Skeleton Coast Park
Skeleton Coast Camp is set in the Skeleton Coast Park, one of the most fragile ecosystems in the world. To preserve this pristine environment, Skeleton Coast Camp was built in an eco-friendly manner with minimal impact on the environment. Its design blends in with its surroundings, and effective water, energy and waste management programmes are maintained - such as using water in calcamite tanks, biodegradable soaps and detergents, and solar energy provides light and hot water. There are no fences around the camp so that animal movements are not disturbed; in fact, iconic animals such as the desert-adapted lion and elephant have returned and thrived in the area. An in-house training programme ensures that the local communities are empowered and able to contribute to sustainable development of their areas. In November 2007, Namibia's Skeleton Coast Camp won in the category: Best Overall Environmental Management System, at the 2007 Imvelo Awards for Responsible Tourism.
Wilderness Safaris has assisted the Purros community in the Skeleton Coast with building a local school, enabling the Herero and Himba youth there to receive an education and to foster a conservation ethic amongst them. Wilderness Safaris guests visiting the school often assist in purchasing books and stationery for this worthwhile project. Ongoing assistance is also given in terms of equipping and operating the school. The camp also reimburses the community who live outside the Skeleton Coast Park for any losses incurred when wildlife moves out of the park and into community land.
Read more: Purros School Project, Skeleton Coast Park
A permanent research camp has been set up as a base for research on lichens (a vital component of the coastal Namib Desert ecosystem), as well as desert-adapted giraffe and elephant. The Skeleton Coast Lichen Project in 2006 conducted a ground survey of all lichen communities in a specified study area, and assessed the long-term impacts of human activity on lichens and the Namib Desert ecosystem as a whole.
Read more: Skeleton Coast Lichen Project
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