Gobabeb

The Gobabeb Namib Research Institute, short: Gobabeb, is a centre for dry land training and research in Namibia. It is located in the Namib Desert, south-east of Walvis Bay. Gobabeb was founded by the Austrian entomologist Charles Koch in 1962¹. Since 1998 Gobabeb has been a joint venture between the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) and the Desert Research Foundation Namibia (DRFN). Gobabeb conducts research in the fields of climate, ecology and geomorphology. It also tests, demonstrates and promotes appropriate technologies. By conducting training courses, Gobabeb aims to improve the public awareness and knowledge of dry land ecology and environmental issues. The station consists of permanent researchers, students, and interns, as well as short time visitors such as school and university groups, and tourists. Gobabeb also hosts film crews, journalists and artists.

The Gobabeb Namib Research Institute, short: Gobabeb, is a centre for dry land training and research in Namibia. It is located in the Namib Desert, south-east of Walvis Bay. Gobabeb was founded by the Austrian entomologist Charles Koch in 1962. Since 1998 Gobabeb has been a joint venture between the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) and the Desert Research Foundation Namibia (DRFN). Gobabeb conducts research in the fields of climate, ecology and geomorphology. It also tests, demonstrates and promotes appropriate technologies. By conducting training courses, Gobabeb aims to improve the public awareness and knowledge of dry land ecology and environmental issues. The station consists of permanent researchers, students, and interns, as well as short time visitors such as school and university groups, and tourists. Gobabeb also hosts film crews, journalists and artists.

Appropriate technology

The Gobabeb Namib Research Institute has been built as an example of appropriate technology, which shows how sustainable development can be achieved in daily life. It demonstrates techniques that are applicable at community and commercial/industrial levels. The following systems at Gobabeb are installed under the heading of appropriate technology: A solar-diesel hybrid energy system, consisting of 370 solar panels, 60 lead acid batteries and two diesel generators. Through this system, more than 90% of all energy used at Gobabeb, mainly for electricity and water heating, is provided by the sun. A water recycling system. All sewage water from the station goes into a trickling filter system and gets used again. Fog harvesting. With the help of different kinds of nets, fog water is harvested at Gobabeb. One net can gather up to 3.3 litres of water per square meter on a foggy night. This method might have practical application in the Topnaar settlements along the Kuiseb River. Appropriate buildings. New buildings are made of clay bricks which are made from silt of the Kuiseb River. The thick walls of these bricks are thermally ideal for the desert, being warm in winter and cool in summer. Waste management. All organic waste is fed to goats belonging to the Topnaar community. Recyclable waste like glass, metals, plastics and paper are taken to Walvis Bay where they are handed to recycling agencies linked to the Walvis Bay Municipality. Solar cooking. Gobabeb uses two different types of solar cookers, box cookers and a parabolic cooker, all of which do not require any electricity.

Library

The Gobabeb Centre Library is built for researchers, students and staff, working in and around Gobabeb, as well being open to interested visitors. It provides access to information and works done in and around Gobabeb and in the Namib Desert. The library started in 1963 with its first in-house publications Scientific Papers of the Namib Desert Research Station by Gobabeb's first director Charles Koch. Since then the library has grown to house the most extensive collection on arid zone research in ecology and biology in sub-Saharan Africa. It is the leading information centre on the Namib Desert and also includes information on other deserts of the world. It houses 1780 books, 18,790 journal offprint publications, and 30 journal holdings. To offer easier access to the library for our users, Gobabeb is in the process of digitising information stored in the library.

Research

The overall goal of research at Gobabeb is to improve the understanding of arid land ecosystems, particularly their variability, with the focus on supporting well-trained specialists and decision-makers in southern Africa and the world. Gobabeb has been the locus of much of the basic research on Namib desert organisms and, more broadly, into the ecology of southern African deserts and arid land. Every year over 100 scientists visit Gobabeb to undertake research and in the past 50 years, over 1,900 publications have been produced at Gobabeb. As a result of such research, the worldwide knowledge about animals and plants coping with the extreme conditions of the desert has vastly improved. ]] The fields of research at Gobabeb include: Desert organisms and their biodiversity Arid land ecosystems and geo-processes Preventing desertification Climate and climate change Restoration ecology of degraded lands Appropriate technology Alternative livelihoods within the limits of arid environments The results of this research contribute to many other projects. In particular, long term ecological monitoring of climate and biodiversity, which in some cases has been collected continuously for almost 50 years, represents a valuable contribution to global scientific knowledge. Additionally, research results from Gobabeb support the Kuiseb Basin Management Committee to undertake its integrated land and water management program. In 2010, the Namib Ecological Restoration and Monitoring Unit (NERMU) was established at Gobabeb to address the issue of expanding uranium mining and prospecting within the Namib desert. To date, NERMU has researched or is researching the impact of mining and prospecting on the Hartmann's Mountain Zebra, the Husab Sand Lizard, hypolithic cyanobacteria, and other organisms.

Training

Training is a primary function of the research institute. Over 1,000 learners come to Gobabeb each year and receive training. Most of the participants are students from primary, secondary and tertiary school. However, farmers, private persons, community representatives and interested groups are also trained. The training is broad-based and concentrates on using participatory methods and hands-on approaches. The programs are provided by Gobabeb staff, visiting trainers and local, regional and international experts. Training is offered in the fields of community based natural resource management, arid land management, desertification, ecology and appropriate technology. In addition to short training courses, Gobabeb has offered long-term tertiary training to over 180 students¹ at the centre. The Summer Desertification Programme (SDP) ran from 1993 to 2005. Participants were presented with a real-life research problem concerning land degradation, and involving bio-physical and socio-economic factors. Following the end of funding of SDP, the Gobabeb In-Service Training Programme (GIST) began in 2005 as a partnership between the Polytechnic of Namibia and Gobabeb. GIST research projects included one term of study (approximately 3-month) and covered a wide variety of topics related to the ecology of the Namib Desert. In 2009, the GIST Program transformed into the Gobabeb Training and Research Internship Program (GTRIP), opening the course to all Namibian university students and recent graduates. Since 2010, research in the GTRIP course has focused on restoration ecology in the Namib Desert, contributing to the goals of NERMU. Gobabeb also hosts national and international interns and volunteers.

References

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1366667714 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.