Up close and personal with Namibia’s coast

By Jana-Mari Smith

If you’ve ever wanted a complete summary of Namibia’s coastline, its people and animals, its unique weather patterns and landscapes, its past and its future, look no further.

This month a beautifully designed book outlining the ‘fascinating and complex mix of richness and paucity’ that is our coastline, saw the light.

Namibia’s Coast: Ocean Riches and Desert Treasures, written by Tony Robertson, Alice Jarvis, John Mendelsohn and Roger Swart, is in itself a treasure chest containing all you need to know about ‘the warm and dry Namib Desert [that] stands in stark contrast to the cold waters of the Benguela Current, which is so biologically productive’.

The book grew out of the wish to share the information collected by the Namibian Coast Conservation and Management (NACOMA) Project established in 2006.

The objective of the book – as is that of NACOMA – is to improve the awareness of coastal biodiversity, the environmental challenges it entails and the value of Namibia’s coastal resources. The book is also aimed at promoting the concept of an integrated coastal management strategy.

Although the book does sometimes veer towards the scientific, it is nevertheless a must-read for a wider audience, including Namibians wishing to carve out a better understanding of one of the world’s most unique landscapes, tourists, students and the general public.

Beautiful photographs and useful illustrations are sprinkled throughout the seven chapters of the book. Each chapter is subdivided into easy-to-read-and-understand sections, making the book a good and informative reference work.

Namibia’s Coast: Ocean Riches and Desert Treasures is a must-read for anyone keen on Namibia – in whichever shape or form.

The book is available for N$295.00 at the following outlets:

Swakopmund at Swakopmunder Buchhandlung & Die Muschel Book and Art CC

Walvis Bay at the Namib Times newspaper offices

Windhoek at the Windhoeker Buchhandlung, the New Book Cellar & Book Den