NAMIBIAN NATIONAL ISSUES REPORT ON LAND USE, LAND-USE CHANGE AND FORESTRY (LULUCF) (ADAPTATION)

Prepared by Dr. Juliane Zeidler,Integrated Environmental Consultants Namibia (IECN)24 September 2008

Speaking Points (1) The LULUCF sector & key economic

points(2) Proposed adaptation options(3) Key issues in assessing I&F flows

The LULUCF sector• UNFCCC: LULUCF sector includes six broad land use

categories: (1) Forestland, (2) Cropland, (3) Grassland, (4) Wetlands, (5) Settlements, and (6) Other land.

• NCCC: Namibia has a more integrated approach - need to address all key production systems, (1) Agriculture, including both crops and livestock, (2) Forestry, (3) Fisheries (inland), (4) Tourism, (5) Wildlife and (6) the underlying Ecosystem Services.

• Degradation issues critical: CC Risk and expected impacts of CC will exacerbate already pressing environmental problems

• Namibia natural arid country: autonomous adaptation ongoing• Example: conversion of livestock to wildlife based farming

State-protected area

Government agriculture

Agriculture and tourism on freehold land

Other govt or parastatal

Urban

Resettlement

Small-scale agriculture on communal land

Large-scale agriculture on communal land

Key economic points I(1) Agriculture, including both

crops and livestock, (2) Forestry, (3) Fisheries (inland), (4) Tourism, (5) Wildlife and (6) Ecosystem Services

Source Reid et al, 2007

Key economic points II

• Overall it is suggested that over 20 years, annual loses to the Namibian economy could be up to 6% of the GDP, from CC impacts on NRs alone.

Source Reid et al, 2007

Proposed adaptation options for the LULUCF sector in Namibia

Development itself is recognised as the most effective way to promote adaptation

Some of the required measures for strengthening adaptation include: • Ensuring access to high-quality information about the impacts of climate

change and carrying out vulnerability assessments. Early warning systems and information distribution systems help to anticipate and prevent disasters.

• Increasing the resilience of livelihoods and infrastructure using existing knowledge and coping strategies.

• Improving governance, including a transparent and accountable policy and decision-making process and an active civil society.

• Empowering communities so that they participate in assessments and feed their knowledge into the process at crucial points.

• Integrating climate change impacts in issues in all national, sub-national and sectoral planning processes and macro-economic projections. The national budget process is key here.

• Encouraging a core ministry with a broad mandate, such as finance, economics or planning, to be fully involved in mainstreaming adaptation.

Source: Adapted from Sperling (2003) in Stern Review: The Economics of Climate Change (2006)

Proposed adaptation options for the LULUCF sector in Namibia

• Mainstreaming CCA in national policy• Land use planning and promotion of climate compatible land uses

and associated production systems• Prevention of land degradation and rehabilitation • Examples of land and resource management options

– Crop, forage and tree species/varieties– Livestock, game and fish species/breeds– Crop and tree management – Livestock, game, aquaculture and wild fish management – Moisture management, irrigation and soil & water conservation– Pest and disease management – Management of natural areas – Fire management

• Identifying key infrastructure and development investments that require “climate change proofing”

• Upscaling EWS and generally improving information on CC and CCA

Key issues in assessing I&F flows

Key information needs• Reliable information on expected CC impacts are needed • The costs and benefits of action vs inaction to make a good business case• Key adaptation options need to be strategised and costed• ID opportunity cost of upgrading and CC proofing existing investments, policies

and project interventions • Information on current investments and financial -> baseline

Key information available in Namibia • Expert studies under SNC; longterm investments into research and information

needed• Key information from NDP3 and MTEF 2007/08-2009/10• The Natural Resource Accounts (NRA) & Social Accounting Matrix (SAM)

database • ODA flows • More difficult to assess: current domestic and private investments

Various other issues • The National Capacity Self Assessment (NCSA): severe shortage of natural

resource economists• Other technical capacity gaps may impede a systematic country wide analysis

Thank you!