Biodiversity scoping trip report 25 – 31 May 2018 Top: Marienfluss Valley (Photo: Alex Derr) Bottom: Chameleon skull on Caloplaca lichen crusted rock in Skeleton Coast National Park (Photo: Nicky Knox) 1 Contents 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 2 2. Route ................................................................................................................................................... 4 3. Logistical problems encountered ........................................................................................................ 5 4. Thematic results .................................................................................................................................. 7 4.1 Geomorphology ............................................................................................................................ 7 4.2 Soil types ....................................................................................................................................... 8 4.3 Soil carbon and microbiology ...................................................................................................... 10 4.4 Lichens ........................................................................................................................................ 11 4.5 Vegetation ................................................................................................................................... 12 4.6 Insects ......................................................................................................................................... 15 4.7 Arachnida .................................................................................................................................... 17 4.8 Amphibians ................................................................................................................................. 18 4.9 Reptiles........................................................................................................................................ 19 4.10 Birds .......................................................................................................................................... 20 4.11 Game ......................................................................................................................................... 21 4.12 Evaluation SCIONA app for mammal recording ........................................................................ 22 4.13 Species distribution and habitat suitability modelling.............................................................. 22 4.14 Geospatial data ......................................................................................................................... 23 5. Thematic recommendations ............................................................................................................. 24 5.1 Geospatial information ............................................................................................................... 24 5.2 Ecology ........................................................................................................................................ 26 5.3 Spatial modelling ......................................................................................................................... 27 6. Logistical recommendations ............................................................................................................. 27 7. Field check list ................................................................................................................................... 29 8. References ........................................................................................................................................ 30 Appendix 1: Bird List ............................................................................................................................. 31 1 1. Introduction SCIONA or “Co-designing conservation technologies for Iona - Skeleton Coast Transfrontier Conservation Area (Angola - Namibia)” is a project funded by the European Union (EuropeAid/ 156423/DD/ACT/Multi) that started in February 2018 and will last three years. The lead institute is the Namibian University of Science and Technology (NUST) and the main implementing partner the Instituto Superior de Ciências de Educação da Huíla (ISCED); the Higher Institute of Education Sciences of Huíla, Angola. The SCIONA project aims to strengthen cross-border ecosystem management and wildlife protection in the Iona – Skeleton Coast Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA) through co- designing and implementing conservation monitoring technology with the park authorities and surrounding communities. The Iona - Skeleton Coast TFCA is one of the larger transboundary conservation areas in southern Africa. It connects the Namib Desert ecosystem’s northern extent in Namibia and southern Angola and provides unique eco-tourism opportunities with its marine and terrestrial wildlife, impressive mountains, sand dunes, and surrounding indigenous Himba communities. The Namibian Skeleton Coast National Park and Angolan Iona National Park share several unique species, some found nowhere else on earth, including black-faced impala, desert dwelling elephants, the desert lion, black rhinos and the remarkable Welwitschia mirabilis plant. The two countries and parks are separated by the Kunene River, which provides an oasis in this arid ecosystem. The Kunene River mouth which flows into the Atlantic Ocean is the second most species-rich coastal wetland of Namibia (Simmons et al., 1993). Compared to other TFCA’s in the region, the area has little viable agricultural land, lacks industrial development and has a low population density. Surrounding communities, including the Himba, have seen little benefit from their proximity to the TFCA and cross-border management of the conservation area has been limited. The area is remote and inaccessible due to rugged mountainous terrain as well as large sand dune dominated areas. The TFCA mainly relies on basic institutional structures which are insufficient and result in poor ecosystem management and inadequate wildlife law enforcement. This is reflected by overfishing, poaching - including organised commercial rhino poaching, habitat destruction, illegal mining, flooding, animal out-migration and local species extinction, threatening the sustainable future of the transboundary park. Under stable political conditions within an enabling policy environment, Namibia’s Skeleton Coast National Park and the adjacent conservancies have seen a positive growth of wildlife populations over the past 40 years (Nuulimba and Taylor, 2015; Owen-Smith, 2010). As the Namibian communities also rely on subsistence cattle and goat farming, they are particularly vulnerable to conflicts with predators such as lion, hyena, leopard, cheetah and crocodile. In contrast, Iona National Park in Angola has reduced wildlife populations and has seen the encroachment of human populations into its sensitive habitats because of the recent civil war and subsequent lack of institutional and financial support. Increased human-wildlife conflict incidents are expected in Iona once biodiversity recovers and wildlife migration takes place from the Skeleton Coast National Park and surrounding communal conservancies. The SCIONA project builds on the Namibian experiences with community involvement in ecotourism and conservation. Namibia has been at the forefront of devolving natural resource management 2 authority to the local communities through the legally mandated Community-based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) programme. During the first year of the project, an assessment of the current situation and needs in the TFCA is being performed and a sustainable ecosystem plan is being developed in cooperation with the stakeholders. Baseline information required for natural resources management is being collected and community surveys will be performed. This will include multiple field trips into the study area. A first scoping trip was undertaken from 6 to 11 May 2018 by four members of the SCIONA team to introduce the project to regional authorities and local communities in Namibian conservancies. A biodiversity scoping trip was organised from 25 to 31 May 2018 in the Namibian part of the study area, which is part of the Namibian Kaokoveld Centre of Endemism (Craven and Vorster, 2006; Simmons et al., 1998). It concerned an explorative, multi-disciplinary research trip with as main objectives: to asses potential ecological indicators for the study area, to validate available geospatial data (e.g. tracks), to asses terrain conditions so a suitable safety protocol can be drafted for SCIONA field work, to test and discuss data collection methods and available technology, to initiate academic research and collaboration. This report gives an overview of the biodiversity scoping trip, including results and recommendations, and is based on contributions from participants in the field trip. A selection of photos will be published on the soon to be launched SCIONA website: sciona.nust.na . We would like to express our thanks to all participants for their contribution to a successful scoping trip, especially to our external partners who volunteered their time and expertise during the trip. Vera De Cauwer Rolf Becker Editor Editor SCIONA PI Dean Faculty Natural Resources & Spatial