Namibia Energy & Environment: 2010 and beyond

Land Degradation: Country Pilot Programme Integrated Sustainable Land Management SAM (CPP ISLM SAM)

National Implementing Partner: Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Directorate of Environmental Affairs +264 61 284 2751 2007 -2012

Key Issues: UNCCD

Project Status: Ongoing

Location: Namibia, Windhoek

Contact person: Birga Ndombo, Project Manager

Goals and objectives

The goal of the project is to combat land degradation using integrated cross sectoral approaches which enable Namibia to reach its MDG #7: "environmental sustainability" and assure the integrity of dryland ecosystems and ecosystem services.

The CPP has two inter-related objectives: Objective 1: Capacity at systemic, institutional and individual level built and sustained, ensuring cross-sectoral and demand driven coordination and implementation of SLM activities. Objective 2: Cost effective, innovative and appropriate SLM techniques which integrate environmental and economic benefits are identified and disseminated. The outcomes and outputs contributing to the objectives are shown in the table below, followed by a short narrative of outputs and activities.

Description / Background

Namibia is classed as the driest country in sub-Saharan Africa. It has a highly variable and unpredictable climate which is subject to great temporal and spatial perturbations in rainfall patterns. Land degradation is an increasing problem, manifest amongst other things in soil erosion, bush encroachment in rangelands, and deforestation. As approximately 70% of Namibia’s population is directly dependent on subsistence agriculture and livestock husbandry, land degradation poses an acute challenge to livelihoods. It is also undermining ecosystem integrity and the global environmental benefits derived from ecological goods and services. The Government of Namibia has identified land degradation as a serious problem which demands remedial intervention, and has recognised that integrated ecosystem management strategies are needed to effectively address the underlying causes. Existing efforts on-the-ground are obstructed by a series of barriers, which undermine their efficacy. Although the Government has been, and remains, fully committed to combating land degradation, insufficient capacity at systemic, institutional and individual levels, and inadequate knowledge and technology dissemmination constrain the effectiveness of interventions.

Five Ministries have agreed, in conjunction with the GEF and its Implementing Agencies, the European Union, GTZ and the NGO community, to overcome these barriers by spearheading a Country Pilot Partnership for Integrated Sustainable Land Management (CPP). The goal of the CPP is to "Combat land degradation using integrated cross-sectoral approaches which enable Namibia to reach its MDG #7: "environmental sustainability" and assure the integrity of dryland ecosystems and ecosystem services". The objectives are i) to build and sustain capacity at systemic, institutional and individual level, ensuring cross-sectoral and demand driven coordination and implementation of sustainable land management (SLM) activities; and, ii) to identify cost effective, innovative and appropriate SLM methods which integrate environmental and economic objectives.The CPP will be implemented in two phases at both national and local levels. During the first phase (2006-2010), GEF activities will be carefully applied to build Namibia’s capacity to absorb investments in combating land degradation. At national level, GEF resources will be dedicated towards building capacity at the systemic, institutional and individual scales to plan, execute and monitor SLM activities. At a local level resource users will be empowered to assess sustainable land use management options and draw down extension services and support from service providers according to their particular land management needs. Local level activities will identify investment opportunities for SLM that uncover win-win solutions for SLM by testing new adaptation approaches that reduce pressure on land resources and attach an economic value to the conservation and sustainable management of drylands. The second phase (2010 – 2015) will focus on leveraging investments to consolidate progress made in phase 1, scale up best practices which have been identified during the first phase and advance state of the art measures to adapt SLM approaches to anticipated long-term climatic changes. These interventions will ensure that land is not just conserved but also productively used, thus ensuring the social and economic sustainability of SLM beyond the satisfaction of national and global environmental objectives.

Table 1: Project outcomes

Table 2: Project budget

Selected Partners

• Government-MET, MME , MLR, MAWF, NPCS, MRLGHRD
• Non-governmental–NNF, DRFN, NACSO, IRDNC, NDT, CANAM
• Union-NAU, NNFU
• Training institutions- UNAM, PON, National Botanical Institute and researchers
• Others- Political Parties, Church Leaders, Private sector, corporate sponsors, investors, particularly in tourism,

Funding is provided by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) www.thegef.org/gef/gef_country_prg/NA

Contact Details:

C/O The National Project Director: Director of Environmental Affairs

Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET)

Directorate of Environmental Affairs

Private Bag 13306

Tel. +264 61 284 2751

Website: www.met.gov.na

C/O The Head of Energy and Environment Programme

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Energy & Environment Unit

Private Bag 13329, Klein Windhoek

Tel. + 264 61 204 6111 /6231

Website:www.undp.un.na