|
|
[ Postal
Address: PO Box 3508, Windhoek, Namibia ]
[ Physical Address: 76/78 Frans Indongo St, Windhoek ]
[ Tel: + 264 (0)61 306450 ][ Tel/Fax (answering machine): + 264 (0)61
306290 ]
[ Information@NEWS-Namibia.org ][ www.NEWS-Namibia.org ]
[ NEWS
]
[ Standard Bank Namibia ]
[ Account Number: 04 271 7191 ]
[ Branch Code: 082 772 ][ Swift Code: SBNMNANX ]
|
|
|
|
NEWS Environmental
Issues Overview
|
| The range
of environmental issues in Namibia is extremely broad and often includes
emotional, ethical, aesthetic and political considerations in addition to
objective scientific evaluation. Conservation efforts by numerous organisations
and individuals range from conserving individual species to protecting entire
ecosystems, from advocating animal rights and lobbying against visual pollution
(e.g. billboards) to safeguarding a national environmental identity, from
promoting recycling to fighting large-scale environmental pollution and
degradation. Unfortunately, some sectors of Namibian society still tend
to view conservation efforts as being opposed to development. Sustainability
should be the ultimate criteria by which any activity or development is
judged. If the activity can be carried out in a way that does not cause
long term degradation of the environment, then it can be considered viable
and can be promoted. In turn, conservation efforts must be based on objective
evaluation and national goals and not on emotional considerations. |
| Environmental
degradation often affects the poorest rural communities first, as they rely
most directly on a healthy local environment for their very survival. Rich,
well educated people living in cities have more survival options, as well
as financial and technological means to mitigate the effects of environmental
degradation on their own lives. But the needs and lifestyles of the rich
also tend to have the most significant impact on the environment. This is
where the criticism has surfaced that environmental education is of little
use, as the most educated people are often the ones committing the most
significant environmental crimes. It is not the level of education that
is the issue here, but rather the apathy towards the environment shown by
some educated people. |
| What
needs to be understood by all levels of society is that a healthy environment
is a basic human right. The environment provides us with all the basic services
vital to our survival. Degradation of the environment impacts negatively
on those services and thus infringes on our basic rights. A healthy environment
is the basis for the life of all organisms, including people. It provides
huge benefits to humankind, many of which are easily taken for granted and
often overlooked. The value of nature as a source of renewal and recreation
for the well-being of humanity is difficult to quantify, and is thus most
easily neglected. Basic environmental services such as clean air and water,
productive soils and favourable climatic conditions as the basis for food
and raw material production and healthy living conditions have generally
been considered a natural given. These fundamental resources are now coming
under rapidly increasing pressure as exploitation continually rises to feed
the escalating needs of a rapidly expanding human population. |
| A vast
array of individual organisms and inorganic components interact to create
a functioning ecosystem. This geological and biological diversity creates
the foundation for providing the fundamental environmental services mentioned
above. Major geological and biological disturbances and losses of biodiversity
though the loss of individual species lead to decreased productivity of
ecosystems which in turn decreases the quality of fundamental resources
in a continual spiral of degradation. This may initially accumulate without
noticeable impacts on human well-being. Once the degradation begins to impact
directly on individual lives resulting in a call for action, it is often
too late to easily reverse the damage. |
| |
Namibia
is a spectacular country with unique climatic conditions, landscapes, ecosystems
and adapted species. These not only provide local benefits, but many are
of significant global value. Namibia is generally an arid country with slow
environmental regeneration. It is thus more susceptible to human impact,
and greater care should be taken to assess environmental impacts and evaluate
benefits and threats prior to development. All development that takes place
should be sustainable and should have no larger, long-term negative impacts
on the value of our environmental resources. Our current use of natural
resources provides us with benefits for only a few years or decades at the
most, while our actions will impact on the ability of future generations
to live on Earth for countless millennia. |
| |
The global
focus of environmental concerns has shifted to the urgent need to address
global warming and climate change. This issue will affect all parts of the
world and must also be taken very seriously in Namibia. Importantly, efforts
to slow global warming and mitigate the effects of climate change should
not focus only on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but rather on restoring
and maintaining healthy gas cycles through the maintenance of healthy ecosystems.
The entire range of our conservation initiatives should all contribute in
some way to the overall objective of protecting and maintaining healthy,
functioning ecosystems that provide the environmental services vital to
our existence – including the recycling of greenhouse gases. |
| |
In line
with Namibia's general conservation approach, NEWS supports the sustainable
utilisation of natural resources, including the sustainable harvesting of
animal and plant products. NEWS does not have the capacity to take direct
action on all environmental issues in Namibia, but rather focuses on monitoring
issues through the collection and distribution of information in order to
facilitate positive action. Where possible, NEWS works in close collaboration
with Partner Organisations and relevant stakeholders to address issues. |
| |
Fundamental environmental
issues in Namibia include:
- Rehabilitation,
protection and maintenance of healthy, functioning ecosystems to ensure
fundamental environmental services for all.
- Alleviation of
poverty to reduce direct and local pressures on limited resources, especially
in the more densely populated parts of rural Namibia.
- Reduction of
greenhouse gas emissions and mitigation of the effects of global warming
and climate change to avoid increasing pressures on sensitive resources,
especially in already arid areas.
- Wise and sustainable
sourcing and production of water and energy.
- Wise, sustainable
and ethical use of all natural resources.
- Prudent waste
management and effective recycling.
- Mitigation of
land-use impacts and the objective evaluation of land use alternatives,
especially in the sectors of mining, agriculture and tourism.
- Reversal of deforestation
and reduction of large-scale burning of woodland, especially in northern
and north-eastern Namibia.
- Mitigation of
human-wildlife conflicts that threaten individual species, especially
large predators and raptors.
- Strict control
over fauna and flora introductions and translocations that threaten
indigenous and at times endemic species.
- Strict control
over bio-trade that may threaten local resources.
- Improved planning
of urban and infrastructure developments to reduce impacts on vulnerable
resources.
- Eradication of
environmental apathy and fostering of environmental pride.
- Creation of true
awareness and understanding of environmental issues, leading to informed
and positive action at all levels of society.
|
|
