LONA NATIONAL PARK

Iona National Park is situated in the southwest corner of Angola and constitutes the northern tip of the Namib in a section known as the Moçâmedes Desert, the oldest desert in the world. Iona is contiguous with Skeleton Coast National Park in Namibia, which is also contiguous with Namib-Naukluft National Park, creating one of the largest trans-frontier conservation area’s (TFCA) in the world. Combined, they cover nearly 50,000 km2, of which Iona National Park spans 15,000 km2 and is one of the largest parks in Angola.

Proclaimed a reserve in 1937 and upgraded to a national park in 1964, this region endured the nearly four-decade-long, tragic Angolan civil war. In this time, rhino and elephant populations were eradicated, infrastructure destroyed and tremendous hardship endured by local communities. But some life held on. Today, viable populations of zebra, Oryx, and springbok remain, and there are remnant populations of cheetah, leopard, and brown hyaena. The park is also home to the highly distinctive Welwitschia mirabilis plant, commonly referred to as a ‘living fossil,’ which is found only in the contiguous protected area. Reptiles are particularly well-adapted to this environment with at least eight strictly endemic to the area in and around the park.

The marine biodiversity is also rich as this area is at the far northern reaches of the cold, highly productive Benguela Current as well as where this meets the warmer Angola Front. This mix of currents creates a vitally important place for recovery of fish stocks in the region.

In December 2019, the Angolan government saw the potential of this extraordinary landscape and partnered with African Parks to revive Iona, ensuring its long-term ecological, social, and economic sustainability for both wildlife and the people who live there. With adequate conservation and the optimization of tourism and other sustainable revenue-generating activities, Iona has potential to support healthy terrestrial and marine ecosystems to benefit people long into the future.

Geography of the park.

Iona is in the northern Namib Desert, the only true desert in Southern Africa. The area, also known as the Kaokoveld Desert, is considered one of the oldest deserts in the world at 55-80 million years old. It faces the Atlantic Ocean for 180 kilometres (110 mi) on the edge of the Benguela Current, a cold up-welling from the depths of the Atlantic that creates a rich offshore ecosystem. To the east, Iona rises to the base of the Great Escarpment at the Tchamaline and Cafema mountains.

Iona is bound on the north and south by the Kunene and Curoca Rivers, respectively. The climate is noteworthy for the heavy fogs created as the cold, wet air of the Benguela up-welling meets the hot, dry air of the desert. The strong fogs and currents have led to numerous shipwrecks throughout history. The coast is sometimes called Skeleton Coast after these shipwrecks as well as the numerous skeletons of whales and seals found on the beaches. The area is classified as a Hot Desert Climate, BWH in the Köppen climate classification

Location

Iona National Park is located south west of the city of Namibe-200km from Nimbe town. The western border of the park is on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean while the south is noted by the meandering waters of the Cunene river. In the north, Curoca River forms a lush park border.

Wildlife.

Despite the increase in poaching and illegal hunting, this Angola national park has stood to the glory of game paradise. Some of the animals in the park include the springbok, ostrich, kudu, zebra, klipspringer, impala, Quelengue and rare sights of the cheetah among other smaller mammals.

There are several species of birds in the park, many found at the Curoca river banks and in the woodlands. More than 114 birds are recorded in the park with regular sights like Ludwig bustard, Cape Gannet, Lesser flamingo, Rueppel’s parrot, Gray Lark, African penguin and the Cindrella waxbill among others

Attractions

Besides the wildlife, there unique flora of Iona National park is amazing. The Welwitschia Mirabilis, one of the oldest species of plants in the world is found in the park. The sand dunes, coastal pans and the river basin are splendid sites for hiking safaris and photographic adventures.

The Himba, Kimbundu and Mucubal people are some of the Angolan tribes living in the areas around Iona National park. Many of the people are farmers and livestock herders who have lived in this habitat for more than 1000 years

SOME OF THE PARK HIGHLIGHTS.

Iona National Park is one of the largest parks in Angola, and the 17th park to fall under the management of African Parks.

The Atlantic desert coast offers a unique product, providing high potential to develop the park for tourism and reintroduction of key species.

This special ecosystem has created a zone of high endemism with many species of reptiles, plants, and birds occurring only in this ecoregion.

The introduction of this park brings two more biomes to African Parks’ portfolio – the Namib Desert and the Kalahari Highveld.

The relatively low numbers of people and livestock, in addition to local institutional support, gives us a unique opportunity to obtain local buy-in for sustainable management practices to ensure the survival of this fragile landscape

PARTNERS.

In late December 2019, African Parks signed a long-term management agreement with the Angola Ministry of Environment (MINAMB) and the National Institute for Biodiversity and Protected Areas (INBAC), and the official hand-over ceremony took place on January 31st, 2020.