Gobabeb

The Gobabeb Training and Research Centre is a research and training station in Namibia. It is located in the Namib Desert, about 120 kilometers southeast of the town of Walvis Bay.

Gobabeb was founded in 1962 with the Austrian Insektologen Charles Koch as station manager. Since 1998, the station is a joint venture between the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET ) and the Desert Research Foundation of Namibia ( DRFN ). Gobabeb conducts research in the areas of climate, ecology and geomorphology and promotes the development of appropriate technologies. In addition, the station, the public environmental awareness and general knowledge about through courses, among others trying to promote in desert ecology. In the station permanently live researchers, students and trainees, as well as short-term visitors such as tourists and school and university groups. In addition Gobabeb is visited by film groups, journalists, radio stations and artists.

The station

The station is located about 120 kilometers southeast of the town of Walvis Bay in Namibia's largest nature reserve, the Namib Naukluft Park. Gobabeb located at a meeting point of the Kuiseb River, the sandy desert ( which extends to the south ) and the gravel desert ( extends north). The diversity of ecosystems achievable Gobabeb makes an ideal research area. The climate in the Namib Desert is hyperarid. In the summer months, from November to March, the average rainfall is about 25 mm per year. In 2010/2011, an extreme rainfall of 165 mm was measured.

The station consists of the Community Resource Centre, a library, several laboratories, an office block, an assembly hall, the distinctive water tower, which houses the staff and the accommodations for visitors.

History

Gobabeb is a former Topnaar settlement called! Nomabeb to German place of the fig tree. 1958 undertook the Austrian Insektologe Charles Koch, a research trip in which he extensively dealt with the species-rich beetle populations of the Namib Desert. A year later, the South African Transvaal Museum decided to set up a research station in the then South West Africa (now Namibia called ). In 1962, the Namib Desert Research Station ( NDSR ) was founded, with Charles Koch became the first station manager. The South African government, which at that time controlled South West Africa, Gobabeb supported with a 50 -year lease of the ground and an annual production of 2,000 margin.

A year later the construction of staff houses, the laboratories, the offices, the factory town and a small water tower was completed. The partnership between Gobabeb and the South African Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR ) in 1965 led to the founding of the Desert Ecological Research Unit ( DERU ). This partnership provided the station 25,000 border, which were used for construction of additional buildings. In 1970 died Gobabebs first station chief cook and biologist Mary Seely took over his position. 1983 Gobabeb held its first open day. This event takes place every year since then.

In 1989, the first course was held in ecological methods for Namibian students on Gobabeb. With Namibia's independence in 1990, the DERU was to DRFN, the Desert Research Foundation of Namibia. The headquarters of the new organization was moved to Windhoek, but the research unit remained in Gobabeb exist. In May 1998, the today existing Gobabeb Training and Research Center ( GTRC ) was founded as a joint venture between the DRFN and the Ministry of Environment and Tourism. The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development ( BMZ) Gobabeb for many years.

Since the establishment of the joint venture, the station acts as a research, training and education center for the whole of Southern Africa. Scientists from around the world examine topics that include, among others, desertification, water production and adaptation of animals and plants on the life operations of the desert. In 2002, after 32 years of branch management, Mary Seely gave its position on Joh Henschel. The new station manager ordered the construction of several guest residences and the Community Resource Centre of Gobabeb.

In the years 2002-2004 the energy system of Gobabeb under the Demonstration Project at Gobabeb of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency ( degreee ) was overtaken by the principles of the fitted energies. In May 2005, the Gobabeb Training and Research Centre was inaugurated by Prime Minister Nahas Angula.

In March 2011, Joh Henschel resigned from his position as station manager back. The subsequent transition period was overseen by a management committee and a temporary warden at the station.

Research

The main goal of the research on Gobabeb is to expand knowledge of arid ecosystems and especially its diversity and to pass this on specialists and decision-makers in Southern Africa and the world. The study of organisms in the Namib Desert and the study of the ecology of deserts in southern Africa were held in Gobabeb mainly. Gobabeb is visited annually by more than 100 scientists for research purposes and the more than 1,900 publications have been developed over the last 50 years. Thanks to the research on Gobabeb the global knowledge has been over desert plants and animals and extended their adaptation to the extreme conditions.

