Oiled Wildlife Preparedness & Emergency Response
Seabirds are vulnerable to oil pollution, particularly African Penguins as they cannot fly. Contingency planning and preparedness before an oil spill occurs is key to ensuring that an appropriate, timeous and effective response strategy is selected and implemented. An oil spill incident could potentially have catastrophic consequences on the marine environment and even small amounts of oil can have detrimental effects on seabirds both in the short term and in the long term.
A proactive, coordinated and fully integrated oiled wildlife contingency plan ensures that the response meets the health, safety and operational objectives while minimising the impact on oiled wildlife.
Namibia’s Marine Pollution Contingency Plan (NMPCP) recognises that a marine oil pollution incident is likely to affect birds, marine mammals and other wildlife. The severity of the impact on wildlife and biodiversity will depend upon the environmental sensitivity, the type and quantity of the pollutant, and the location of the pollution”.
An Oiled Wildlife Preparedness and Response Plan has been drafted which is mainly aimed at seabirds. Several seabird species in Namibia are classified as globally Endangered on the IUCN Red Data List, hence the importance of this plan. Populations of African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus), Cape Gannet (Morus capensis), Cape Cormorant (Phalacrocorax capensis) and Bank Cormorant (Phalacrocorax neglectus) are in rapid decline and consequently are listed as globally ‘"Endangered". Incidentally, African Penguins, being flightless and unable to avoid oil slicks, often provide the first warning signs of an oil spill and are therefore considered indicator species.
Key challenge
The current capacity is inadequate to respond to coastal and marine disasters, and to deal with routine seabird management that would improve the conservation status of threatened species, e.g. oiled and injured birds, malnourished chicks and abandoned eggs. Currently emergencies are handled by staff in the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources and volunteering town residents. No dedicated personnel are available 24/7 in cases of emergencies or on public holidays. We need funding to cover fish to feed rescued birds, transport, veterinary support and supplies - often at short notice.
What do we want to do?
- Acquire the necessary equipment to adequately respond to emergency or disaster, and to routine seabird management and rescue needs on staffed seabird islands and in Lüderitz, Swakopmund and Oranjemund.
- Ensure that funding is available at short notice to allow a quick response in emergency situations.
- Build, equip and maintain a new seabird rescue and research facility in Lüderitz, complete with visitor and education facilities.
- Coordinate the rescue and rehabilitation efforts of seabirds in Namibia.
- Provide training assistance and refresher courses to rangers and headmen on islands, as well as to new staff.
- Support seabird monitoring and research efforts.
