Impact Story
Improving Namibia’s knowledge base on marine ecosystem services
NAMares contributed new knowledge in support of coastal and marine spatial planning (MSP) in Namibia
Like many other African countries, Namibia is increasingly turning to its ocean as a source of goods and services to support sustainable economic growth. Fishing is a cornerstone of the economy, but other marine and coastal activities are becoming increasingly important. While enhancing ecosystem services is a key strategic objective, maintaining healthy ecosystems and marine and coastal biodiversity are goals that cannot be neglected. To address such a diverse playing field with conflicting interests, NAMares was set up as a practice-oriented project to support the nascent marine spatial planning process in Namibia. The overall goal of NAMares was to support planners make more informed decisions by improving the available knowledge base on marine ecosystem services, their benefits and beneficiaries.
What unique issue is NAMares addressing?
Currently, stakeholders and decision-makers in Namibia lack awareness of the full value of marine ecosystems and their multiple benefits to society. Given the growth of marine and coastal sectors, trade-off decisions may be necessary as to which activity should be given priority where and why. Currently, there is a lack of understanding of the consequences such trade-off decisions may have – particularly their impact on small-scale and informal sectors. NAMares was designed to accommodate the needs and interests of larger blue economy sectors and coastal development, but most importantly it played a vital role in capturing the voices of three small informal sectors that are highly affected by changes in the marine ecosystem and the development of a blue economy, namely: artisanal fishers, shell collectors and coastal tourism operators.
What other unique issue is NAMares addressing?
Knowledge and increased awareness of marine and coastal ecosystem services and their beneficiaries in society are urgently needed to support the twin goals of biodiversity conservation and sustainable blue growth in Namibia. NAMares provides evidence to inform policy processes and decision making, while providing a unique opportunity for inter- and transdisciplinary research and interaction between natural and social sciences.
NAMares has strong partnerships with:
What has been achieved so far?
NAMares has successfully
- established a better understanding of the concept of ecosystem services.
- mapped distribution of and formed a solid knowledge baseline on some of the specific services provided by the Namibian coast and ocean.
- identified groups of beneficiaries with a focus on those sectors that are potentially strongly affected by marine spatial planning decisions.
- shown where benefits obtained from ecosystem services subsequently flow geographically, highlighting the dependence of especially northern regions in Namibia.
- mapped a comprehensive range of ecological, economic, social and political threats for all three observed sectors to assess which service is particularly vulnerable to what type of pressure – and identified ecological, economic and social actions to prevent or mitigate these risks.
What else has NAMares achieved?
NAMares has also
- shown the critical importance of not only conserving marine and coastal ecosystem services, but also ensuring continued access to them for all Namibians.
- made methodological contributions by linking risk assessment techniques (the bowtie method) to a livelihood assessment framework, allowing the consequences of management decisions or trade-offs to be visualised.
- contributed to capacity building by providing an opportunity for young researchers to gain experience, for students to work towards their academic qualifications on a B.Sc. and Masters level, and for teachers in rural schools to enhance overall ocean literacy.
- created a strong impact by raising awareness on the role of MSP and the MSP National Working Group (MSP WG) among small sectors.
- introduced the MSP process and the benefits received from the small sectors to the executive directors of key ministries who are stakeholders in the blue economy and MSP WG.
In what way has NAMares contributed to safeguarding the livelihoods of local communities?
The NAMares project has helped to identify three areas within the broader social ecological system where comparatively minor interventions could have a big impact in terms of securing and improving livelihoods. The people targeted by the project are important knowledge-holders who can contribute to the vast array of knowledge that can inform marine and coastal planning alongside the scientific findings. It is vital for spatial policy to secure access to marine and coastal ecosystem services to ensure at least basic livelihoods for families whose position may already be precarious. NAMares was able to formulate economic and practical administrative recommendations, e.g. related to licensing artisanal fisheries. Project participants and partners also learned more about the cultural importance of seashell jewellery. The lessons learned from NAMares are contributing to expanding the evidence base for coastal and marine planning and have already been fed into the ongoing MSP process by presenting conclusions to the National MSP Working Group. The opportunities for tourism on Namibia’s coast will be emphasized and be considered in future tourism policy.
How does NAMares contribute to solving societal challenges?
The realisation that there is a strong connection and dependency of people living in the north of Namibia on the revenues generated by their relatives on the coast is evidence that coastal and marine regions must be seen in a wider context.
Beyond primary goals, the NAMares project has developed a number of innovative formats (e.g. YouTube videos or a TV broadcast on Facebook) to communicate project results to different audiences. These knowledge transfer products will remain available beyond the project.
Working directly with the beneficiaries of ecosystem services on the coast has proven crucial for giving them a voice. The number of people reached by the NAMares project shows that knowledge-based marine spatial planning can break new ground for marine and coastal ecosystem services in Namibia.