Gobabeb conducts research in the following areas:

• Organisms of the desert and their biodiversity
• Ecosystems in arid regions and their geo- processes
• Prevention of desertification
• Climate and climate change
• Appropriate Technologies
• Alternative ways of livelihood in drylands

The research results are used as a source of information for many other projects. Especially the long-term measurements and observation of climate and biodiversity, some of which are recorded continuously for 50 years, are valuable contributions to the global scientific knowledge. The Kuiseb Basin Management Committee for example, uses the research results of Gobabeb to the Integrated agricultural and water management program ( to German: "Integrated land and water management program " ) perform.

2010, the Namib Ecological Restoration and Monitoring Unit NERMU was ( to German: " merger for the restoration and monitoring of the ecology of the Namib Desert " ) founded in Gobabeb. Topic of the association is the rising uranium mining and the previously required soil sampling in the Namib Desert. The Association examined the related impact on the organisms. It studies with the Hartmann's Mountain Zebra ( Equus zebra hartmannae ), the Husab sand lizard ( Pedioplanis husabensis ) and hypolithic ( living under rocks ) cyanobacteria are carried out, for example.

Training

Education is a primary function of the Gobabeb Training and Research Center. Each year, about 1,000 participants courses in various subject areas. The majority of the participants are students, but there are also farmers, individuals, representatives of communities and interested groups informed. The training is practical oriented and offers many opportunities even participate. The lessons are given by Gobabeb staff, visiting instructors and local, regional and international experts. Classes are offered in the fields of natural resource management, management of drylands, desertification, ecology and appropriate technologies.

Gobabeb also offers long-term training programs that have already been used by 1800 students. The Summer Desertification Programme ( SDP), which took place from 1993 to 2005, involved the practical confrontation with issues such as land degradation and their bio -physical and socio-economic impact.

Use the remaining funds from the SDP program was established in 2005, the Gobabeb In - Service Training ( GIST), a joint project of the Polytechnic of Namibia ( University of Applied Sciences of Namibia) and Gobabeb. The GIST research project ran for one semester ( about 3 months) and worked on a variety of topics around the theme of ecology of the Namib Desert.

2009, the GIST program for GTRIP program ( Gobabeb Training and Research Internship Program ) was developed and was now for all Namibian students and also for those who have recently completed their studies, open. Since 2011, the focus of GTRIP courses is on the restoration ecology of the Namib Desert and thus contributes to the main goal of NERMU.

On Gobabeb also live national and international interns and volunteers.

Appropriate Technologies

The Gobabeb Research Center is constructed according to the principles of sustainability and appropriate technology. It is a demonstration model of how these technologies can be used in everyday commercial and industrial levels.

Are on Gobabeb following systems are constructed according to the principles of appropriate technologies:

• A solar - diesel hybrid power system. It consists of 370 solar panels, 60 lead-acid batteries and two diesel generators. Thanks to this system is more than 90 % of the energy which is used to Gobabeb (primarily for electricity and heat water ) supplied from the sun.
• A water treatment plant. The used water of the center shall be cleaned using a trickling filter, and reused.
• Collecting fog water. Using special networks is obtained from fog water. In a foggy night, a power per square meter absorb up to 3.3 liters of water. This method is to be used by the native Topnaar communities along the Kuiseb River.
• Eco-friendly building construction. The new building of the station are made of mud bricks, which were made ​​of mud of the Kuiseb River. The walls of the buildings are thermally ideal for the desert. Cool in summer and warm in winter.
• Recycling of waste. The organic waste from Gobabeb is fed to the goats of Topnaar community. Recyclable waste ( such as glass, metal, plastic and paper) is brought to Walvis Bay to recycle companies that are associated with the city administration Walvis Bay.
• Cooking with solar energy. Gobabeb uses two different solar cooker models that run electricity independently: the "Box Cooker " and the "Parabolic Cooker ".

Library

The Gobabeb Center Library was built for researchers, students, Gobabebangestellte and interested visitors. The station is visited annually by approximately 100 scientists and 2,000 pupils / students, many of which make use of the library. The library contains information about works that were created in and around Gobabeb and into the Namib Desert.

Dr. Charles Koch founded the library in 1963 with his first release Gobabeb Scientific Papers of the Namib Desert Research Station. Since then the library to the largest collection of information on dryland in the fields of ecology and biology throughout Sub -Saharan Africa has developed. It is the leading information center on the Namib desert, but also contains also information about deserts worldwide. The information in 1780 books, 18790 publish publications and included in 30 journals. In order to facilitate access for the users, the information is currently digitized. Use the D -LIB it will soon be possible to have access to the information Gobabeb Center Library on the Internet.