Namibia finalises coastal management bill

NAMIBIA is in the process of finalising the Integrated Coastal Management Bill for the protection of the country’s coastal areas from pollution and unsustainable coastal developments, environment and tourism minister Pohamba Shifeta said last Saturday.

Shifeta was part of a panel at a dialogue on the Blue Economy and Climate Change in the context of sustainable development held at the 22nd Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) being held in the Morrocan city of Marrakech.

He said there are also regular studies being carried out to monitor the possible impacts of climate change on Namibia’s Atlantic Ocean, more particularly looking at the rise in the sea level, ocean warming and acidification.

The Blue Economy, he said, is vital to countries with coastal areas. The side event was organised by the African Carrbbean Pacific (ACP) Group of States of which Namibia is a member.

The minister told the gathering that Namibia’s ocean is not only endowed with a variety of fish species, but it is also very rich in minerals and mining and fisheries are major contributors to the country’s Gross Domestic Product and employment creation.

“Our ocean also attracts a sizeable number of tourists annually from all over the world, making tourism the second largest contributor to our GDP after mining,” he said.

Shifeta said Namibia’s ocean also has a great potential for renewable “blue energy” sources through strong winds on the southern part of the country and a wind power station has already been commissioned.

Shifeta said there has also been a strong interest in bio-prospecting of minerals in the seabed, including diamonds and phosphate and government has ensured that diamond mining is not detrimental to marine life.

He said the allocation of fish quotas is regulated under the Marine Resources Act and is based on regular scientific studies carried out in line with established international practices.

Speaking at the event, Namibia’s ambassador to the EU and the chairperson of the ACP sub-committee on sustainable development, Kaire Mbuende, said the ACP is one of the largest group of states in the world with 79 members.

He said scientific evidence has indicated that Small Islands Developing States, by virtue of their geography, will become more vulnerable to the devastating effects of climate change such as sea-level rise and storm surges, floods, droughts and extreme weather events, corral bleaching, coastal erosion and changing precipitation patterns.

“This evidence indicates significant threats to the ocean and marine ecosystems from which Small Islands Developing States derive their livelihoods and very existence,” he said, adding that, action to address the negative impacts, build resilience and support adaptation to climate change, among others, is required and this should embrace the principles of sustainable development, ensuring development patterns that protect the natural resources while tapping on their potential for economic and human development.

“The blue economy approach, which he says is the sustainable use of ocean resources, can be viewed as an integrated and comprehensive approach towards the wise use of ocean resources.

The dialogue was aimed at exchanging ideas on the best practices among Small Islands Developing States and African coastal countries.

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