Search Climate Insights Directory

The report provides a detailed inventory of 11 nature-based solutions (NbS) projects in Namibia, focusing on ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) to combat drought, land degradation, and biodiversity loss. It highlights the central role of community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) and the integration of traditional knowledge with modern conservation. Key interventions include agroforestry, sustainable rangeland management, and the development of biodiversity-based livelihoods such as beekeeping and eco-tourism. The document details project locations across nine regions, their intended beneficiaries, and the specific climate and biodiversity risks they address, serving as a resource for government officials and practitioners to identify synergies and gaps in NbS implementation.

The CRAVE project in Namibia aimed to reduce food insecurity and climate vulnerability for small-scale farmers in the Kavango West, Kavango East, and Zambezi regions. It exceeded its targets for direct and indirect beneficiaries, providing training in conservation and climate-resilient agriculture, establishing a center of excellence, and integrating solar energy technologies. While successful in increasing production and creating jobs, the project's crop insurance pilot faced challenges due to drought and design limitations.

The Cuando River Basin is a largely pristine transboundary system traversing Angola, Zambia, Namibia, and Botswana. It is characterized by a unique hydrological system where water from the Angolan highlands flows through extensive floodplains, occasionally connecting with the Okavango and Zambezi basins. The region is a critical wildlife corridor within the KAZA TFCA, supporting significant populations of elephants and lions, though it faces threats from poaching, uncontrolled fires, and climate change. Human populations are sparse and primarily rely on subsistence agriculture and the harvesting of natural products, with a growing trend toward urban migration due to the basin's exceptionally poor soil fertility.

The report identifies that women in northern Namibia face higher vulnerability to climate change due to socially constructed gender roles, limited access to productive resources, and cultural norms that restrict their decision-making power. It highlights significant disparities in land and livestock ownership, where cattle are viewed as 'man's property', and notes that female-headed households experience higher rates of extreme poverty and food insecurity. The assessment argues that climate change is not gender-neutral, as women's roles in water collection and subsistence farming increase their exposure to risks, while their lack of technical skills and limited mobility hinder their adaptive capacity compared to men.

The report examines Namibia's legal and policy landscape regarding Indigenous Peoples’ and Local Communities’ Conserved Territories and Areas (ICCAs), focusing on the tension between state-owned land claims and community resource rights. It details the formalization of ICCAs through communal area conservancies and community forests, while highlighting the critical lack of secure group land tenure as a primary threat to sustainable management. The document also assesses the impact of state-run protected areas on indigenous groups like the San and Herero, noting a general government policy of providing financial benefits through concessions while denying formal land rights or co-management authority.

The document examines Namibia's agricultural sector, highlighting how a conservative pricing agreement between producers and millers mitigated the impact of global food price spikes. It details the vulnerability of urban dwellers compared to subsistence farmers and outlines government initiatives, such as the Green Scheme and the Emergency Management Unit, to address climate-induced food insecurity. The briefing also discusses Namibia's trade position within SACU and the WTO, specifically its status as a net food-importing developing country.

The document introduces 'metacoupling' as a research lens to understand the interdependence of social-ecological systems (SES) across local (intracoupling), adjacent (pericoupling), and distant (telecoupling) scales. By integrating an equity lens—focusing on distributional, procedural, and recognitional dimensions—the framework reveals how global flows of resources and capital influence local inequities. Case studies in South Africa and Namibia illustrate that international market demands and certification standards often marginalize small-scale producers and riverine communities, while power imbalances between local actors and multinational entities constrain equitable resource access.