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I know how limited they are as a publisher, they are not iskra books, they are not a radical publisher, but maybe they have some hidden gems or classics that are worth picking up. currently they are running a sale so thats what incited me to post this
cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/8953267
Banner image: Lilac-breasted roller in Etosha National Park, Namibia. Image courtesy of Giles Laurent via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
In Namibia’s Karas Region, birds are more than symbols of freedom or beauty — they are teachers of resilience. Their survival in arid landscapes mirrors the endurance of the communities who live alongside them. Grassroots bird conservation projects here have revealed something profound: protecting birds can also strengthen families, nurture hope, and build social cohesion.
Across villages in Karas, parents and children tend habitats together, restoring nesting sites and planting native vegetation. These acts of care are not only ecological interventions; they are lessons in patience and problem solving. When a child sees a weaverbird return to a reed bed that the community has protected, it is a moment of triumph that teaches perseverance in the face of environmental challenges.
Women and youth are at the forefront of these initiatives. In one community, a group of young women organized bird walks for schoolchildren, teaching them to identify species like the sociable weaver and the pale chanting goshawk. Their leadership has inspired confidence among peers and shown that conservation is not the domain of scientists alone — it is a practice of everyday resilience.
Sociable weavers nesting in acacia trees, Karas Region, Namibia. Image courtesy of Martha Karas.
These projects also counter the isolation that environmental stress can bring. Droughts and land degradation often erode social bonds, but bird conservation has become a rallying point. Families gather to monitor nesting sites, share stories, and celebrate small victories. In doing so, they weave resilience into the social fabric. Conservation here is not only about biodiversity; it is about belonging.
The ecological benefits are clear. Protecting bird habitats safeguards pollination, seed dispersal, and pest control — services that sustain agriculture and livelihoods. But equally important is the emotional strength these projects cultivate. In Karas, conservation has become a human resilience strategy: a way to confront uncertainty with collective action and hope.
This perspective challenges the conventional view of conservation as a technical exercise. Too often, policies focus narrowly on species counts or protected areas. While these metrics matter, they overlook the lived experience of communities who find strength in caring for nature. By recognizing conservation as both ecological and social, we broaden its value and deepen its impact.
Lappet-faced vultures like this are native to the arid plains of the Karas Region, and organizations like Vultures Namibia ensure there’s awareness of them. Image courtesy of Martha Karas.
The lesson from Karas is urgent. As climate change intensifies, resilience will be as critical as resources. Grassroots bird projects show that resilience can be cultivated through simple, shared acts of care. They remind us that conservation is not only about saving species, but about sustaining the human spirit.
It is time for policymakers, NGOs, and donors to support these initiatives not just as biodiversity projects, but as investments in community well-being. Funding should prioritize programs that empower women and youth, foster intergenerational learning, and strengthen social bonds through conservation.
Birds in Namibia’s Karas Region are survivors of harsh landscapes. But they are also mentors of resilience, teaching us how to endure, adapt, and thrive together. By listening to the voices of those who lead grassroots efforts, we can reimagine conservation as a strategy for human strength as much as ecological survival.
Supporting these projects is not charity — it is foresight. In every nest protected, in every child inspired, we see the seeds of resilience that will carry communities through the challenges ahead.
Conservation, at its best, is a story of hope. And in Karas, that story is being written by birds and the people who care for them.
Martha Karas is a Namibian writer based in the Karas region.
List of enemies I beefed with and dispatched during my first year as a writer
Peter Ryan, anti-semitic tech bro and Irish-American, specifically for his Irish Hitler alt account
Compact Magazine for publishing him, Breaking Points for interviewing him, as well as Angela Nagle and Sean McCarthy for repeatedly platforming and pushing him
The Irish writer Odrán De Bhaldraithe as well as the Sinn Féin troll network around him
Sinn Féin, specifically diaspora donations to them
Kneecap and their manager
A severe alcoholic Irish e-girl and Twitch streamer, as well as her top simp
Niamh O’Connor
The IRSP, briefly
Justin Barrett and his wife
Christopher Farstad and his wife Soleil Ho
Grinnell College
The Bronze Age Bari Weiss network of Dimes Square and Peter Thiel-adjacent wignat Zionists
“Protector of vulnerable women” RASSO attorney Tom Farr
The British middle class as a whole, as well as American PMCs as a whole
NAFO and pro-Ukrainians
The entire Free State
Gaeilge gatekeepers, especially gay ones
My own family to get into rehab (As in, I wanted to go but they were in denial)
The rehab staff to fight my way out
My own C-PTSD
Dáil members who voted against Maria Steen
Rose Lyddon and her criminal history
Rachel Haywire’s career as a con woman
The DSA sect “The Marxist Unity Group”
The DSA as a whole and Ross Barkan and Zohran Mamdani in particular
The Irish government’s artist dividend requirements
Keith Woods
Raw Egg Nationalist
Alt-right woo-woo lifestylism in general
Russell Howard and The Late Late Show on RTE
Catherine Connolly
Various Irish and Irish diaspora OnlyFans girls such as Merrick DeVille
Julie Bindel
Geoffrey Martin/Captive Dreamer
The British press for publishing Rose Lyddon and Tom Farr
White supremacist Kevin MacDonald
Anglo white supremacy as well as Anglo liberalism in general as deracination for Gaels
A ring of leftists podcasters I used to be in a group chat called “Brothers Against NATO” with where people shared Holocaust joke memes, including Sean McCarthy, Miroslav and Steph of Regime Radio, and Eyup Lovely’s friends
The lack of physical media in 2026 such as Scarface on DVD
Naoise Dolan
Gemma McSherry
Civic nationalism
Eleanor Russell
Noah Kulwin
Chapo fans
Anglofuturism
Ben Burgis and associates like Matt McManus
Curtis Yarvin
Scott Greer
Nick Land
Howling Mutant/Alexander Norden
John Ganz
Sam Kriss’ writing style
Laurie Penny
The very term “sex work” itself (Prostitution)
Charli XCX’s last two albums and new singles
Two of my ex-girlfriends
London shoneens
Official narratives on Ukraine
Almost all of British and Irish twitter over the course of a week
John Duncan, his mentor Damien Short, and The Institute of Commonwealth Studies in general
The Sally Rooney-fication of Irish literature
