Conservation......

HENTIES BAY AND ENVIRONMENT

Henties Bay is situated in the National West Coast Recreation Area where permits are not needed to enter the desert and where beaches outside the residential areas and the Cape Cross Seal Reserve are completely open to vehicles. This absence of restrictions makes it very accessible to the public but it also places a high degree of responsibility on the shoulders of the visitor to help sustain and protect this environment.

The National West Coast Recreation Area and the surrounding desert offers an attractive and diversified natural environment with many sites of interest such as outstretched beaches, sensitive lichen fields and a wide variety of desert plants. Interesting geological phenomena and archaeological sites attract more and more visitors every year, which contributes to tourism development in Henties Bay.

We welcome all visitors to our beautiful area and invite you to share its riches, but we also appeal to you to help us protect this sensitive area in order to enjoy it for years to come and to preserve its pristine beauty for many generations.

QUAD BIKES  (See  Rules: Off-Road Driving along the Coast)
Quad bikes provide its riders with a lot of fun but it can have hazardous consequences on our natural environment if not used responsibly. When riding on the beach, please take other people in consideration and be on the lookout for children and pets!

Quad bikes are NOT allowed on the beach and dunes in front of the residential areas. Two areas are designated for the use of quad bikes: The dune field south of Henties Bay and 10 km in the Omaruru River.

LICHENS
The West Coast Recreation Area has a highly sensitive soil surface due to a very brittle gypsum crust and extremely sensitive lichen fields.
The lichens grow on the gypsum plains, which are made up of long translucent crystals that break up easily when cars or quad bikes drive over it. It may take up to 100 years for the gypsum to form again and the lichens to recover. Besides that, lichens are extremely slow growing – no regeneration may be noted in 40 years. Therefore destruction of the lichens leaves a long-lasting scar.
Carelessly laid tracks of numerous vehicles are clearly visible all over the Namib plains and lichen fields. Please do not leave the existing tracks to venture over virgin land.

DAMARA TERN
The Damara Tern, one of the rarest seabirds in southern Africa is in danger of becoming extinct unless its breeding areas can be secured. It breeds exclusively along the Namibian coast in November/December, coinciding with the height of the tourist season.
This small swallow-like tern makes its nest in shallow scrapes on the ground amongst the saltbush, Arthraerua leubnitziae and various lichens, which provide an excellent camouflage for eggs and chicks. Its nesting grounds are always between the coastal road and the beach; therefore its habitat is threatened by thoughtless and reckless off-road driving.
If you leave the main road to reach the beach, please make sure that you stay on existing tracks and NEVER venture over virgin land.

MARINE RESOURCES
Make sure that you are informed about the Angling Regulations. Heavy penalties are imposed for the possession of bristle worm, angling without a permit or in prohibited areas and the possession of more than the prescribed quantities of fish. Inspectors of Sea Fisheries will accept no excuse for the violation of the Regulations. The Angling regulations are available at the Tourist Bureau.
Do not buy worms or undersized mussels or fish from anyone as you will then be liable for prosecution.
It is illegal for a recreational angler to sell his catch.
Fish must be cleaned at the fish cleaning facilities and not in the residential areas.

BEACHES
Please keep our beaches clean at all times - littering on the beach is unsightly and can be dangerous to children and wildlife.
Enjoy your picnic on the beach and make sure that you leave the beach clean for the next person who wants to enjoy it again. Bring all your rests home with you where it can be discarded with your home refuse.
Do not leave fishing line on the beach. This is extremely dangerous to seabirds.
Do not leave the heads of barbel lying around. This is dangerous to people.
Return undersized fish and unused bait to the sea and do not feed jackals or seabirds.
Do not drive or angle in areas where it is prohibited.
AND PLEASE DO NOT KILL OUR JACKALS! There are some thoughtless people around (hooligans would be a good description) who think it a fun pastime to chase and run jackals down with their fancy 4x4’s. Jackals play a vital role in the desert ecology and help to keep the beaches clean from fish rests. They should under no circumstances be disturbed.

