A post-season review of the devastating 2025 fire season in Etosha National Park has prompted new fire management measures, including expanded early-warning systems, controlled burning and stronger coordination with neighbouring communities and agencies.
The ministry of environment and tourism has completed a structured review of the 2025 fire season in Etosha National Park, after wildfires burnt 853 946 hectares, or 37% of the park, between September and October last year.
Minister Indileni Daniel responded to questions in Parliament about the 2025 wildfires in Etosha and said the scale of the fires had received serious institutional attention, with the ministry using lessons from the 2025 season to strengthen its fire preparedness and response.
The review culminated in the 2026 Etosha National Park Fire Management Planning Workshop, held from 27 to 29 April. Led by senior ministry officials, including deputy executive director Colgar Sikopo and deputy director Naambo Lipinge, the workshop produced an after-action review, an updated fire operational plan and recommendations for future fire management.
Daniel said a formal report is being compiled and will be made available in due course.
The 2025 fires also resulted in wildlife deaths, including elephants, giraffes, plains zebra and springbok, as well as a rhino calf.
According to population estimates from 2023, four elephants died in the fires from a population of 3 124, while two giraffes died from an estimated population of 2 858. One plain zebra died from a population of 13 725, while six springbok died from an estimated population of 9 710.
Daniel acknowledged the grief associated with these losses but said the mortality figures, when considered against overall population estimates, were insignificant at species level.
According to the review, the 2025 fire season was unusual because it broke with traditional patterns of fire seasonality and geographic spread.
Two primary causes were identified. Fires originated outside the park and spread into the western section, extending northwards into Omutambo-Gomawe. In the eastern section, lightning was identified as the likely primary cause of intense fire activity.
Daniel said that human activity also contributed to some fires, including charcoal burning on a farm adjacent to the park. She said such risks are being addressed through awareness campaigns, community engagement and stronger inter-agency coordination.
Etosha is surrounded by communal conservancies and commercial farms, creating a complex landscape in which wildlife conservation, tourism, grazing and human settlement overlap.
Daniel said drought and the concentration of people and livestock around water points provided for wildlife can increase pressure on areas surrounding core wildlife and tourism zones, potentially contributing to fire risks.
The ministry is therefore working with Traditional Authorities and conservancies to manage land-use pressures, while also engaging partners to strengthen financial support for community conservation initiatives.
One of the key reforms is the introduction and expansion of patch mosaic burning, a controlled-burning approach intended to reduce fuel loads before the peak fire season. The programme will be limited to no more than 30% of the park at any given time.
The ministry is also advocating for automated weather stations to strengthen environmental monitoring, early-warning systems and fire prediction.
Operational improvements will cover all three of Etosha's management zones: the eastern zone, comprising Namutoni and Halali; the central zone around Okaukuejo; and the western zone covering Otjovazandu and Galton.
Two additional graders have been procured through the Game Products Trust Fund, while N$2 million has been allocated specifically for fire management during the 2026/2027 financial year. A further N$207 million from the Skeleton Coast-Etosha Conservation Bridge programme, funded through the Legacy Landscape Fund, will supplement conservation efforts.
For the 2026 season and beyond, the ministry plans to finalise zone-specific operational plans, identify and grade priority firebreaks before the peak season, expand early-burning programmes and strengthen joint planning with the Namibia Defence Force, neighbouring farms and communities.
Continued awareness campaigns through radio and social media will also focus on preventing fires in communities surrounding the park.
Daniel said staff wellness would form part of the reforms, recognising the physical and psychological demands placed on personnel responsible for protecting Namibia's national parks.
