Namibe Partial Reserve () is a
protected area
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...
in
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...
. It is located to the north of
Iona National Park, and separated by a narrow strip of occupied land along the
Curoca River. This reserve has
IUCN
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...
Category IV status and was proclaimed in 1960 by the authorities of
Portuguese Angola
In southwestern Africa, Portuguese Angola was a historical Evolution of the Portuguese Empire, colony of the Portuguese Empire (1575–1951), the overseas province Portuguese West Africa of Estado Novo (Portugal), Estado Novo Portugal (1951–1 ...
. It covers . This park is part of the
Iona – Skeleton Coast Transfrontier Conservation Area.
Large sand dunes can be seen here, because the reserve is located in a desert area. Therefore, only plants resistant to this environment can be found, such as ''
Welwitschia mirabilis
''Welwitschia'' is a monotypic genus of gnetophytes containing only the species ''Welwitschia mirabilis''. It is named after the Austrian botanist Friedrich Welwitsch, who documented the plant in the 1850s. In common use, it is sometimes ref ...
'', better known as the "desert octopus."
Mammals such as the elephant, kudu, oryx, black rhino and mountain zebra Hartmanns have previously appeared in the area, but their current status is uncertain.
References
Protected areas of Angola
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