Full report LR.pdf - DLIST Benguela

NACOMA Project – Preparation PhaseAnalysis of the Institutional Capacity in the Namib Coast Regional Councils5.5.2.3 Lack of planning will never be remedied by simply staffing the position in theorganogram presented in Figure 2. While planning is as old as humanity itself, it remainsa relatively new experience for Regional Councils and the entities that need to beinvolved with them in terms of broader regional planning. To develop a culture ofplanning, especially one in which people at ground level have the power that democracyis supposed to bring to them, will require concerted actions, programmes and above allexposure to situations where planning has been successful and in fact benefit the people.5. INSTITUTIONAL AND CAPACITY BUILDING ANALYSISThis section examines the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) ofthe coastal Regional Councils with regard to environmental planning and management.This analysis is based on a SWOT analysis 23 that was carried out through interactionswith relevant key stakeholders in structures of regional authorities and line ministries. 245.1. THE FOUR COASTAL REGIONSBefore analysing the institutional and capacity setup of the Regional Councils, it is usefulto have a better grasp of how the development visions and missions of the four regionsaddress environmental concerns and the protection of the key biodiversity areas.5.1.1 Areas of biodiversity significanceThe four coastal regions consist of areas with significant natural resources andbiodiversity. This biodiversity pose pertinent challenges to the coastal Regional Councilsin terms of contributing to its conservation.Table 2: Interventions for biodiversity conservation in the coastal regions 25Region Areas of Biodiversity Interventions RequiredKunene • Skeleton Coast Park,• Kunene River Mouth• Conservancies adjacent to theSkeleton Coast Park• Improved information flow andawareness raising• Create synergies andpartnerships (encourage localcommunity engagement)• Provide training and education 2623 A ‘strength’ is a resource or capacity an institution can effectively use to achieve its objectives whereas a‘weakness’ is a deficiency or defect in an institution that keeps it from attaining its objectives. An‘opportunity’ depicts any favourable situation in an institution’s environment while a ‘threat’ refers to anyunfavourable situation in an institution’s environment that is potentially damaging to its strategy/ existence.24 Input into the SWOT analysis was obtained from reports, interviews, workshop reports from the PDF Aand PDF B phase and assessments of various government papers by the EcoAfrica team.25 Staff members from the coastal Regional Councils were asked: ‘please name the key biodiversity areas inyour region and what could be done to ensure your effective engagement towards in these areas’?26 In this instance the focus of training and education was suggested to be on developing biodiversityplanning and management capacity (BDPM).21