SDP 17 wrapped up on Saturday 01 February with Information Day 2014. The 11 SDP participants put on an intriguing role play about the possible future of the Greater Sossusvlei Namib Landscape (GSNL), the area where their study took place, and how not tackling the challenges of managing water sources, wastewater and solid waste might negatively impact the area.
Set 20 years in the future, the role play followed several tourists as they visited the GSNL and discovered what tragedies had unfolded across the landscape: contaminated water, rubbish stuck in trees, dumps attracting large animals, and bad smells all over the place, just to name a few. In addition to the role play, several other talks were given by SDP 17 funders NAMPlace and the Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia as well as talks from the Director of Tourism, Sem Shikongo, and Gobabeb’s Director, Gillian Mags-Kölling. Quintin Hartung, Warden at NamibRand Nature Reserve, provided insightful closing remarks for the presentations. The evening came to a close as SDP participants, guests and Gobabeb staff enjoyed a sundowner on the dunes followed by a delicious dinner and an exciting scorpion walk in the Kuiseb. Thanks to all SDP participants and guests for making Information Day 2014 another successful event for Gobabeb!
