Namibia gets bio ‘with-it’

A NAMIBIAN nature conservation lecturer at the Polytechnic of Namibia will make a presentation at a five-day international congress in South Africa, seeking solutions to challenges in preserving Africa’s biodiversity.

Dave Joubert and his team will present a web-based Decision Support System (DSS) for bush encroachment management that farmers can apply to assist them in decision-making on their farmland. Bush encroachment, the invasion and thickening of aggressive undesired woody species on grassland, is a large economic problem in Namibia and it is estimated to reduce revenue from beef production by at least N$700 million per year.One of the main species causing the encroachment problem is Acacia mellifera (blackthorn), which results in a decrease in a farm’s carrying capacity.The DSS includes decisions on preventing bush encroachment as well as on treating symptoms of the problem.The congress is being organised by the African-German Research Network (BIOTA Africa) funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and various African research institutions.So far, five workshops have introduced the DSS to farmers and tested the usability of the system.BIOTA Namibia hopes to test it further with farmers this year and next year.Although DSS was initiated before BIOTA involvement, BIOTA funding has allowed DSS developers to develop and test it far more than would have been possible.The congress is being attended by land users, scientists and policymakers and is being held at Spier near Stellenbosch.It started on Monday and ends tomorrow.Bush encroachment, the invasion and thickening of aggressive undesired woody species on grassland, is a large economic problem in Namibia and it is estimated to reduce revenue from beef production by at least N$700 million per year.One of the main species causing the encroachment problem is Acacia mellifera (blackthorn), which results in a decrease in a farm’s carrying capacity.The DSS includes decisions on preventing bush encroachment as well as on treating symptoms of the problem.The congress is being organised by the African-German Research Network (BIOTA Africa) funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and various African research institutions.So far, five workshops have introduced the DSS to farmers and tested the usability of the system.BIOTA Namibia hopes to test it further with farmers this year and next year.Although DSS was initiated before BIOTA involvement, BIOTA funding has allowed DSS developers to develop and test it far more than would have been possible.The congress is being attended by land users, scientists and policymakers and is being held at Spier near Stellenbosch.It started on Monday and ends tomorrow.