By Catherine Sasman DAAN VILJOEN – About 20 kilometres outside Windhoek’s westward rim lies the Daan Viljoen National Park. Proclaimed in 1966, it has since offered a welcome respite for city dwellers and is considered a representative sample of the Khomas Hochland fauna and flora to be enjoyed and studied. But the park’s wildlife and plant life is coming under increasing pressure as expansion of the City of Windhoek has brought people closer and closer to its border. The park stretches over 3 900 hectares, and shares a common 11-km-long border – “the longest border of the park”- with the city, as well as municipal commonage farms and commercial farmlands. “When the park was first proclaimed, the size of the city allowed enough space for a buffer zone between the conservation area and residential areas,” said Penda Shimali, warden of the Daan Viljoen Park and Von Bach Game Park, with the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET). “But the suburbs closest are all new, and we fear that houses will eventually come right up to the fence of the park,” he remarked, standing at a high point inside the park and pointing towards the shimmering glimmer of the city that stretches out at the far end. The result of the encroaching city is that a bitter conflict for survival has ensued on both sides of the fence: the city’s poorest and most marginal are concentrated closest to the park and make fair game of the park’s wildlife and collect firewood for their food and energy needs, placing the park’s staff and animals on high alert. Increased noise pollution filters over the mountainous plains and the added bright city lights disturb the animals, said Shimali, who fears that the animals might have to be moved to the other side of the park if no lasting solution can be found. Currently, most of the park’s wildlife is clustered at the side of the city, with the demarcated leisure areas and game drives open to the public on the other side. “The entire park is a conservation area, but the bulk of the animals are placed where they are not disturbed by visitors,” explained Shimali. Although poachers are spotted and their spoors traced back to the city on a weekly basis, their activities have not made much of a dent in the numbers of game in the park. “Daan Viljoen is a production unit for game that does very well here,” commented Ben Beytel, Director of Parks and Wildlife Management of the MET, adding that his department had earlier discussed possible culling of game to keep the numbers manageable. This year’s drought added to these considerations as the park’s grassland has substantially withered in the heat and perpetual demand for grazing. And the fire that broke out at the park last year, said Shimali, decimated about two percent of the grassland, although the loss of game was limited. Only 11 kudus died in the fire, with the remaining numbers spared in a 24-hour rush to kill the blaze. “There is still a lot of wildlife in Daan Viljoen, but I’m sure we can make better use of it,” said Beytel. A surplus quota of game is usually dispatched to provide meat to old-age homes and other such places. Under a wildlife loan scheme, upcoming emerging farmers are further provided with game. But the damage done to the park by poachers remains considerable. While firewood is mostly collected by women, the poachers moving in groups of six or seven are mostly men. They damage the wire fencing as they climb over – or sneak under – it or cut their way through with pliers to get inside the park. The damage to the fence which was repaired and replaced after someone had systematically stolen bits and pieces of it which he sold to informal settlers over a protracted period, cost the MET N$300 000 this year. “At first, we thought rich people put the poor up to steal game from the park,” said Shimali. “But we soon realized that people stole from the park simply because they are poor and hungry.” It has, however, also come to light that game killed at the park was being sold on open markets in the city. Poachers usually enter the park in groups of six or seven, accompanied by their dogs to help in the chase. “Windhoek dogs” are also spotted regularly that come into the park on their own. Poachers hunt with rudimentary spears, but rarely use traps, which are not very successful in snaring their prey. But it has been reported that poachers exchanged fire with the anti-poaching unit at the park. They usually hunt in the early hours and early or late evenings, especially when the moon is high and no artificial light is needed to spot the animals. During these hours the armed anti-poaching unit that remains in the field 24 hours a day, is on overdrive, monitoring the fence on foot or use mountain horses for law enforcement purposes. “They usually target Oryx and warthogs,” explained a member of the anti-poaching unit, Nathanael Shilongo. “It is easy to hunt for these especially if you have a dog.” What makes the Oryx and warthogs such effortless hunts is that they are easily cornered by the dogs, with the hunter attacking from the rear. The park is also home to mountain zebras, red hartebeest and blue