Several authors have described the Kaokoland (NW Namibia) as a region strongly threatened and affected by degradation and desertification processes. The semi-arid region of Kaokoland shows a history of traditional livestock farming of at least 2000 years. It was assumed that the transition from traditional subsistence farming systems to farming systems more focused on market value has dramatically exacerbated the threat of degradation and desertification in Kaokoland. Periods of drought are thought to accelerate vegetation and soil degradation resulting in desertified landscapes. Based on a sound knowledge of Kaokoland's vegetation types and ecology, the authors report interviews with informants of the Himba People reflecting their perception about desertification processes driving factors. As a common concept the drought period from 1979-1981 has caused an irreversible degradation of the vegetation and the soil in the more densely populated and agriculturally more intensely utilised basins.