usaid/nambia environmental threats and opportunities assessment

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development of business skills and the expansion of enterprises – all of which help to promote economic development in remote rural areas. Whilst benefits from conservancies may be modest at the household level (Hoole, 2008; Long, 2004) and governance issues remain a challenge (Odendaal, LAC, personal communication), the CBNRM programme helps to diversify livelihood options for communities, especially in arid areas where farming is marginal. The development of communal conservancies and CBNRM has resulted in: Improved wildlife custodianship and an increase in wildlife populations on large tracts of communal land. Game numbers have increased particularly in Kunene, Erongo and Caprivi. Improved levels of conservation management in biomes previously neglected by the proclaimed parks (most specifically the Nama Karoo, the Acacia Savanna and broad leafed Savanna). Opportunities for improved livelihoods in rural areas as a result of direct revenues from joint venture tourism, sustainable wildlife uses and other enterprises, generated through the conservancies. TRANSBOUNDARY CONSERVATION During the past decade three memoranda of understanding have been signed between Namibia and her neighbors (Table 3). Improved collaboration and cooperation between the signatories of these MoUs has great potential for tourism in and biodiversity conservation within SADC – particularly with respect to opening up valuable landscape level biodiversity corridors for the movement of wildlife. Table 3: Namibia’s Trans-frontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs) (www.sadc.org) TFCA description COUNTRIES INVOLVED STATUS Ai-Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park Important area for arid-adapted and succulent Karoo endemic species Iona-Skeleton Coast TFCA Important area for facilitating north-south movement of arid-adapted large mammals and some marine species (e.g. green turtles). The Kunene river is an important habitat for birds. Namibia and South Africa MoU signed 17 August 2001 Treaty signed 1 August 2003 Angola and Namibia MoU signed 1 August 2003 Kavango-Zambezi TFCA Biodiversity rich broad-leafed savanna woodland area; essential for elephant and other large game (particularly woodland and wetland species) survival and migration Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe MoU signed 15 July 2010 36 USAID/NAMIBIA ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS AND OPPORTUNITIES ASSESSMENT
2. SWOT OVERVIEW Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats Extensive protective areas Conducive policies and laws Historically strong NGO and donor support Committed community and private sector involvement CBNRM considered successful Wildlife has advantages (economic and environmental over livestock Attractive landscapes, wide open spaces and good game viewing opportunities: high tourism value Innovative vision for transboundary conservation Management of wildlife in the hands of a cross-sector of society (NGOs, private sector, communities) and the State. Disparate political “Visions” for Namibia’s future with conservation given low status/inadequate recognition of the value of wildlife/tourism sector at high political level MET politically weak Inadequate capacity within the MET and Conservancies High degree of external donor support necessary State Parks not placed strategically for the maximum protection of all biomes, biodiversity, and endemic species Inadequate control over poaching Climate change Turning Namibia’s PA patchwork into a PA landscape level network Improved land use planning Improving EIA guide and review capacity and practice Building on the current CBNRM program Integrating land reform with wildlife and conservation The creation of honorary game wardens Climate change Sustainable financing for conservancies and human wildlife conflicts Inadequate research capacity Mining related environmental and social effects Habitat loss through land degradation Insecure tenure over some natural resources Lack of adequate Land Use Planning 3. ANALYSIS OF MAJOR WEAKNESSES AND THREATS THREAT: CONFLICTS IN LAND-USE, DISPARATE POLITICAL “VISIONS” FOR NAMIBIA’S FUTURE, AND LOW STATUS OF MET One of the most important challenges that faces CBNRM and conservation efforts in Namibia is that wildlife and tourism are not