usaid/nambia environmental threats and opportunities assessment

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
INTRODUCTION
COUNTRY OVERVIEW
Namibia is the 34 th largest country in the world and covers approximately 825,000 km 2 . It supports an
estimated 2.1 million people, making it the second least populated country on earth. Located in
Southern Africa, Namibia’s borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the
north, Botswana to the east, and South Africa to the south and east.
Namibia’s marine environment falls within the Benguela Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME), which is
shared with South Africa and Angola. The cold, highly productive Benguela Current has helped form the
low-rainfall Namib Desert, which extends northwards through Namibia and southern Angola.
The Namibian landscape consists of five major geographical areas: the Central Plateau, the Namib
Desert, the Great Escarpment, the Bushveld, and the Kalahari Desert. These geographical areas support
four majors biomes – i.e., the tree and shrub savanna, the Nama Karoo, the Namib Desert, and the
Succulent Karoo. These biogeographical areas each contain unique and important biodiversity elements
that are critical to Namibia’s long-term development goals.
Namibia’s scarce surface water, which includes perennial and ephemeral rivers, pans, springs, and seeps
is essential to the ecological and economic health of the country. While the larger surface waters support
the highest biodiversity (particularly in the northeast) and have the greatest potential to meet people’s
needs, the smaller and more temporary waters are equally vital sources for the maintenance of wildlife.
All rivers in the interior are ephemeral, flowing only after good rains in the catchments.
Surface and groundwater sources in Namibia are virtually fully exploited. While sources and
management approaches have been able to ensure a supply of water to most people up to now, that
supply has not always been economically, socially or environmentally sustainable.
The combination of poor soils, low and variable rainfall, and high evaporation rates produce rangelands
in Namibia of relatively low productivity with correspondingly low carrying capacities for wildlife and
livestock. There is a growing trend to diversify livelihoods and to make farming more adapted to
Namibia’s arid climate. This has brought about a shift from conventional farming with livestock to
mixed husbandry with wildlife on both commercial and communal rangelands.
Forests and woodlands cover less than 10% and about 50% of the country respectively. Non-timber
products from forests, woodlands, and other wild plants provide valuable resources for local livelihoods.
Important forest and woodland areas include: the northeastern broad-leafed woodlands, which
support a high diversity of species and animals associated with the trees; riparian forests along the
banks of the northern perennial rivers, which comprise a great variety of trees and form some of the
most biologically diverse habitat in the country; the ephemeral river woodlands, which support trees
that provide food, shelter, and shade and are important lifelines that cut through the hyperarid parts of
the country; and the mopane woodlands, which occur in Caprivi and in north-central and northwestern
Namibia, where large areas are dominated almost entirely by this species alone.
Namibia is administratively divided into 13 regions with an estimated 37% of the population living in
urban areas. The majority of rural population resides in the north of the country.
USAID/NAMIBIA ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS AND OPPORTUNITIES ASSESSMENT 1