Research projects

PROJECT

Encroachment of thorny bush species over much of Namibia rangeland, thought to be as a result of overgrazing, fire suppression, drought and excess CO2 in the atmosphere, at the cost of palatable grasses, is well documented. This study, based at Otjiwa Safari Lodge in Central Namibia, will focus on its impact on biodiversity, ground water retention, soil health and carbon capture with the aim of assessing the case or otherwise for periodic de-bushing practices.

Dr Wellencia Nesongano – University of Namibia

PROJECT

An experiment in how semi-arid land could be made suitable for more productive permaculture than traditional livestock farming on a large scale basis by digging man-made swales, gaboon’s and ponds so as to encourage water retention and applying biochar derived from  bush cleared on a balanced basis from the land and burned in “pyrolysis” (i.e. oxygen starved) so as to improve soil quality and in the process creating employment, developing food security and capturing more carbon.

Dr Evert Strydom - Namibia University of Science and Technology

PROJECT

A study that aims to develop parameters to support the case for an ecosystem-based adaptation approach (EbA) to help people adapt to climate change focussing initially on the Nomadic Himba people in the northern Kunene region of Namibia whose pastoral land has been severely degraded by drought. The study will assess the effectiveness of tree planting, bush clearing and the establishing seed banks and nurseries and an assessment of what plants might enjoy the support of local people in any future regenerative agriculture programme.

Dr Emilia Inman  - University of Namibia

PROJECT

As the sustainability of livestock farming becomes ever more questionable in the face of rising temperatures and drought, traditional farms are increasingly being made-over to wilderness areas for conservation and enhanced carbon capture. This study will look into the importance of the indigenous camel thorn tree’s contribution to carbon sequestration in the newly created Pro-Namib Nature Reserve with a view to better management of this type of land of which there is a great deal in Namibia.

Prof Nichola Knox – Namibia University of Science and Technology

PROJECT

An experiment on how to promote the adoption of the System of Rice Intensification by showing rice farmers in Kenya, using a digital chatbox form of communication (SMS and WhatsApp), the case for planting seedlings earlier and less intensely, using natural fertilisers, undertaking mechanical weeding and crucially not flooding paddy fields with water thereby increasing yields, reducing pollution and lessening the release of atmosphere-damaging methane from weeds that are otherwise not allowed to rot anaerobically.

Dr Mansi Bati  - ARIFU www.arifu.com

PROJECT

A study of the wetland areas in the Cuvelai Basin, where 1.7 million people live either side of the border between Namibia and Angola, to develop a framework to quantify and understand the hydrological processes in wetland-groundwater ecosystems bearing in mind the dependence on them of people who live in semi-arid areas in the face of unpredictable variations in rain fall as a result of climate change. The study will contribute to the work being done by Southern African Science Service Centre Climate Change and Adaptative Land Management Consortia.

Dr Josephine Hamutoko – University of Namibia

PROJECT

A zero-emissions project at the Okondjatu Settlement in Central Namibia to evaluate and promote the cultivation of up to three species of mushrooms, whose high protein nutritional properties and ease of cultivation are well understood, making use of agricultural waste (sawdust from the processing of encroached bush and other crop by-products), with mushroom by-products to be used as animal feed, targeting women and unemployed youth.

Dr Uetele Kadhila – University of Namibia

PROJECT

Plants that use the crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) mode of photosynthesis (e.g. succulents) use up to 10% of the water that conventional plants require, yet capture as much CO2, and can be anaerobically digested to produce biogas, natural fertiliser, protein and bio-plastics. This study will investigate which native species of succulent in Namibia can best be cultivated on a wide scale.

Dr Vera de Cauwer - Namibia University of Science and Technology

PROJECT

A study into how some succulent plants that are indigenous in Southern Africa have the ability to switch their photosynthesis process from CAM to standard form photosynthesis according to the degree of water stress they are under with a view to better understanding their potential as a cultivated source of food (protein) and biomass (for power generation) in areas that are becoming desertified on account of drought-induced climate change. CAM photosynthesis allows plants to absorb CO2 during the night time.

