usaid/nambia environmental threats and opportunities assessment

PURPOSE OF THIS ASSESSMENT
This document analyzes the status of biodiversity and tropical forest conservation in Namibia as legally
required by Sections 118 and 119 of the US Foreign Assistance Act (FAA). Its aim is to identify
principal problems and their causes, and to provide the USAID Mission with recommendations for
biodiversity and tropical forest conservation within a portfolio that is appropriate to Namibia’s
development needs.
METHODOLOGY
This assessment was conducted by Joe Krueger from the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), with assistance
from the Southern Africa Institute for Environment Assessment (SAIEA). It incorporates information
gleaned from meetings with 46 key individuals from government institutions, donor agencies, NGOs,
the mining industry, conservancies, lodge owners, and tourism operators. The team took two field trips,
including site visits to mining operations and adjacent developing areas in the Erongo region as well as to
protected areas and areas of high biodiversity in the Caprivi region.
This ETOA includes a review of pertinent legislation, a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and
threats) analysis for each of the key natural resources sectors (water, wildlife, rangelands, forestry, and
marine environment), and recommendations on how to contribute to the biodiversity conservation
needs identified.
THE SUSTAINABILITY OF DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS IN NAMIBIA
Over the past 20 years, international donors have contributed significantly to sustainable biodiversity
conservation practices in Namibia. In 2008, the U.S. Government (USG) shifted its program emphasis
away from support to the communal conservancies to implement the PEPFAR (President’s Emergency
Plan for AIDS Relief) program and assist the government of the Republic of Namibia (GRN) address
the AIDS epidemic. More recently, the USG signed a compact with the GRN via the Millennium
Challenge Corporation (MCC) that will address necessary actions for sustainable biodiversity
conservation. The USG has also recently initiated a program (Southern Africa Regional Environmental
Program – SAREP) that is intended to address water sanitation, community tourism, and integrated
resource management planning in the Okavango river basin.
The German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) and the German Development Corporation, WWF-UK, and
the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) are also conducting projects with environmental components.
The sustainability of development programs has become an issue of concern for Namibia. Based on the
annual GDP per capita, Namibia is now classified as an “upper middle income” as opposed to a “poor”
country. This classification hides the challenges the country continues to face (including high levels of
unemployment and large disparities in income), which have not been adequately addressed during the
past 18 years since Independence. It implies that the country no longer requires the same level of
support that it did in decades past. Moreover, access to concessional loans of the World Bank’s
International Development Agency (IDA) is now barred.
SOCIO-ECONOMIC OVERVIEW
The Namibian economy grew by an average of 3.4 % per annum between 1994 and 2002 and continues
to depend on the exploitation of renewable and non-renewable natural resources. The economy relies
heavily on international trade. The most important exports include: uranium, diamonds, beef, beer, meat,
and fish products. The country’s wide-open spaces, attractive landscapes, and abundant wildlife provide
the mainstay for a strong tourism industry.
In spite of the global economic recession, mining, construction, and infrastructure development in
Namibia continues to enjoy increased investment. Furthermore, a “Uranium Rush” is underway in the
central Namib area.
2 USAID/NAMIBIA ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS AND OPPORTUNITIES ASSESSMENT