Full report LR.pdf - DLIST Benguela

NACOMA Project - Preparation phaseRapid Assessment of the Development Plans, Biodiversity Conservation Projects and Socio-Economic Situation of the Namib Coastal Regions6.2. Recommendations for Targeted InvestmentsRecommendations for Components 1 and 2 are presented in the separate reports “Review of Policy andLegislation Pertaining to Coastal Zone Management” and “Analysis of the Institutional Capacity of theNamib Coast Regional Councils in Relation to the Decentralisation Process – Recommendations forInstitutional Strengthening and Capacity Building” respectively. This section focuses on NACOMAComponent 3 and presents recommendations for activities to be undertaken to support targetedinvestments in biodiversity conservation in the coastal areas. The NACOMA project is expected tosupport targeted activities for "on the ground" biodiversity conservation. This financial support willtarget specific projects and plans of regional and national biodiversity importance, as well as piloteconomic activities designed for sustainable resource, including feasibility studies and the design andimplementation of pilot strategies to increase the flow of benefits from the sustainable use of coastalecosystems, as long as they fall within the scope of the RDPs and the overall goal of the NACOMAProject. Activities are expected to vary according to the regions, and could also focus on transfrontieractivities in the Karas and Kunene regions. Support can be made available to both local and regionalgovernments and related institutions; national government ministries and agencies; NGOs and CBOs;traditional authorities; schools and communities; and individuals.In order for NACOMA to make a meaningful contribution in the coastal areas through investments onthe ground that address key natural resources and promote their conservation and wise use to be benefitof the coastal population, two sub-components are envisaged.The first sub-component is “Biodiversity Information” to support land use planning and biodiversityconservation in the coastal areas. An information management system must be put in place in theRegional Councils that can continuously be updated with regional socio-economic and environmentalinformation. Such a Regional Council-based system can be linked to, and be mutually supportive ofexisting databases such as ConInfo and InfoCom that exist at a national level but not necessarily in aformat that is easily accessible to Regional Councils, user friendly and relevant to their planning needs,or updatable by the envisaged environmental and development planners 108 . Each Regional Council willhave its own information system that can be ArcView based, following examples in the Richtersveldsouth of the border and Tanzania. The purpose will be to provide updated information easily to plannersand managers that they can use to make the right decisions and to provide spatial data in terms ofdevelopment and conservation for the RDPs. If successful, this land information system can beexpanded to other Regional Councils away from the coast. The different information systems at aregional level can collectively then make up the Namibia Land Information System (NALIS). Thissystem can assist in the identification of priority areas for targeted investments (during and afterNACOMA implementation) by crossing information on biodiversity values and regional developmenttrends.The second sub-component is “Targeted Investments” in biodiversity conservation and wise useaccording to priorities grounded on the above information. Targeted investments should not overlapwith, but rather complement or support existing initiatives in protected areas and conservancies andshould be relevant in the regional context by promoting the balance between biodiversity conservationand local economic development. It is important to note that this sub-component will necessarilyinclude strong capacity building for the Regional Councils so they will be able to use the knowledgegained in projects outside and beyond the duration of NACOMA. Special effort should be made to use108 Please see Report entitled “Analysis of the Institutional Capacity of the Namib Coast Regional Councils in Relationto the Decentralisation Process – Recommendations for Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building” for moredetails about the envisaged environmental and development planners and the proposed NALIS.55