nap expo 2015 session iii, ii ecosystem based adaptation namibia
TRANSCRIPT
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!!!!