WINDHOEK – Namibia would continue to place issues of sustainable development, biodiversity, climate change and land degradation high on its agenda said the Minister of Environment and Tourism, Uahekua Herunga, who is also the new United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification 11th Conference of Parties (UNCCD COP 11) president.
“Issues of biodiversity, climate change and desertification are strongly prioritised in our long-term development framework of Vision 2030 and national development plans. Our current NDP4 places a strong emphasis on biodiversity conservation as the basis for accelerating growth in the tourism sector,” Herunga told delegates to COP 11 curretly underway in Windhoek. He was responding to the UNCCD information officer, David Ainsworth, who late Friday evening wanted to know the status of such issues on the Namibian political agenda, as well as where and how they are reflected in national development plans (NDPs).
“We have implemented two national action programmes to combat desertification since independence and the country pilot partnership, and [we] implemented a national biodiversity strategy and action plan for the period 2001-2010. We have almost finalised a second generation strategy and action plan as the vehicle to take us towards fulfilment of the Aichi targets,” Herunga said.
Herunga further explained that Namibia has adopted a highly inclusive approach to natural resources management with a number of programmes implemented jointly with non-governmental organisations and communities. The environment ministry has a dedicated awareness creating unit, and the Ministry of Youth, National Service, Sport and Culture is also involved in the education of the youth on environmental matters.
“Our ministry has established a number of school clubs. We also have an annual programme to train youth on environmental issues. We are busy expanding the number of environmental centres in our national parks. These centres help expose our youth and learners to critical environmental issues,” he said.
Moreover, delegates representing the UNCCD were keen to learn about the work carried out by the Gobabeb Training and Research Centre. The research is conducted mainly by students. Herunga said it is very inspiring to see the youth being so involved and enthusiastic about environmental issues, as well as knowledgeable. “This was very heartening for me,” he said.
Suhel-al-Janabi, Director for GEO Media applauded Namibia for its commitment towards biodiversity and climate change issues. “Namibia is doing well. Gobabeb attracted a lot of people in Germany. GEO has been covering biodiversity stories over the past 15 years. Namibian stories took three pages, because we found the research done [at Gobabeb] interesting.”
Dr Mary Seely, from the Desert Research Foundation of Namibia and former executive director of the Gobabeb Research and Training Centre said there are ongoing programmes where learners from the Erongo Region are busy addressing biodiversity and climate change matters. Part of the research that received international recognition shows that for around 40 days per year, fog over the Namib desert provides five times more moisture than the rain and it quenches the thirst of plants and animals up to 60 kilometres inland. It also highlighted that various climate change models predict global warming will also have an impact on the Benguela current.
Gobabeb researcher, Theo Wassenaar, fears that fog could decline and cease to reach so far inland. Over 90 percent of the plants alone are dependent on the Benguela current, as well as numerous amphibians and insects. Namibia is expected to host the Biodiversity Action Day again next year May. The last event was held in May earlier this year.
By Albertina Nakale