usaid/nambia environmental threats and opportunities assessment

actions meet those needs. By mandating these analyses, Congress is recognizing the fundamental role
that tropical forests and the conservation of biodiversity play in sustainable development.
The third reason concerns the new developments in Namibia’s environmental context which need
to be taken into consideration at the programmatic level:
Science has confirmed that the Earth's climate is warming. Namibia has been identified as being
significantly vulnerable to climate change variation (increased temperatures, reduced
precipitation, increased drought and other extreme weather events such as floods). These
changes will have significant impacts on both terrestrial and marine ecological resources.
Changing temperatures may also impact the length of seasons and ultimately change the
migration patterns of a host of wildlife species.
Namibia’s limited underground water supplies are being increasingly overexploited because of
state subsidies on the price of water, and a policy that favors meeting water demand rather than
managing and reducing it. In addition, the quality of Namibia’s few perennial rivers and the
critical habitats alongside them are being degraded by unsustainable range management practices
and overgrazing. Programs in the Okavango and Zambezi river basins are underway to improve
cross-border management of water sources.
The increasing importance of community-based natural resource management has implications
for both the Namibian environment and its peoples. Through the USAID funded LIFE (Living
in a Finite Environment) program, significant strides have been made in connecting Namibian
communities to their natural resources. However, settlements in forests and conservancies are in
conflict with animal behavior such as elephant migratory patterns and a thorough understanding
of how this evolving relationship helps define the environmental context of Namibia is
important. The Millennium Challenge Corporation programs are addressing tourism
opportunities in the conservancies.
In 2004 Namibia developed a national development strategy known as Vision 2030. Identifying
wildlife and tourism as critical to Namibia's development, the Vision stresses the importance of
maintaining the integrity of the natural habitat and wildlife populations, and promotes low
impact, consumptive and non-consumptive tourism.
On December 27, 2007 the Environmental Management Act, 2007 (Act No. 7 of 2007) was
promulgated to promote the sustainable management of the environment and the use of natural
resources by establishing principles for decision making on matters affecting the environment.
The objectives of the Act are to prevent and mitigate the significant effects of activities on the
environment. . The Ministry for the Coordination of Environmental Affairs (MICOA) has the
responsibility for promoting and coordinating the implementation of sound environmental
policies. The National Environmental Management Program (NEMP) was drawn up for this
purpose.
While the development of Reduced Emissions from avoided Deforestation and Degradation
(REDD) activities is in its nascent stages in Namibia, there is increasing interest in communitybased
REDD strategies across Southern African dry forests. As these programs begin to be
discussed and developed at the national and community levels, USG programs might also be
interested in collaborating with REDD activities in the short and long-term in Namibia.
Rising commodity prices have increased incentives for higher levels of water-intensive mining
activity for diamonds as well as precious metals, such as copper, lead, zinc, tin, silver and
tungsten. In addition, Namibia is expected to continue to be one of the leading exporters of
uranium in the world fueling the growing global demand for nuclear power.
86 USAID/NAMIBIA ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS AND OPPORTUNITIES ASSESSMENT