes by particularly off-road recreational vehicles will be issued at the offices of the ministry in Swakopmund and Walvis Bay during the Easter weekend.
Failure to comply with the provisions will result in a fine of N$300 or arrest.
“I want to request our visitors and the general public to adhere to this measure as we want to find a balance between conserving the dune environment and providing citizens and tourists with an opportunity to enjoy the off-road recreational vehicles activities”, Konjore said. He emphasised that every user and visitor to the area is obliged to adhere and obey the conditions and rules as stipulated in the permit.
Officials from the ministry and other stakeholder will guard the area during holiday times.
Towards the end of last year, a two-day consultative workshop was held and individuals and watchdogs – such as the Namibia Coast Conservation and Management Project (NACOMA) expressed concern over the destruction or change in the desert substrate especially in the dune belt area.
Due to the negative impact that an influx of holidaymakers can have on the environment at the coastal towns, this decision had to be made as an influx of people is expected at the coastal towns this weekend.
Despite the positive contribution that visitors make on the business of the two towns, a number of impacts of environmental concern have been observed through the years. It is feared that if this issue is not tackled immediately, it might seriously affect some of the natural habitat on which the country prides itself.
The dune area is endowed with biodiversity with no faunal counterpart elsewhere in the world.
One of the favourite activities for holidaymarkers has been quad biking, which have strong negative impacts on the aesthetic and natural environment. Recreational angling, water and motor sport, sand boarding, flying in various craft and off-road adventures also form part of the favourite activities at the coast.
In raising awareness, pamphlets with information on how to avoid destruction of natural endowments in the area will be distributed and warning signposts will display information on what not to do.
Two accessible zones were similarly identified to lead dune climbers and quad bikers.