Conservation & Education:
Namibian Poison and Vulture Awareness Campaign
The goal of the Poison and Vulture Awareness Campaign is to formulate and apply existing information on the use of poisons and alternative methods for problem animal control, and to format this information into a working national monitoring system. The system incorporates strong cooperation between conservation, land management, and business groups in the development of resources and the education of people. The campaign is funded by the UNDP Small Grants Scheme.
Campaign Goals
REST’s current assessment is that poisons are having the single largest fatal impact on raptors and scavengers. Poison use has become both a socially and economically acceptable option in Namibia, and it is believed that most land managers use poison as a quick solution to problem animal management. The discontinuation of poison use will only occur when:
- Poison use is monitored on a national level
- Education objectives are achieved by informing land use managers of the negative impact of poison use in both the short and long term.
- Education objectives are achieved by providing farmers with safe, effective and inexpensive alternatives to poison such as noise and scent collars that can be made locally. This has the added benefit of stimulating local job opportunities and providing more locally made products.