When the savanna turns into a barren desert, biodiversity and ecosystem productivity are lost. This deprives wild animals and livestock of their food source, with far-reaching consequences, including the collapse of entire ecosystems and their use by humans. A tipping point is reached. This refers to a moment in ecological and social development when a process becomes irreversible. Climate change and unsustainable use of grazing land are primarily responsible for this. Many regions are coming under increasing pressure, especially in Namibia, where grazing land is central to livelihoods and the national economy.
As part of the NamTip project, a team from ISOE has investigated tipping points in desertification and its driving forces – together with partners from the Universities of Bonn, Cologne and Tübingen, the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, the University of Namibia and the Namibia University of Science and Technology, and under the leadership of the University of Potsdam. The aim is to understand how targeted management can strengthen the resilience of savannas or, in the best case scenario, even restore an already degraded ecosystem. Practice partners in the project, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMFTR), are the Namibia National Farmers Union and the educational initiative EduVentures, which promotes knowledge transfer to Namibian schoolchildren.
To better understand the mechanisms of degradation, the team set up a large-scale field experiment in Namibia's Waterberg region at the start of the NamTip project. Over several years, they investigated how the ecosystem changes under stress. The researchers found that the combination of extreme drought and overgrazing in particular led to rapid measurable changes. Initially, the vitality of perennial grasses declined significantly – a domino effect that triggered further processes of degradation. Such detailed observation is particularly valuable for research.
One of the most important project goals in NamTip is to provide practical knowledge for local stakeholders. To this end, the researchers are developing a series of fact sheets that address key issues in rangeland management – from drone technology and area-specific management of rangeland to a catalogue of measures that farmers can use to actively manage ecological tipping points on communally used rangeland. Other topics include the protection of perennial grasses and seed reserves in the soil through rotational grazing and a combination of different measures to restore degraded savannas.
The transfer events in the current final phase of the project brought together researchers, practice partners, policy makers and representatives of the agricultural sector for two workshops in the Waterberg region and a press event in Windhoek. One of the workshops, for example, focused on the perspective of communal land use systems of the OvaHerero. The communities are increasingly faced with the problem that fewer and fewer forage grasses are growing in their grazing areas due to the encroachment of bushes. Until recently, they were severely restricted by the state from actively intervening in this process themselves. In the workshop, the scientists therefore presented concrete, locally adapted measures for the restoration of these degraded areas – including selective bush thinning, strategically timed resting periods, and the reintroduction of site-specific forage grasses.
A week-long winter school was also held in the Waterberg region to transfer knowledge gained in the research project. Fifteen students from Namibia took part. Through theoretical and practical sessions, as well as excursions to research sites and the Waterberg Plateau National Park, they gained insights into the ecological and social science approaches of the project. An online diary provides impressions of the winter school: https://www.uni-potsdam.de/en/headlines-and-featured-stories/detail/2025-06-12-Study-Trip-to-Namibia-Understanding-and-Managing-Tipping-Points-in-Dryland-Ecosystems
Working out an example for the conservation and restoration of savannah ecosystems worldwide, the research project investigates how climatic, ecological and social factors drive desertification in Namibia.
What is increasing the pressure on land resources? How can a fair and sustainable use of land resources be achieved?
Go to Topic Page