DESERT
Do not indulge in off-road driving on the lichen fields, gypsum plains or any other place in the desert, but stay on the existing roads and tracks.
Do not leave anything in the desert that does not belong there. Litter may last longer than a human’s lifespan and can be dangerous to wildlife and often cause painful deaths.
Do not throw cigarette butts from car windows – it can lead to enormous veld fires where grass is high and dry.
Do not remove any plants, stones or wood from the desert. Heavy penalties can be imposed.
It is of vital importance not to spray any liquids on rock paintings in order to brighten the colours. It destroys the paint.
Wild animals must please be respected and not disturbed. Elephants can be encountered in the northern regions and can be very aggressive and dangerous when disturbed. Jackals play a vital role in the desert ecology and should under no circumstances be disturbed.
Prospecting and mining rights at most of the mineral occurrences are granted to third parties and their rights should at all times be respected.

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DAMAGE TO THE DESERT (04/01/2010)
	Quite clever with his quad bike this one! A pretty picture?  I don't think so!         Photos taken between the C34 and the beach north of Henties Bay - an area off-limits to quad bikes!
	Thought it was only quad bikes doing the damage? - not so!   These are the tracks of 4x4 vehicles across the gravel plains between the C34 to the beach - and could be anywhere between Swakopmund and the Ugab River - it looks like this all the way!
	Not so pretty any more? Life-long scars on the gravel plains and black ridges east of the C34 in the vicinity of Lagunenberg near Mile 72. My Opinion?  Simply criminal!       UP

OPINIONS FROM OUR MEMBERS AND VISITORS You are welcome to e-mail your opinion to info@hentiesbaytourism.com

Hi Estelle  I think that it is not possible for the MET to enforce the current regulations. We can put more rigorous regulations in place but who will enforce them? As I sit here there is a youngster on a quad bike racing up and down - no helmet, speeding and disturbing the peace. Who do I contact to enforce the regulations? MET at 20h00 at night? The Police who are not reachable or have no transport (their response) or they arrive 4 hours later when the culprit is long gone. As I went for my daily walk in the desert today and I see the devastation that will last for a century caused by quad bikes and 4x4 vehicles - where was MET? The area that they must cover is simply too large for them to do any effective enforcement. If you as a concerned Namibian citizen dare to talk to the quad bike riders or their parents or the 4x4 drivers you get sworn at or even threatened with violence. There is only one way: Ban all quad bikes except those operated by licensed and regulated operators in designated coastal areas. Issue all 4x4 vehicles drivers with permits to drive in designated coastal and desert areas with all the regulations printed (similar to the fishing permits) with a fee. No permit - you get fined. Outside the designated area - you get fined. Make the fines more aggressive e.g. confiscation of vehicle, heavy fines, N$10 000 or more. But the question of who will do the enforcement rears its ugly head once again. Unfortunately people do not adhere to regulations unless they are enforced vigorously or a total ban is enforced such as in South Africa. Most people live for today, the future is something still far away and of no concern to them. Concerned resident of Henties Bay

Good day Estelle, We are also concerned about the Quad bikes from the Angling fraternities side, but we have a problem making too much dust. The question comes up from the quad bike side:  What about the 4 x4s?  What is going to happen to fishing/ holidaying if all vehicle movements are drawn in along the coast line. The first town to be knocked down will be Henties Bay.  We have to avoid this situation at all costs. There are designated sites in the vicinity of Walvis Bay and Swakopmund, but there is no hard surface facility for normal cars and Bakkies to offload the Quads to then drive around in the designated areas. Vehicles have to park on the edges of the road and offload and then where do they park safely? We are of the opinion that the registration of quads and 4x4's must take place at the road blocks entering the towns where the conditions and “rules” are then handed out to the respective operators, a License disk type of sticker can then be pasted on the windscreen or body of the off-road vehicle to make sure that the vehicle was issued with the necessary rules. The owner of such vehicle must be brought to book if the operator does not comply to the laid-down rules. These are only a few thoughts that come to mind. Thank you for raising the concern. Namibian Angling Association.

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HENTIES BAY TOURISM ASSOCIATION
P.O. Box 595, Henties Bay, NAMIBIA
e-mail: info@hentiesbaytourism.com