- Gondwana Desert Collection/ News



		News 2007News 26.02.07


		Fire Alarm all over Namibia - 26.02.07 The joy about the exceptional rainy season last year has not been totally unalloyed. Good rains are often followed by periods of particularly fierce veld fires – due to the high grass. And of course, the country had hardly dried up properly when huge areas in northern Namibia were in flames. Etosha National Park lost 3,000 km² of grazing to two fires in September. Game and even people lost their lives.



		A wall of fire in Gondwana Cañon Park.

		The south was hit as well: Gondwana Kalahari Park, northeast of Mariental, had a fire as early as July. Through their fast and tireless action the staff managed to keep the damage within limits. There was no loss of game, and ‘only’ 4 km² of grassland were destroyed. In September a fire broke out 50 km west of Aus in south-western Namibia, in October the Koichab plains 40 km northwest of Aus were caught in a blaze. A total of 350 km² of savannah were charred. Fortunately the grazing area of the Wild Horses at Garub was not affected by either of the fires. Gondwana Sperrgebiet Rand Park itself was spared, and so was Gondwana Namib Park north of Sossusvlei.

		Finally, four days ago, it was the turn of Gondwana Cañon Park. Lightning struck a large plain east of Cañon Roadhouse in the northern parts of the park and caused grass to catch fire. Rain, however, failed to follow suit and soon the evening sky was lit up in bright orange. Fire-fighting teams were at the scene within 30 minutes; neighbours hurried to join in as well. Luckily the wind helped to extinguish the blaze: it blew just lightly and then turned, so that the fire was pushed back onto the burnt soil. Nevertheless some 15 km² of grazing were lost.

		As devastating as they may be, bush fires are part of nature’s cycle. Many trees are able to withstand blazes up to a certain point. Larger animals usually have enough space to get out of the way; smaller animals often retreat to burrows and other holes in the ground. And as soon as the charred soil is soaked by the first big rains, new greenery shoots up everywhere...


		- For more about the fire in Etosha see the website of the Namibian