Saving Seals in Namibia

Ocean Conservation Namibia and the Commonwealth Games Association of Namibia ran a series of environmental events around Namibia across the end of September 2025.

On the 25^th September, the Baton travelled across Walvis Bay and Swakopmund with a day of activities, involving more than 2,000 volunteers from schools, sports clubs, local communities, and members of the Commonwealth Games Association of Namibia. The major theme was ocean, community and environmental stewardship, with Ocean Conservation Namibia (OCN) leading educational sessions and clean-ups aimed at stopping plastic before it reaches Namibia’s iconic beaches and marine life, at Pelican Point and Independence Beach.

The clean-up, run by Ocean Conservation Namibia (OCN) was one of several nationwide actions aimed at stopping plastic before it reaches Namibia’s iconic beaches and marine life. The day began with Philip Siedler and Naude Dreyer carrying the King's Baton as they surfed and swam their way to shore through a colony of Cape fur seals at Pelican Point.

Schoolchildren and community members began their engagement at sea, travelling by catamaran to Pelican Point for an introduction to local marine life, including seal colonies and oyster farms. On board, conservation specialists explained how plastics enter the marine environment and the steps coastal communities can take to protect it. The King’s Baton was passed among the schoolchildren in a symbolic gesture of shared responsibility for safeguarding Commonwealth waters.

The largest clean-up activity took place at Independence Beach, where 150 schoolchildren joined a community-wide effort to collect and sort litter. Volunteers removed significant quantities of plastic waste while learning how pollution affects biodiversity and livelihoods along Namibia’s coastline. The event formed part of the Commonwealth Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign, which aims to prevent one million pieces of plastic from entering Commonwealth waterways.

Alongside the environmental programme, the Baton Relay continued through Walvis Bay, with both able-bodied and Para athletes participating. Stops at Flamingo Primary School and the Sunshine Centre brought local communities together before the route continued through Johanna Benson Street to the beach clean-up site.

The coastal celebrations concluded as Olympian and Commonwealth Games cyclist Dan Craven carried the Baton to Swakopmund. At the Namibia National Swimming Championships, the Baton was incorporated into a relay featuring swimmers of all abilities, before being presented to the Mayor of Swakopmund and Deputy British High Commissioner to close the day’s activities.

This coastal segment of the Relay showcased Namibia’s strong commitment to ocean conservation, youth engagement and community action, placing environmental protection at the heart of the King’s Baton’s journey through the country.

Ocean Conservation Namibia’s main work is rescuing entangled seals from colonies such as Pelican Point. Namibia’s central and northern coasts are home to huge colonies of Cape fur seals and other marine life that are directly harmed by discarded fishing line, ropes and single-use plastics. Entanglement and ingestion are immediate threats, a single strand of fishing line can maim a seal pup, and microplastics percolate through the food web. They have saved the lives of over 1000 seals this year alone. OCN’s rescue work and public outreach put these problems in plain sight and turn concern into action.

Regular clean-ups, like the events for the Commonwealth Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign, remove hazardous items before they drift back into the ocean and create teachable moments for volunteers. Every piece of plastic reduces the immediate risk to wildlife and, importantly, prevents those items from breaking down into microplastics that are much harder to manage later.

Through outreach to schools and universities, OCN also educates around the issue and on the Cape fur seals that are impacted by plastic around Pelican Point. Videos of seal rescues from Namibia have reached millions of viewers worldwide. OCN leverages that engagement to build public awareness and help shift norms around fishing gear disposal and single-use items.

These events not only remove plastic and save the lives of local wildlife, but they generate the emotive stories that motivate policy changes and behavioural change around the world, when a Commonwealth-backed clean-up brings athletes, schools, NGOs and local residents together. Ocean Conservation Namibia’s blend of rescue operations, community engagement, education and storytelling is exactly the kind of success story that the Commonwealth Clean Oceans Plastics campaign aims to highlight and celebrate.

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