Ecosystem assessment approach and Climate Change adaptation: Namibia

CBD NAP Expo

14 – 15 April 2015, Bonn, Germany

Sion Shifa

Multilateral Environmental Agreements

Department of Environmental Affairs

Ministry of Environment & Tourism

Windhoek

Namibia

Outline

• Background

• Climate Change in Namibia

• Climate Change impacts

• Responses to climate change

Background

• Namibia is one of the driest countries in Southern Africa, mean rainfall of

25mm-700mm annually

• About 70% of population relies on subsistence and small holder crop and

ranching

• Contributes to making Namibia vulnerable to impacts of climate change

• Constitution of the Republic of Namibia highlights the need to develop and

implement policies to maintain ecosystem, ecological process and biodiversity

• About 22% of Namibia’s 823 680 km² land area is desert, 70% is arid to semi

arid, and the remaining 8% is dry sub humid

CLIMATE CHANGE IN NAMIBIA

• Namibia’s climate is generally hot and dry with variable and unpredictable rainfall patterns. This situation will become worse as a result of CC.

• Maximum temperatures has been getting hotter over the past 40 years, exceeding 35°C.

• Minimum temperatures below 5°C have been getting less, suggesting an overall warming.

• It is predicted with a high degree of certainty that Namibia will become hotter throughout the year (with a predicted increase in temperatures of between 1°C and 3,5°C in summer and 1°C to 4°C in winter in the period 2046 - 2065).

• Rainfall to decrease by 10 % Northern and southern regions while in the Central regions by 20 % by 2050 (MET, 2010).

• The most consistent changes are for an increase in late summer rainfall over major parts of the country, and a decrease in winter rainfall in the south and west of the country.

Namibia is very vulnerable to impacts of CC. Why?

• The economy of Namibia is highly dependent on its endowment of natural

resources including:

– diverse rangelands,

– arable land,

– mineral deposits,

– ecosystems, and biodiversity.

• Namibia’s climate is highly variable. CC is expected to worsen this variability.

• Low and highly variable rainfall (25mm –700mm).

• High temperatures (300C to 400C).

Cont…IMAPCTS OF CC

• Increase in frequency of extreme events in some places e.g. floods in the north and north eastern regions; drought and heat waves will have devastating consequences on people.

• Sea level rise would affect coastal areas, flooding and coastal erosion.

• Major rivers are highly sensitive to climate variations and experience decreases in run-off and water availability, affecting agriculture and hydropower systems, which may increase cross boundary tensions.

Impacts on Agriculture

• Livestock will be negatively affected by:

1. Heat stress - declining growth rates

2. Decreased water availability – drop in groundwater

3. Decreased nutrition - decline grass cover and quality as well as availability of fodder

4. Occurrence of climate related animal diseases is expected to increase

Cont.. Impacts on Agriculture

•Crop: Grain yields are projected to decrease as result of:

i. Submerged crops ii. Drought

Impact on Water resources

o Increased water stress as result of drier conditions

o Reduced availability of freshwater in dams due to increased evaporation

o Possible salt intrusion into ground water sources at coastal areas

• Predicted effects (of drought)

– Water scarcity by 2020

• Risk of shortage of clean drinking water

– Declining water quality in urban areas

Impacts on other sectors

• Biodiversity and Tourism

• Significant increase in size of arid land areas

• Damage to important ecosystems and related potential risk of reduction in tourism

• Socio-economic

• Reduced food security, especially for rural poor

• Adverse impact on Namibia’s GDP

Fisheries

Multiple risks to fishery dependent communities

Export revenues losses

Losses in employment

• Health

• Increased likelihood of diseases, especially malaria and cholera in flooded areas

• “Triple vulnerability” of HIV/AIDS sufferers: adverse climate conditions, poor health and

associated economic impacts

Namibia and UNFCCC /UNCBD

• Ratified to the UNFCCC in 1995

• Ratified to the UNCBD 1997

• Namibia established NCCC and SLM Committee to play an advisory roles to

government on climate change and biodiversity management issues

• committee units under MET

Policies framework

• National Policy on Climate Change for Namibia – 2011

• Recognize the developmental goals & promotes integration & coordination of programme of various sector organization, so that the benefits to the country as a whole are maximized, and negative impacts are minimized.

• Exploring adaptation & mitigation approaches relevant to all sectoral levels.

• Guiding principle emphasis the mainstreaming of CC into policies, legal framework and development planning

• National Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan 2013 – 2020

• Developed in order to implement the National Policy on CC, CC is a complex and cross cutting concern ,it needs a holistic and integrated approach at multi sectoral level

• Comprehensive and practical tool which offers guidance on the mechanisms, means and manner in which implementation can happen

• Mid term review process of implementation

Policies Cont….

• 84 gazetted conservancies

• Game Reserves

• Proclaimed National Parks

• Community Forests

• Community ownership over resources vs benefits a key

• Sustainable utilisation of natural resources

• Income generating opportunities vs ecotourism

National Programme addressing Climate Change Adaptation

– Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) Project

• Main objective is to pilot adaptation measure in selected sites

- Community Based Adaptation (CBA)

• Amis to foster holistic approach for harnessing coping strategies to

adapt to climate change

– Namibia Africa Adaptation Project (NAM-AAP)

• Aims to create systems to manage climate change risks &

opportunities in the long-term

– Community Based Adaptation (CBA)

• Gives grants to concrete community based projects

• Supports various communities adaptation initiatives such as rice cultivation,

conservation agriculture, aquaculture etc.

Adaptation option/ measures

• Maintain an ecosystem approach to fisheries management

• Measures to improve water supply could include inter-basin transfers, rehabilitating water basins, artificial recharge, desalination and appropriate water harvesting systems. Water demand should be addressed through water saving technologies, drought resistant crops, and indigenous technologies

Adaptation option/ measures

• Pressures arising as a result of reduced agricultural productivity are addressed through

measures such as diversifying livelihoods, including building capacity in this regard

• increasing the focus on rangeland and natural resource management, and shifts into conservation-oriented business, and would involve building on existing programme such as CBNRM

Adaptations Cont…

• To counter and reverse land degradation and adapt to climate change through CA as

as basis for sustainable crop production and improved food security at national and

farm level

• To safeguard and ensure that there is a sustainable water supplies for irrigation,

livestock and fishing farming. In addition it aimed to ease the devastating effects of

flooding by restoring traditional waterways reservoirs

CPP – SLM /CCA

Adapting to Climate Change through the Improvement of Traditional crops and

Livestock Farming

• Objectives

• To develop and pilot a range of effective coping mechanisms that assist subsistence

farmers in Namibia's North - Central regions to better manage and cope with climate

change, including variability such as drought.

• Improved adaptative local breeder such Nguni and boer goats

• Horticulture

Thank you!!!!