Management & Development Plan for the Gondwana Cañon Park - to guide its management, monitoring and development – For the Period of 2008-2013 First draft: September 2008 Second draft: October 2008 Table of contents Page Authority of the Management & Development Plan iv Management System vi Part 1: Vision, Goal and Objectives 1 1.1 Vision 1 1.2 Goal 1 1.3 Objectives 1 Part 2: Zonation Plan and Management Units 3 2.1 Area Background 3 2.2 Habitats 4 2.3 Zonation 6 Part 3: Management and Development Targets 7 3.1 Landscape Approach 7 3.2 Park-neighbour Collaboration 9 3.3 Biodiversity Conservation 11 3.4 Wildlife Population Management 13 3.5 Wildlife Introductions 15 3.6 Alien Species 3.7 Tourism Management 17 3.8 Law Enforcement 19 3.9 Water Management 20 3.10 Fencing 24 3.11 Roads 26 3.12 Monitoring and Information Management 28 3.13 Research 30 3.14 Education and Awareness 32 3.15 Development Guidelines 34 3.16 Rehabilitation 36 Part 4: Record keeping 38 4.1 Annual work plans 38 4.2 Annual budget 39 4.3 Agendas and minutes of Park Committee meetings 40 4.4 Annual reports 40 4.5 Amendments/changes to the Management & Development Plan 40 4.6 Original copies of the Management & Development Plan 40 Part 5: Inventories and background information 42 5.1 Geographic location, coverage and topography (maps) 43 5.2 Climate 44 5.3 Water 45 5.4 Plants 47 5.5 Garden trees and shrubs ii 5.6 Mammals 49 5.7 Birds 54 5.8 Reptiles & lower vertebrates 61 5.9 Invertebrates 64 5.10 Alien species 64 5.11 Infrastructure 65 Part 6: Studies and reports 73 Part 7: Park policies 74 7.1 Staff safety and protective clothing 74 7.2 Off-road driving 76 7.3 Veldt-fire management 77 7.4 Interventions 78 iii Authority of the Management & Development Plan This Management and Development Plan (MDP) sets out the vision, objectives and guidelines for the management and development of the Gondwana Cañon Park (GCP). As such, it represents the policies and intentions of the shareholders and directors of Nature Investment (PTY) Ltd. The MDP is accepted as the ultimate authority for the Park. All involved with the Park, including shareholders, directors, staff, contractors, partners and others, must ensure that any actions and decisions relating to the Park are in strict accordance with this document. Senior staff appointed to run the Park, i.e. the Park Warden(s), is/are ultimately responsible for ensuring that the MDP is implemented in effective and efficient ways. They are also responsible for ensuring effective day-to-day park management, dynamic, responsive and pro-active rolling planning as well as contributing to longer- term planning. No other staff members may implement park actions of any nature, or any activity likely to have an impact on the integrity of the park and its biota, without prior discussion with and approval from the Park Warden(s). The Warden(s) currently report directly to the Managing Director of the Gondwana Group for line function purposes. In future, a senior Parks & Environment Manager should be appointed at Head Office (equivalent to the Operations & Human Resources Managers), at which time the Park Warden(s) would report directly to that position. The Warden(s), together with the MD (and in future with the Parks & Environment Manager), liaise closely with the Parks Committee on all issues of policy, planning, new developments and issues not covered by the MDP that may have significant implications for the Park, as well as any issue on which assistance and guidance is required. This MDP will be thoroughly reviewed and, if necessary, revised, every five years. The next review shall be done in 2012 for implementation in 2013. Any changes that must be made in the interim to Parts 1-4 and 7 must be approved at a formal Directors’ meeting and reflected in the minutes. These approved changes must be appended to the two master copies of the MDP, one held within the Park, the other held at the Gondwana House in Windhoek. Changes must be made to Parts 5 & 6 as new information becomes available, the MD and Parks Committee informed and the two master copies updated. The MDP should be seen as a valuable and central document by directors and staff. Relevant staff must be familiar with its contents and new staff should be made familiar with the aims, objectives and policies of the park as part of their induction training. iv It is part of every staff member’s job to help implement this MDP. It is also every staff member’s responsibility to propose improvements to the plan, as well as improvements in how the plan may be implemented. Park management is a team effort. The future well-being and development of the Park depends on this team approach. ………………………………………………………………… Windhoek, …………October 2008 Managing Director Gondwana Desert Collection ………………………………………………………………… Windhoek, …………October 2008 Director: Parks Gondwana Desert Collection ………………………………………………………………… Windhoek, …………October 2008 Chairperson of Board Gondwana Desert Collection v Management System The purpose of this