Iona National Park

Geography

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 km 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.

The park is contiguous with the Skeleton Coast National Park in Namibia, which is itself contiguous with the Namib-Naukluft National Park so that all three protected areas form a continuous block covering some 50,000 km2 of Namib Desert coastline and adjacent dunes.

Flora and fauna

Flora

According to the Angola Ministry of the Environment, there are three types of vegetation at Iona National Park:

• Sub-coastal steppes with woody and herbaceous components: This type of vegetation is a sub-coastal African steppe-like formation dominated by Acacia, Commiphora, Colophosphormum, Aristida, Schmidita, and Staria species.
• Coastal steppes, which corresponds to sub-desert-like vegetation: This type of vegetation is dominated by Aristida, Cissus, Salvadora, and Welwitschia species.
• Desert with moving dunes: This type of vegetation is dominated by Odyssea and Sporobolus species.

The park is the main habitat of Welwitschia mirabilis, a plant sometimes referred to as a "living fossil". The plant derives its moisture from sea-fog dew which rolls in from the Atlantic. The dew is absorbed through the leaves rather than through roots alone.

Fauna

Because of its distinctive habitat and climate, Iona and the Kaokoveld Desert have a number of endemic animals, particularly reptiles. Of the 63 species recorded in the ecoregion, eight are strictly endemic. The endemics include two lizards, three geckos, and three skinks. In 2022, there were 75 amphibian and reptile species recorded. Of these, 40 were recorded for the first time within the park.

The mouth of the Cunene River to the south supports a small wetland area that is important to migrating birds. In 2001, according to BirdLife International, about 114 species of bird were recorded for the area. 58 species were waterbird. Around 250 species were recorded as of 2024. In 2023, a coastal survey reported 55,000 Cape cormorant. In 2001, the park was one of the few remaining places in Angola with common ostriches, and the only locality with recorded Greater kestrel breeding.

South African cheetahs were sighted in the park for the first time in 2010. The civil war eradicated the elephant and rhino populations. In 2024, the park supported viable populations of zebra, oryx, and springbok. There were also remnant populations of cheetah, leopard, and brown hyena. Other animals include aardwolf, chacma baboon, and the vervet monkey. A massive undertaking in July 2023 saw 14 Angolan giraffe return to the park. The giraffes, thought extinct since the 1990s, arrived from a private game farm in Namibia, a further 13 giraffes were moved to Iona on the 18th May 2024. The feasibility of reintroducing the black rhino and lion is being investigated.

Conservation

From 2009 to 2019, a multinational program under the UNDP worked with the Ministry of Environment (MINAMB) and local leaders to rehabilitate the park. Results have been recorded in the training and development of local staff, improvements to park infrastructure (fencing, roads, water supply, waste management, etc.), and the development of sound management for Iona.

In 2018, the Iona - Skeleton Coast Transfrontier Conservation Area was established. The TFCA covered a region from northern Namibia to southern Angola. This 3-year project was designed to implement conservation monitoring technology across country borders.

In January 2020, Iona National Park fell under the management of African Parks, a non-governmental organization (NGO) focused on conservation. Together with the government, African Parks works closely with local communities, implements law enforcement, and restores wildlife. They work to position the park as a key destination and to ensure the long-term ecological, social, and economic sustainability of Iona National Park.

References

References

1. "Poaching in Iona is a Crime". Jornal de Angola, March 26, 2012.
2. "Iona National Park". BirdLife International.
3. "Framework Report on Angola's Biodiversity". Republic of Angola, Ministry of Environment, 2009.
4. (2019). "Villagers' Perceptions of Tourism Activities in Iona National Park: Locality as a Key Factor in Planning for Sustainability.". Sustainability 2019, 11.
5. "Iona National Park Takes a Step Forward in its Transformation". African Parks.
6. (26 January 2024). "Agostinho Neto's house in Iona National Park will be converted into a tourist attraction". Ver Angola.
7. "UN Development Program, Iona Conservation Project". United Nations Development Programme, Project Document: Conservation of Iona National Park, 2013.
8. "Birdlife Data Zone". Birdlife Data Zone, Iona National Park, 2013.
9. (31 January 2020). "Angola Government Partners with African Parks for the Management of Iona National Park". African Parks.
10. "Biodiversity Education and Research Greenhouse: Welwitchia Miribilis". Accession Data, University of Connecticut.
11. "Biodiversity Conservation". African Parks.
12. "Deserts and Xeric Shrublands: Africa - Coastal Namibia and Angola". Africa: Coastal Namibia and Angola, World Wildlife Fund.
13. CCF Staff. (23 February 2015). "After 30-Year Civil War, Cheetah Presence in Angola Confirmed". cheetah.org Cheetah Conservation Fund.
14. "Iona National Park". African Parks.
15. (7 July 2023). "Giraffe Reintroduced to Angola's Iona National Park". African Parks.
16. (7 Jul 2023). "Driven out by decades of conflict, native giraffes make a return to Angola". The Guardian.
17. (2024-05-26). "Angolan giraffe on the move - Giraffe Conservation Foundation".
18. (14 August 2012). "National Biodiversity Project". GEF.
19. "National Biodiversity Project: Conservation of Iona National Park". United Nations Development Programme, Project Overview.
20. "About Iona - Skeleton Coast Transfrontier Park and the SCIONA project". SCIONA.
21. "SCIONA flyer". SCIONA.