The San people of the southern Kalahari have thrived in this harsh desert environment for over 20,000 years, developing a deep spiritual connection to the land and its creatures. Our traditional practices and knowledge have enabled us to adapt to the unforgiving climate, and our spirituality and Traditional Knowledge play a vital role in our resilience. Indigenous spirituality is critical in addressing climate change, as it offers valuable insights into the interconnectedness of all living things and the importance of living in harmony with nature. It is essential that we take action to support the San community in their efforts to adapt to climate change.
San Peoples’ traditional practices are deeply rooted in our spiritual connection to the land. We believe that every living thing has a spirit and a purpose and that humans must live in harmony with nature. We practice our beliefs in the way we rotate grazing areas to prevent overgrazing and promote vegetation regrowth, which maintains the balance of nature. We use fire management techniques to maintain ecosystem health and prevent devastating wildfires and as a way to communicate with the spirits of the land. We also implement conservation agriculture methods to enhance soil fertility and retain moisture, nourishing the spirits of the land. All of these practices are examples of our deep relationship with nature.
The San community’s Traditional Knowledge and livelihoods are under threat due to desertification and climate change. The loss of medicinal plants, changes in rainfall patterns, and increased temperatures devastate the San community’s way of life. Seasons in the Kalahari region have drastically changed over time with the extreme high and low temperatures further escalating. Willie Eyman, a community activist in Rietfontein, recalls, “I was born and raised in the Kalahari in the 1980s. It looked green, animals could feed, and communities lived from the field and the San tracker, Ghopan, showing tracks in the sand. Photo by Khomani San. foods it provided. With the years that have passed, climate change and especially desertification are becoming more of a concern. As kids, we could play in the sun, but today the sun gets to 40°C and up, which makes it more hazardous for children to play in the field.”
San tracker, Ghopan,showing tracks in the sand. Photo by Khomani San.
Desertification in South Africa is a serious environmental issue. Nearly 91% of the country’s land is considered prone to desertification due to large dryland areas, making it highly vulnerable to land degradation and the spread of desert-like conditions. This is especially true in the Northern Cape region, where factors like overgrazing, poor land management, climate change, and changing rainfall patterns have contributed to soil erosion and loss of vegetation cover. The San People have traditionally been hunter-gatherers, relying on the land to provide them with food and other essential resources. However, with changes in rainfall patterns, the land is becoming increasingly barren, making it difficult for them to find the food and resources needed to survive.
The San have always lived in harmony with the land, using natural materials to build their homes and shelters. However, with increased temperatures, these materials are becoming increasingly scarce, making it difficult to maintain their traditional way of life. Petrus Vaalbooi, a traditional leader of the !Khomani San, comments, “Fifty years ago, the Kalahari region was overflowing with gemsbok, blue wildebeest, and other game. Today, weather patterns have changed and as food gets lost due to the heat, animals migrate further. It is [also] becoming a problem for farmers in the area as the dunes are becoming more red, not as it was 30 to 50 years ago. We’re seeing more red dunes as land degradation takes place. Farmers put 2,000 sheep in an area where only 1,200 should go, or 400 cattle where only 100 should go. It is a problem for both the animals, the land and its people.”
Climate change is also affecting the San community’s rich cultural heritage with its strong emphasis on storytelling, music, and art. With the loss of Traditional Knowledge and livelihoods, this cultural heritage is under threat as western education is now overtaking Traditional Knowledge. The San community’s Traditional Knowledge and livelihoods are closely tied to their cultural heritage, and the loss of these is having a devastating impact on their cultural identity.
Medicinal Plants: A Vital Part of San Livelihoods
One of the most significant impacts of climate change on the San community is the loss of medicinal plants. Our People have traditionally relied on these plants for their medicinal properties, using them to treat a range of ailments from fever to snake bites. However, due to changes in temperature and rainfall patterns, many of these plants are disappearing. Changes in rainfall patterns are affecting the San community’s ability to farm and gather food, while increasing temperatures are altering the distribution of plants and animals, making it harder for the community to adapt.
The medicinal plants of the Kalahari region are a treasure trove of Traditional Knowledge and a cornerstone of community health and well being. They also hold immense spiritual significance. Several of these plants have gained commercial significance in recent years, with products like Buchu, Sceletium, and Rooibos tea being harvested and marketed globally. The loss of these plants due to desertification and climate change would have devastating effects on San livelihoods, as these plants now have to be grown within greenhouse tunnels and no longer naturally.
Climate Change Adaptation: A Spiritual Imperative
The San Peoples believe that climate change is a sign of the land’s distress and that humans must take action to restore balance to nature. They are taking proactive steps to address climate change, such as establishing community-led conservation areas to protect sacred sites and promote biodiversity, developing climate-resilient agriculture projects that incorporate traditional practices and spiritual values, and creating early warning systems for extreme weather events that incorporate Traditional Knowledge and spiritual insights.
One of the most comprehensive solutions to combating desertification and facilitating land restoration involves addressing degraded water cycles and the loss of soil fertility. In 2024, the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Environment, International Union for Conservation of Nature, and Sol Plaatjie University’s Center For Global Change launched the GEF7 Sustainable Land Management Project in the Kalahari that aims to scale-up and mainstream sustainable land management for large-scale impact on grazing lands. In 2024, as the University started to engage with Indigenous communities on several projects, more communities now want to get involved. Our communities can now actively participate and our intellectual and shared knowledge is used in an economic way to benefit us and create an early warning system for extreme weather pattern changes using our ancient traditional values and spiritual insights.
The Khomani San have established a Community-Led Conservation Area within their Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in the Kalahari Region of the Northern Cape by restoring the land to the community and leasing it back to the South African National Parks (SanParks) as this was seen and allows the Khomani San to maintain their cultural rights and use the land for traditional purposes while also benefiting from the income generated by the park.
Oom David Boch, a resident of Philandersbron, says, “Now that the government has seen how we are struggling in the Kalahari, we’re now hopeful that we can now plant potatoes, pumpkin, and even grapes. Community members used to plant figs as well. We were thriving, but as weather patterns changed and no more rain fell, the earth became dry. One can see it when and if it rains; the field now has deep tracks where water runs and creates these craters.”
Klaas Witbooi, who is affectionately known to the community as Oom Klaas, has seen years of rainy seasons, but in the last seven years, he has seen progressively less rainfall in the area. He says that animal feed and even alfalfa is expensive. “I’m a pensioner, but my love for animals has always carried me through, especially in these trying times. We’re hopeful that with the help of the government on the GEF7 Project our people will soon be entering Canaan, the land of Milk and Honey.”
San spiritual connection to the land and its creatures is at the heart of our resilience. By recognizing and supporting our Traditional Knowledge and practices, we can enhance ecosystem resilience, promote sustainable land management, and support climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts. We call on governments and conservation organizations to respect our practices and knowledge and collaborate with the San Peoples to build a more resilient future for the southern Kalahari that honors the spiritual connection between humans and the natural world. New York and Shanghai may have the technology, but the Kalahari has used the systems for centuries.
Brain Miennies (San) is a nature conservationist working as the Managing Director of the Kalahari Earth Keepers International. He is also the Deputy Secretary-General of the Community Association for South Africans in Natural Resources in South Africa.
Top photo: Nearly 91% of South Africa is prone to desertification. Photo by Brain Miennies.
