Social-Ecological Factors during a Drought in the Kunene Region

This presentation examines social-ecological systems at the brink of crisis and during a contentious political period. The drought of the late 1970s - early 1980s placed significant stress upon the people and ecosystems of the... [ view full abstract ]

This presentation examines social-ecological systems at the brink of crisis and during a contentious political period. The drought of the late 1970s - early 1980s placed significant stress upon the people and ecosystems of the semi-arid and arid Kunene Region of northwest Namibia. This era was also defined by the “Border War,” an era of political instability and violence pitting Namibians and Angolans against the South African Defence Force, along the region’s northern border. Each of these factors impinged upon efforts to conserve many of the charismatic wild species that Namibia is famous for, and undermined local efforts to sustain livelihoods. Yet, these years were also the forge from which community based natural resource management (CBNRM) within the Kunene emerged. The communal conservancy approach to CBNRM has been integral to subsequent conservation and development success within the region. Understanding the immediate historical drivers of communal conservancy formation illuminates the historical legacies communal conservancies embody and seek to overcome. Employing a multidisciplinary approach, I unite an empirical foundation of ecological data with archival historical research, ethnographies, and science studies. This environmental history case study displays the role of historical legacies upon contemporary conservation management. The interactions of conservation management, ecological fragility, and political antagonism are especially pressing issues in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa. I close by examining the recent drought in the Kunene. As the region, and indeed many parts of the world, face uncertain rainfall patterns, climatic shifts, and economic transformations, examining times of social and ecological stress is increasingly relevant. What social and ecological factors are central to the resilience of rural communities when uncertainty is the norm rather than the exception?