Dorob National Park, National park in Erongo Region, Namibia
Dorob National Park stretches along the central Namibian coast between the Kuiseb Delta and the Ugab River. The protected area features sand dunes, rocky coves, and open beaches that meet the Atlantic Ocean.
The protected area was officially established in 2010, evolving from the former Walvis Bay Nature Reserve. This transformation marked a new step in protecting the valuable coastal habitat.
The name Dorob comes from Doro-ǀHub, a 16th-century Khoekhoegowab term meaning "dry land" or "water that sinks into the sand". The park includes the Walvis Bay Lagoon, a Ramsar site where some 75 bird species gather, with nearly 1.6 million birds recorded along this coast.
The park is managed as an open system linking marine, coastal and escarpment areas, and is zoned: Damara tern breeding sites, gravel plains, important bird areas, the Kuiseb Delta, Sandwich Harbour, the Swakop River, Tsumas Delta, Walvis Bay Lagoon, birding areas and lichen fields. Tourism and sport are allowed only in non-sensitive zones, and commercial or competitive activities need a permit from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism. Powered aircraft may not fly below 1 kilometre except when taking off or landing.
The park's lichen fields are listed among its protected zones, alongside the Damara tern breeding sites, the Kuiseb Delta and Sandwich Harbour. Collecting or destroying anything of botanical, zoological or geological interest is forbidden, so the lichens are to be looked at, not touched.
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