Sustainability

PRODUCTION OF NAMIBIAN CHARCOAL IS ENVIRONMENTALLY BENEFICIAL

Made from only natural hardwood, such as Sekelbos, which is an invasive plant that really made its presence felt in the northern regions of South Africa and proliferates in Botswana and Namibia.

Namibia used to be a land of open savannahs. Now, more than half of the country is covered by thorny and impenetrable bush. Bushes and shrubs spread excessively, while other plant species, especially palatable grass, drastically decline.

As a result, less rain seeps into the groundwater, biodiversity is lost and the productivity of farmland is reduced.

Today, more than 30 million hectares of Namibian rangeland are affected by high densities of bush. The causes of bush encroachment are manifold and include unsuitable rangeland management, the increase of CO2 in the atmosphere and changes in precipitation patterns due to climate change.

Bush encroachment hampers agricultural productivity and threatens the livelihoods of many Namibians. While it constitutes an immense challenge, bush encroachment also provides significant opportunities. Bush control through selective harvesting can restore agricultural productivity of the land, provide income through the utilisation of the biomass and ultimately strengthen the drought resilience of farmers.

The production of charcoal provides an additional income source for Namibian farmers and enterprises and at the same time helps rehabilitate degraded savannah ecosystems. This makes Namibian charcoal a unique and sustainable alternative to charcoal from regions prone to unsustainable forest management and deforestation.