Ringing

Birds have been ringed in Namibia since 1958, when 89 birds were ringed under a German ringing scheme. By 1965, 753 birds of 41 species had been trapped and ringed in Namibia. To date, the Ministry of Environment and Tourism has over 52,000 Namibian ringing records on its electronic database.

To legally ring birds in Namibia, ringers must have a SAFRING ringer's number as well as a ringing permit issued by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism. A person with a ringing permit from outside Namibia needs to apply to MET for a local ringing permit.

A person who wants to start ringing in Namibia needs to be trained by a ringer who has a SAFRING ringer's number and a local ringing permit. Once the trainer (ringer) is satisfied with the trainee's level of experience, applications for a local ringing permit (from MET to ring birds in Namibia) and a ringer's number from SAFRING can be made. Permit restrictions, for example, types of traps, places, times and species permitted may be made according to the ringer's age and experience and the extent of a registered ringing project.

See the booklet "Bird ringing in Namibia [pdf 946kb]" for information on what is happening and who is involved in bird ringing in Namibia; covering permit requirements, basic rules and ethics of ringing, equipment needs and, importantly, what to do with ring recoveries. Sections included are:

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