The Minister of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta has called for coordinated action to address the severe drought crisis, which is currently impacting 1.4 million people.
Speaking at the National Integrated Landscape Management (ILM) conference in Windhoek, Shifeta emphasized the urgent need for collective efforts in response to the unfolding humanitarian and environmental challenges.
"This saddening situation indeed calls for us all to rethink, strategize, and act," Shifeta stated during his address at the conference, which is part of the Namibia Integrated Landscape Approach for Enhancing Livelihoods and Environmental Governance to Eradicate Poverty (NILALEG) Project launched in 2020.
Shifeta underscored the project's commitment to sustainable land management and community resilience, advocating for the integration of digital tools such as remote sensing, geographic information systems, and data analytics to strengthen ILM efforts.
"These digital tools have proven effective in addressing climate change, land degradation, and biodiversity loss across Africa. By embracing these technologies, Namibia can enhance its natural resource conservation efforts," Shifeta added.
Addressing the complex environmental challenges facing Namibia, Alka Bhatia, United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Resident Representative to Namibia, highlighted the interplay of factors contributing to environmental degradation affecting approximately 70% of the population.
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"The combination of population pressure, poverty, overgrazing, deforestation, and the looming threat of climate change has exacerbated environmental degradation in Namibia, posing significant threats to food security and rural livelihoods," Bhatia remarked during the conference.
The themes discussed at the event included climate change impacts, rehabilitation of degraded landscapes, integration of digital technologies, and fostering public-private partnerships to enhance sustainable land management.
Bhatia stressed the necessity of holistic approaches, stating that "sectoral approaches alone are inadequate" to tackle the multifaceted environmental challenges confronting Namibia.
The NILALEG project, supported by the Global Environment Facility through the UNDP, aims to mitigate environmental degradation and promote sustainable livelihoods through integrated landscape management in rural areas.
