Coastal management programme launched

OVERLAPS and conflicts between many coastal environmental projects could be something of the past with the introduction of the Namibian Coast Conservation and Management Project (Nacoma).

The project was launched at Swakopmund on Friday by Prime Minister Nahas Angula. Nacoma’s main objective is to mainstream biodiversity conservation and management into laws and policies.Ultimately the Namibian Coastal White Paper will be developed which will streamline planning and decision making across all sectors involved.The project was made possible through a grant of U$4,9 million from the Global Environmental Facility (GEF).The Namibian Government co-finances the project with U$1,12 million and in-kind contributions.The World Bank will be the GEF’s implementing agency.Angula said most existing management efforts focus on the short-term, reactive, fragmented and unco-ordinated.Consultation and co-ordination between stakeholders are lacking and policies are outdated, overlapping and at times conflicting.He said the coast should be managed holistically rather than as a range of distinct sectors.Minister of Environment and Tourism Willem Konjore said the rapid pace of urbanisation and industrialisation resulted in various forms of land and water degradation.This could lead to a long-term loss of biodiversity, economic potential and the coastal breadbasket of nature-based tourism.The lack of integrated conservation and development planning, together with poor management of resources, added to the threats, he said.Konjore said Nacoma was expected to improve income derived from coastal ecosystems and mould environmental aspects into policies, plans and investments.According to Konjore, Nacoma was based on several pilot projects such as the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) of 1998 and the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME) initiated in 1996.”Importantly, the project provides a unique and important opportunity to make the Namibian coast and its resources more accessible for people …,” he said.Minister of Regional and Local Government, Housing and Rural Development John Pandeni agreed that the management of coastal resources was under the authority of at least seven ministries.And yet, “the levels of protection have been uneven and in some areas clearly insufficient …Environmental concerns are currently poorly incorporated into regional development plans”.”Nacoma will support the development of a coastal management policy to provide for the transition from centralised control to a more regional and local management approach, said the minister.”There is currently little awareness at local and regional levels with regard to available natural resources within the coast.”Nacoma’s public awareness campaigns at the level of regional and local government will address this shortcoming, according to Pandeni, while the project’s institutional capacity development programme will target the low capacity in line ministries and local and regional authorities.”Nacoma has therefore come at a right time as far as the decentralisation process is concerned,” Pandeni said, “and could become a showcase to be replicated to other regions.”Nacoma’s main objective is to mainstream biodiversity conservation and management into laws and policies.Ultimately the Namibian Coastal White Paper will be developed which will streamline planning and decision making across all sectors involved.The project was made possible through a grant of U$4,9 million from the Global Environmental Facility (GEF).The Namibian Government co-finances the project with U$1,12 million and in-kind contributions.The World Bank will be the GEF’s implementing agency.Angula said most existing management efforts focus on the short-term, reactive, fragmented and unco-ordinated.Consultation and co-ordination between stakeholders are lacking and policies are outdated, overlapping and at times conflicting.He said the coast should be managed holistically rather than as a range of distinct sectors.Minister of Environment and Tourism Willem Konjore said the rapid pace of urbanisation and industrialisation resulted in various forms of land and water degradation.This could lead to a long-term loss of biodiversity, economic potential and the coastal breadbasket of nature-based tourism.The lack of integrated conservation and development planning, together with poor management of resources, added to the threats, he said.Konjore said Nacoma was expected to improve income derived from coastal ecosystems and mould environmental aspects into policies, plans and investments.According to Konjore, Nacoma was based on several pilot projects such as the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) of 1998 and the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME) initiated in 1996.”Importantly, the project provides a unique and important opportunity to make the Namibian coast and its resources more accessible for people …,” he said.Minister of Regional and Local Government, Housing and Rural Development John Pandeni agreed that the management of coastal resources was under the authority of at least seven ministries.And yet, “the levels of protection have been uneven and in some areas clearly insufficient …Environmental concerns are currently poorly incorporated into regional development plans”.”Nacoma will support the development of a coastal management policy to provide for the transition from centralised control to a more regional and local management approach, said the minister.”There is currently little awareness at local and regional levels with regard to available natural resources within the coast.”Nacoma’s public awareness campaigns at the level of regional and local government will address this shortcoming, according to Pandeni, while the project’s institutional capacity development programme will target the low capacity in line ministries and local and regional authorities.”Nacoma has therefore come at a right time as far as the decentralisation process is concerned,” Pandeni said, “and could become a showcase to be replicated to other regions.”