WINDHOEK – President Hage Geingob, speaking in New York yesterday, said government is working towards increased protection of the country’s marine ecosystem – with N$74 million committed towards ocean research and protection.
The President’s pronouncement, delivered at a High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy discussion in the USA, comes at a time when the nation awaits with bated breath on the decision whether to allow marine phosphate mining in Namibian waters or not.
Geingob said the country is working towards ensuring that at least 10 percent of its Exclusive Economic Zone is gazetted as a marine protected area by 2020.
“Currently, Namibia’s entire coastal belt is gazetted as national parks and includes three coastal Ramsar sites, namely the Walvis Bay lagoon, Sandwich Harbour and the Orange River mouth, which are protected. Further, our marine waters, less than 200 metres deep are protected from most commercial fishing activities, as they are breeding grounds for fish,” he told his audience.
The Head of State said Namibia is one of the countries with potential for
wind power generation globally, especially around the coastal town of Lüderitz.
“In this regard, Namibia is committed to generating approximately 144MW
additional wind power, by 2022.”
Namibia is in the final stages of the ratification of Annex 6 of the MARPOL Convention (Convention on the Prevention of Pollution from Ships), which includes 50 percent reduction in greenhouse gasses emissions from ships by 2050, in line with the International Maritime Organisation’s [IMO] agreement.
Part of the increased protection of the marine life, Geingob said, is to improve fish consumption in the country.
“Namibia is committed to increasing national per capita fish consumption to the global average of 20.4 kg by 2020. We have already increased per capita national fish consumption from 4kg in 2014 to current 15.4 kg in 2018. All regions in Namibia have access to affordable fish.”
In addition, Namibia, Angola and South Africa, together with development partners, have committed N$56 million for maritime research activities under the Benguela Current Commission (BCC) for 2019/2020 financial year.