A FIVE-YEAR project of the Benguela Current Convention (BCC) on enhancing climate change resilience in the Benguela current fisheries system has so far recorded a number of achievements.
The project coordinator, Ben van Zyl, told The Namibian recently that one of the achievements was the development and piloting of community-based adaptation plans, the development of plans for the pilchard, rock lobster and the mariculture sector and the production of an assessment report on the conservation of marine protected areas against potential climate change impacts.
Van Zyl said the project has also produced a report with recommendations to establish an early warning system for mariculture farmers and small-scale fishing communities and has developed and distributed climate change risk and adaptation information creation materials.
According to Van Zyl, the project conducted a gap analysis and made proposals to enhance mainstreaming climate change effects in fisheries and mariculture-related legislation, programmes and plans. The small-scale fishing community at Lüderitz was trained through the project.
The project, which is running from 2016 to 2023 is housed at the BCC's headquarters at Swakopmund.
It was necessitated by studies that concluded that global warming due to climate change will have a significant reduction in the marine life of the Benguela current large marine ecosystem (BCLME) - one of the most productive marine ecosystems in the world.
The fisheries sector in Namibia contributes immensely to the economic development of the country through job creation, while the coastal and marine environment is important for tourism and recreation.
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It is imperative that efforts be made to address global climate change and its impact on the BCLME, if the three countries sharing this ecosystem (Namibia, Angola and South Africa) are to realise sustainable growth of the blue economy.
The BCC, established on 18 March 2013, is a multi-sectoral inter-governmental initiative of Namibia, Angola and South Africa and takes care of the sustainable management of the BCLME.
It is the first inter-governmental convention in the world based on a large marine ecosystem concept of ocean governance - a move towards managing resources at the larger ecosystem level (rather than at the national level) and balancing human needs with conservation imperatives.
The project is funded by the Global Environment Facility, BCC and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations. It seeks to build resilience and reduce vulnerability of the Benguela Current Marine Fisheries Systems to climate change, through strengthened adaptive capacity and implementation of participatory and integrated adaptive strategies in order to ensure food security.
It has components which are: integrating fisheries climate change consideration into fisheries policies and planning and into broader inter-sectoral policies and programmes; piloting improved climate resilient practices; awareness raising; capacity building and promotion of climate-resilient fisheries practices; and monitoring and evaluation.
Van Zyl said the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources is the key project partner. The project is targeting small-scale fishing communities at Henties Bay and Lüderitz.