wildebeest, kudus, springboks, elands and giraffe. It also boasts a rich and varied bird life. Although actual poaching has decreased considerably since 2004, most cases lodged with the police have not yet resulted in any convictions. “It may be costly to keep the anti-poaching unit in the field all the time, but it is worth doing it,” said Shimali. “It would be stupid for the Government to give up the park,” he added, saying that fears are that the smaller parks are neglected at the expense of the more touristy and bigger parks. Much investment has recently gone into the refurbishment of the Etosha National Park and Waterberg. But, according to Shimali, little has gone to Daan Viljoen so far. “What is being put in here is peanuts,” he said in exasperation. “If things go on like this, the park will die.” The Daan Viljoen Park has consistently run at a loss, with staff costs alone exceeding sales. Staff expenses accounted for about 38 percent of the total costs, and general expenses 45 percent. An added problem to the woes of the park, said Shimali, is the problem of theft and break-ins at staff houses and cars, as well as vandalism of the offices and office equipment. Some of the theft cases could be traced back to people coming in from the Windhoek area, but others, he said, came from within. “Some of the thefts have got to do with the squatters in the park,” said Shimali. According to him, all staff working at the Daan Viljoen Park are accommodated for free. They do not pay any rental or water and electricity fees. The result is that many of the staff members bring in extended family members to live with them for free. School-going children are also transported back and forth every day. “People are running away from having to pay rent in Windhoek and come and squat here,” complained Shimali. “I think it would be better if some staff be based in Windhoek and transported here daily. That will make it less expensive and less problematic.” Moreover, said Shimali, it is the city planners of the City of Windhoek that should involve staff of the park as it plans outlying settlements. MET Acting Permanent Secretary, Theo Nghitila, concurred when he said that the City has so far been reluctant to be involved in a joint management plan for Daan Viljoen. “The park is so close to the city and can only benefit it if is properly managed,” said Nghitila. “The benefits are huge in terms of the provision of leisure activities to the residents of Windhoek, it can retain visitors to the city that can go on game drives and return to the city. If the City is really pursuing tourism as an integral business, it would more seriously consider a joint approach to the park’s problems.” He added that a proper study outlining the number of benefits might convince the City Council to be more involved. The MET, he said, has ambitious plans for the park, saying that these are still at the initial stage of conception. “But we are looking into it holistically, and also consider an enlargement of the park area.” According to the City of Windhoek, a proposal was received from the Daan Viljoen management to lease a portion of Commonage Farm 3 from the city. The City, however, considered that this would further diminish the buffer between the park and the city, suggesting an expansion of the park further southwards. Responding to the city limits dangerously closing in on the park’s periphery, the City further explained that it had advised that the expansion of the park towards the city, “especially towards the north-western areas” be cautiously considered. “Close proximity between the park and these areas may pose problems from safety and environmental points and result in poaching and affecting the environment negatively and thus defeating the purpose of conservation and sustainability,” the City answered in response. New areas planned, stated the City further, such as the Otjomuise 6 and 7, are located about two km east of the park, adding that these areas are not informal settlements. “These are orderly settlements that are planned following the same planning principles and procedures as any other township in Windhoek. These are formal areas with informal structures located on demarcated sites and surveyed areas,” the City emphasized. It further stated that it does not envisage major extension of the current Goreangab and Havana suburbs further westward – in the direction of the park – “as the undulating topography renders the area unfeasible for specifically low-cost settlement”. The same limitations apply for the area immediately to the east of the park and the NamPower power line forming the western development limit for possible future extensions of Otjomuise. But a lasting and sustainable solution is required for the conflict between the park and the city. “The challenge will not go away by simply putting in control measures, but by innovative approaches and alternatives,” commented Nghitila. “We would like to see greater involvement from the City’s side. This is a process that would require some changes in policies that govern the management of the park to be initiated between the various parties.