sufficiently acknowledged as key development sectors by many high-level decision makers. This results in widely disparate “visions” and conflicting land-uses as reflected in the policy review (Section 3). Conflicts in land-use – even within national parks where mining activities and agricultural activities 10 do occur – are usually not challenged by MET. THREAT: CLIMATE CHANGE The expected impacts of climate change on biodiversity conservation, protected areas, and the CBNRM program (as reported in Turpie et al 2010 and NACSO 2010) include: 10 Examples include the ongoing mining activities in the Namib Park, Skeleton Coast Park, and many examples of negligence in Caprivi, including the establishment of a prison farm at Bagani, various irrigation and agriculture schemes in Bwabwata Park, the development of a military camp in the Kwando Triangle, and grazing of livestock in Mamili and Bwabwata Parks. In all cases, these activities are contrary to the management plans that the MET drew up for the parks. USAID/NAMIBIA ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS AND OPPORTUNITIES ASSESSMENT 37
Page 1 and 2: USAID/NAMBIA ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS
Page 3: USAID/NAMIBIA ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS
Page 7 and 8: TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Page 9 and 10: ACRONYMS AALS ART BCLME BMC CBM CBN
Page 11 and 12: NCA NDP NGO NNF NNFU NPC NPP NSF NW
Page 13: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A group of resourc
Page 16 and 17: PURPOSE OF THIS ASSESSMENT This doc
Page 18 and 19: TERRESTRIAL BIODIVERSITY AND TROPIC
Page 20 and 21: Another potential impact is the CO
Page 22 and 23: In addition to the overexploitation
Page 24 and 25: understanding the perspectives of c
Page 26 and 27: C. METHODOLOGY This assessment was
Page 28 and 29: The HIV/AIDS epidemic Natural disas
Page 30 and 31: TOURISM AND WILDLIFE Tourism in Nam
Page 32 and 33: An underlying cause of increasing H
Page 34 and 35: Infant mortality as well as under-f
Page 36 and 37: Figure 3: Levelsels of school enrol
Page 38 and 39: 3. THE LEGISLATIVE AND INSTITUTIONA
Page 40 and 41: land that was previously used only
Page 42 and 43: Overall, land productivity, particu
Page 44 and 45: Marine fisheries are regulated by t
Page 46 and 47: Figure 5: Namibia’s major biomes
Page 48 and 49: espectively of their areas protecte
Page 52 and 53: Increasing aridification and a grad
Page 54 and 55: THREAT: POORLY PLANNED RESETTLEMENT
Page 56 and 57: Nine of the 15 southern African bre
Page 58 and 59: Figure 8: Main fishinging areas and
Page 60 and 61: MAJOR THREAT 2. ONSHORE AND OFFSHOR
Page 62 and 63: Deep-sea mining and diamond dredgin
Page 64 and 65: Increases in frequency and intensit
Page 66 and 67: Catchment issues (mainly pollution
Page 68 and 69: Figure 11. Surface and groundwater
Page 70 and 71: small irrigation projects. Wetlands
Page 72 and 73: Local Authorities (also in MRLGHRD)
Page 74 and 75: MAJOR THREAT 6. CLIMATE CHANGE Base
Page 76 and 77: fenced off informally and illegally
Page 78 and 79: Figure15: Average carrying capacity
Page 80 and 81: VALUE OF RANGELAND PRODUCTS Livesto
Page 82 and 83: MAJOR THREAT 5. BUSH ENCROACHMENT I
Page 84 and 85: Figure 17. Distribution of forests
Page 86 and 87: inadequate. About 50 species of pla
Page 88 and 89: Threats Population growth and pover
Page 90 and 91: 5. CONCLUSIONS Despite some shortfa
Page 92 and 93: Focus in the northwest should be on
Page 94 and 95: RECOMMENDATION: LAND-USE ZONATION E
Page 96 and 97: RECOMMENDATION: DEVELOP SUSTAINABLE
Page 98 and 99: Water and Forestry Debra Mosel Assi
Page 100 and 101:
actions meet those needs. By mandat
Page 102 and 103:
training led to an 8 percent averag
Page 104 and 105:
pollution) to which they and humans
Page 106 and 107:
Illustrative Outline: a) Introducti
Page 108 and 109:
9. SELECTED REFERENCE DOCUMENTS
Page 110 and 111:
AR4 spatial pattern that suggests m
Page 112 and 113:
The findings by Turpie et al 2010 c
Page 114 and 115:
Increasing human-wildlife conflict.
Page 116 and 117:
Batty M, Tjipute M, Sowman M, Cardo
Page 118 and 119:
Cury, P., & Roy, C. 1989. Optimal e
Page 120 and 121:
Hulme, M. (Ed.). 1996. Climate chan
Page 122 and 123:
Namibian National Biodiversity Prog
Page 124 and 125:
Resources in Southern Africa: Studi
Page 128:
U.S. Agency for International Devel
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