management system is to implement the MDP of the Gondwana Canon Park in an efficient and systematic way. For each annual cycle, an Annual Work Plan and a Budget will be prepared. This work plan will, as far as practical, follow the sequence of topics listed under parts 3 & 4 in the MDP. The work plan should cover: • Routine management issues , such as managing water points, maintaining roads and fences, law enforcement, etc; • Development issues , such as new waters, wildlife reintroductions, establishment of new partnership arrangements with neighbours, new park policies, etc; • Monitoring aspects , such as collection, storage and analysis, and providing essential information for adaptive management; covering such things as rainfall, veld condition, wildlife numbers, distribution & age/sex ratios, etc; • Research needs , identifying important information and knowledge gaps; and • Administration, including work plan & budget preparation, reporting and meetings. Progress on the implementation of the annual work plan and a financial reporting against the approved budget should be provided at each Parks Committee meeting. These will be standing agenda items, and the reporting format should follow the sequence of issues and timing of the work plan. Highlights and issues requiring Board notice or approval will be tabled as necessary at Director’s meetings of the Board. At the end of each annual cycle, an Annual Report and Financial Report will be prepared. This will follow the format of the work plan, and include cumulative (time- series) information from the monitoring programme. The cumulative information, showing trends over time, will be used to adaptively manage the park. This information will also be used, together with the direction provided by the MDP, to prepare the next Annual Work Plan and Budget, both of which will be tabled for review by the Parks Committee and adoption by the Board of Directors. GCP MDP Planning for adaptive management Annual Work plan Annual Reports and Budget - technical - monitoring - financial Review progress I m p l e m e n t a t i o n Review progress ii Part 1: Vision, Goal and Objectives 1.1 Vision To develop the Gondwana Cañon Park as a conservation area of international significance within a larger co-managed transboundary landscape of global renown. 1.2 Goal To wisely manage and rehabilitate the land and natural resources of the Gondwana Cañon Park, and to pass these on to future generations in productive, diverse, aesthetically attractive and healthy condition, on an economically sound footing and as part of a larger co-managed landscape that is contributing significantly to the sustainable development of the region and nation. 1.3 Objectives To conserve and wisely manage the landscapes, ecosystems and biological diversity of Gondwana Cañon Park and, where necessary, to restore and rehabilitate degraded systems to their natural and productive states. To manage wildlife populations and ecosystems as may be necessary and appropriate to maintain optimal biological diversity, ecosystem stability and resilience under highly variable climatic conditions, and to reintroduce and rebuild populations of plants and animals indigenous to the area within historic times, as appropriate under current and changing conditions. To promote and support appropriate land and natural resource uses that are compatible with the above objectives, including consumptive and non- consumptive utilisation, research, environmental education, awareness and outreach initiatives, and to strive for financial viability without compromising on sound conservation principles and practices. To establish partnerships and co-management approaches for landscape level conservation with neighbouring landowners, administrators and custodians to enhance the diversity, viability and competitiveness of the greater area within the Nama Karoo and Succulent Karoo ecosystems. To demonstrate the ecological, social and economic viability, sustainability and competitiveness of land used for wildlife and tourism within arid and semi-arid areas, and to use the Gondwana Cañon Park approach, in conjunction with other parks in the Gondwana collection, as a model that may be further replicated elsewhere. To link the Gondwana Desert Collection under a management and marketing umbrella that cumulatively and synergistically promotes the conservation of Namibia’s arid and semi-arid ecosystems and creates a Four-Deserts experience for visitors and scientists. 2 Part 2: Zonation Plan and Management Units 2.1 Area Background The Gondwana Cañon Park is located between 27º17’S and 27 º56’S and between 17º38’E and 18º02’E. It falls within seven Quarter Degree Squares (2717Bc, 2717Bd, 2718Ac, 2717Da, 2717Db, 2717Dc, 2717Dd) in the Nama Karoo Biome and, in the south, straddles the transition area into the Succulent Karoo Biome. The median annual rainfall is less than 100 mm, falling mainly between January and April, and highly unpredictable, with a coefficient of variation of approximately 70%.