The United Nations dedicates days, weeks, years, or even decades to specific topics, to raise awareness and stimulate action on them [1]. Currently there are several of these UN Decades running. In this post I will talk about one of them that could be of interest to you: The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, which […]
Sandy beaches, large tides, a hotspot for biodiversity … sounds like a beautiful, faraway place? In fact, it is not far from home at all. On the north coast of Germany lies the largest tidal flat system in the world: the Wadden Sea. Given that millions of tourists head there every year – and you […]
„We don’t hunt The Big Five because of ethical reasons – and because it is way too expensive”, the white-haired, elderly man says, sitting in a chair at the Nkasa Lupala Lodge in the Wuparo Conservancy, glancing over the wide savannah landscape. “The Big Five” refers to five certain animals living in Africa: elephant, buffalo, […]
The Germans are said to have a very special bond with their forests: Already the famous poets Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Friedrich Schiller wrote several poems about the forest – back in the 19th century; today, 2 million people own forests; when big parts of German forests were dying in the 1980s, people took […]
The thin tent cover is cold and wet. It is this time of the day when day and night are fighting with each other. The “Namibian alarm clock” has done its job one more time: Loud, many-voiced chirring, close-by grunting and distant roaring. A look at the watch reveals: 5.50 am. Opening the tent’s zipper […]
On our second day in Windhoek and after a nice long sleep (shivering as the African sun still did not hold its promises), we tried out our rented car and headed to the GIZ (German Corporation for International Cooperation) office in Windhoek. It took some time to get used to drive on the “wrong” side […]
As mentioned in one of our articles about the study trip to Namibia, we had the chance to talk to John Kasaona, executive director of Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation (IRDNC) in Namibia. This organization wants to “link conservation to the social and economic development of the people who live with wildlife and other […]
“From little date seeds, great things are born.” – Namibian proverb The airplane is making its landing approach around 10 am at the airport of Namibia’s capital city, Windhoek. Quite exhausted after the 10 hours flight through the night, I look up. Outside I can see dry grass, some bushes and a seemingly endless savannah. […]
