The 1,200 km2 Orupupa Conservancy is part of the broader Kunene Highlands cluster of 12 community conservancies which collectively encompass more than 10,000 km2 of incredible but rugged terrain stretching westwards from the edge of Etosha National Park to the conservancies adjoining the Skeleton Coast. Orupupa represents the current focus of our work in the Kunene Highlands and a springboard for expanded scope into other conservancies.

Orupupa was declared a community conservancy in 2011 (Government Gazette 15 March 2011), largely through the efforts of Garth Owen-Smith and his NGO, IRDNC. Since then, however, little has changed for the people and wildlife of Orupupa as it lacks some of the attributes of its more well-known cousins such as Puros and Sesfontein – famous for their desert elephants, rhinos, and lions.

In Orupupa, there are 13 small villages comprising small family groups of Herero people who depend heavily on nature for their livelihoods. These are people who are happy to live alongside wildlife but the elephants in particular are exacting a high price for this co-existence. Growing vegetables in an arid environment is hard enough on its own but becomes especially difficult when perambulating pachyderms make uninvited visits to sample said produce. These lumbering giants also pose a problem at the vital waterpoints scattered throughout the landscape. Conflict between elephants and livestock for water is a real challenge, especially with elephants breaking infrastructure to access fresh piped water rather than the mucky stuff in troughs and reservoirs that has stagnated in the sun for a few days. Despite these hardships, the people of Orupupa have expressed a strong desire for continued co-existence and have asked for intervention and support to grow vegetables in peace and to resolve the issues around access to water.

Although somewhat off the radar, the case for support in the Kunene Highlands is compelling: the region supports a free-roaming population of elephants estimated to number around 500; leopards continue to stalk the crags and gullies; and giraffes, black-faced impalas, kudu, and Hartmann’s zebra all call this rugged mountainous landscape home. The birdlife is astounding, and the terrain is endowed with some incredible topographic and cultural wonders such as the world’s tallest tufa cliff, some incredible cave systems, Indigenous San rock art and an array of natural springs that form nurturing oases in an otherwise harsh environment. This is a landscape that warrants protection – not only because of its natural splendour but also because of the livelihoods it supports.