The Republic of Namibia occupies a large portion
of southwestern Africa, lying between the frigid waters of the southern
Atlantic Ocean and the expanses of the Kalahari Desert. On its western border
is the infamous Skeleton Coast with its barren beaches and rolling dunes.
In its varied habitats a diverse array of wildlife survive.
In the early 1980’s, rampant poaching caused the near extinction of
black rhinoceros, desert elephants and many other species of wildlife in
northwestern Namibia. Fortunately, a concerned group of people recognized
that this unchecked slaughter would result in the local extinction of several
wildlife species in the Kunene Region of northwestern Namibia. The Save
the Rhino Trust (www.rhino-trust.org.na) was formed in hopes of curbing
the inevitable loss of black rhinos and other wildlife.
Namibia Desert Rhino Conservation Project
Today, due largely to the work
of the Save the Rhino Trust to stop poaching, census estimates show the
numbers of black rhinos in the Kunene Region have doubled, and that poaching
has all but vanished in the region. Save the Rhino Trust is now expanding
its focus to include research on the habitat needs of the rhino, establishing
land conservation measures that will ensure long-term conservation of key
rhino habitats and re-populating previously extirpated rhino ranges. Round
River assists SRT researchers in base line ecological research efforts.
These research efforts include rhino census efforts, bird and herpetological
surveys, and habitat model field validation.