Namibia works on restoring environment
ELLANIE SMIT
WINDHOEK
World Environment Day was commemorated earlier this month under the theme ‘ecosystem restoration’ in the Kavango West Region.
The day was celebrated in collaboration with the environment ministry, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Namibia, the Namibia Nature Foundation (NNF) and the Mpungu regional council.
Ministry executive director Teofilus Nghitila said the theme marked the beginning of the United Nations (UN) decade on ecosystem restoration.
Namibia is one of the countries entirely affected by land degradation, ranging from bush encroachment, uncontrollable overgrazing, unsustainable harvesting of forest resources and the physical land destructions of all mining activities, all caused by anthropogenic actions, he said.
Therefore, he added, commemorating this day is especially important as it is linked to interventions the ministry is trying to address through ecosystem restoration efforts.
He further said heathier ecosystems with richer biodiversity assist in yielding greater benefits such as more fertile soil and larger stores of greenhouse gases.
Nghitila noted that the region had great potential for increasing food production, which can be done through sustainable harvesting of natural resources such as mangetti fruits. In addition, he acknowledged that “without doubt, this was our moment. We cannot turn back time, but we can assist in growing trees such as mangoes and many others”.
Urgent action needed
He urged the Namibia Nature Foundation (NNF), responsible for facilitation of activities at local level in the region, to see to it that the planned activities do not only focus on tourism but also on sustainable livestock farming.
UNDP’s deputy resident representative to Namibia, Dr Armstrong Alexis, said there is urgent collaborative action needed by all stakeholders through the Integrated Landscape Approach to Enhancing Livelihoods and Environmental Governance to Eradicate Poverty Project (NILALEG).
He said this is needed to revive damaged ecosystems everyone depends on for survival.
“The project was designed to promote a landscape management approach that integrates key agricultural and forest landscapes, reducing poverty through sustainable nature-based livelihoods, protecting and restoring forests as carbon sinks, and promoting land degradation neutrality,” he said.
Alexis emphasized that the UNDP is committed to making efforts towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a vision to end poverty, rescue the planet and build a peaceful world by 2030.
Goal 15 of these goals is ‘Life on land’, which refers to the protection, restoration and promotion of sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainable management of forests, combatting desertification, halting and reversing land degradation, and halting biodiversity loss.
WINDHOEK
World Environment Day was commemorated earlier this month under the theme ‘ecosystem restoration’ in the Kavango West Region.
The day was celebrated in collaboration with the environment ministry, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Namibia, the Namibia Nature Foundation (NNF) and the Mpungu regional council.
Ministry executive director Teofilus Nghitila said the theme marked the beginning of the United Nations (UN) decade on ecosystem restoration.
Namibia is one of the countries entirely affected by land degradation, ranging from bush encroachment, uncontrollable overgrazing, unsustainable harvesting of forest resources and the physical land destructions of all mining activities, all caused by anthropogenic actions, he said.
Therefore, he added, commemorating this day is especially important as it is linked to interventions the ministry is trying to address through ecosystem restoration efforts.
He further said heathier ecosystems with richer biodiversity assist in yielding greater benefits such as more fertile soil and larger stores of greenhouse gases.
Nghitila noted that the region had great potential for increasing food production, which can be done through sustainable harvesting of natural resources such as mangetti fruits. In addition, he acknowledged that “without doubt, this was our moment. We cannot turn back time, but we can assist in growing trees such as mangoes and many others”.
Urgent action needed
He urged the Namibia Nature Foundation (NNF), responsible for facilitation of activities at local level in the region, to see to it that the planned activities do not only focus on tourism but also on sustainable livestock farming.
UNDP’s deputy resident representative to Namibia, Dr Armstrong Alexis, said there is urgent collaborative action needed by all stakeholders through the Integrated Landscape Approach to Enhancing Livelihoods and Environmental Governance to Eradicate Poverty Project (NILALEG).
He said this is needed to revive damaged ecosystems everyone depends on for survival.
“The project was designed to promote a landscape management approach that integrates key agricultural and forest landscapes, reducing poverty through sustainable nature-based livelihoods, protecting and restoring forests as carbon sinks, and promoting land degradation neutrality,” he said.
Alexis emphasized that the UNDP is committed to making efforts towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a vision to end poverty, rescue the planet and build a peaceful world by 2030.
Goal 15 of these goals is ‘Life on land’, which refers to the protection, restoration and promotion of sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainable management of forests, combatting desertification, halting and reversing land degradation, and halting biodiversity loss.
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