Aune Angobe  - Namibia University of Science and Technology

PROJECT

A study of the Winam Gulf of Lake Victoria to identify the extent of micro plastics in the lake water, upon which 1 million people depend, and equally the nature and extent of pollution from additives such as dies, UV stabilisers, plasticisers, flame retardants, etc. with a view to establishing the extent to which these pollutants shade the water retarding the normal process of photosynthesis, hinder the growth of carbon dependent algae or even more seriously replace atmospheric carbon dioxide as their energy source.

Dr Fred Lisouza - Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Kenya / Dr Charlotte Lloyd - University of Bristol

PROJECT

A study has been concluded to describe the potential application of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) to collect information on benthic communities (light dependent photosynthesis communities of algae, seagrass and coral) of the deep marine environments off Pemba Island, Tanzania which showed the existence and location (and condition and temperature of the waters) of mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCE). The next phase of the research will look at ways for developing machine learning for better interpretation of the results.

Dr Kennedy Eye - CORDIO

PROJECT

A study in how a newly developed hyperspectral camera (its initial development having been funded by a PhD grant from Perivoli Foundation) can be used to monitor the health of coral along the East Coast of Africa and elsewhere. The imaging is undertaken by an adapted Single Lens Reflex camera bought off-the-shelf with in-house designed software. The camera is able to identify the health of the algae that live in symbiosis with coral, which give the coral its colour and luminosity, so as to identify its wellbeing long before “bleaching” becomes apparent to the human eye. The aim is to encourage the use of the camera by marine research institutes with a low budget given that the cameras costs only USD 5000 versus the USD 60,000 that existing hyperspectral cameras used by marine scientists cost.

Dr Jonathan Teague – University of Bristol/ CORDIO East Africa

PROJECT

A study at the School of Veterinary Medicine at NUST on the drugs applied to sedate game animals, using Impala, to compare the efficacy of water-based sedatives versus the longer lasting and more disruptive oil-based variant used for the relocation of game animals to areas where cattle no longer prosper in the increasingly arid rangelands of Namibia.

Dr Israel Amuthitu – Namibia University of Science and Technology

PROJECT

A study of the implications of fencing rangelands and the introduction of designated water points in national parks (in this case Etosha National Park) on the wellbeing and density of animals and the risk of overgrazing resulting in the degradation of nearby areas and the resulting need to balance ecosystem integrity with wildlife-based tourism.

Prof Isaac Mapaure – University of Namibia

PROJECT

A study into the genetic diversity of Tenmincks Pangolins in Namibia to help identify the originsof poached animals so as to aid ante-poaching measures in hotspots and the management andconservation of those that remain in the wild. The study can be extended to other speciesthreatened by extinction in due course.

Prof Fabiano Ezequiel Chimbioputo – University of Namibia and the Pangolin Foundation

PROJECT

A project to demonstrate the application of methanogenic bacteria in the absence of oxygen to anaerobically digestible waste and non-woody plant biomass to create biogas for use in small scale power generation with the nitrogen rich sludge being suitable for soil enrichment and potentially other side products such as proteins and bioplastics.

Prof Rolf Becker of the University of Namibia in conjunction with Andrew Smith of the University of Oxford

PROJECT

It is well understood that oceans absorb CO2 and in doing so becoming more acidic affecting the salinity, oxygen concentration and nutrient concentration of the seas. A Dutch start up, Kelp Blue, is aiming to build artificial marine kelp forests which would aim to absorb CO2 so as to address the PH balance of the water. One of its first trial projects will be off the coast of Namibia at Lüderitz, one of the world’s most consistent upselling systems. The aim of this study, in conjunction with the University of Cambridge, is to measure the effect of the kelp farm on the changes in PH, calcification and major irons of the water as a result of the introduction of the marine kelp.

Prof. Daniel – University of Namibia

PROJECT

Working on the assumption that organisations in Namibia (particularly tourist lodges) will increasingly be required to measure their carbon footprint on account of both internationally imposed regulations and customer demand, this projects aims to build a carbon tracking App for use in the first instance in-house by the Namibia University of Science and Technology.

Liesel Liebenberg – Namibia University of Science and Technology