on the road to re-defining SUSTAINABILITYassessing the resilience of

windhoek

BY SOPHIA VAN GREUNEN

ASSESSING THE RESILIENCE OF WINDHOEK Sustainability

SustainabilityASSESSING THE RESILIENCE OF

WINDHOEK

A Sustainable Society is one that satisfies its own needs without diminishing the prospects of future generations¹

80’s

¹ LESTER BROWN CITED IN CAPRA 1996 p4

GREATEST CHALLENGE OF OUR TIME;

the creation of Sustainable communities

ASSESSING THE RESILIENCE OF WINDHOEK

90’s

ASSESSING THE RESILIENCE OF WINDHOEK 50% of world population living in urban areas

2008

ResilienceASSESSING THE RESILIENCE OF

WINDHOEK

RESILIENCEASSESSING THE RESILIENCE OF

WINDHOEK

The ability of a social or ecological system to absorb disturbances while retaining the same basic structure and ways of functioning,

the capacity for Self-organisation, and the capacity to adapt to stress and change ²

² SURJAN ET AL 2011 p19

ASSESSING THE RESILIENCE OF WINDHOEK

CITY = (ECO)SYSTEM

SYSTEMS THINKING

THE WORLD POPULATION DENSITIES

ASSESSING THE RESILIENCE OF WINDHOEK

WINDHOEK THE CAPITAL OF NAMIBIA

ASSESSING THE RESILIENCE OF WINDHOEK

WINDHOEK A FAST GROWING CITY

SOCIAL SYSTEMSASSESSING THE RESILIENCE OF

WINDHOEK

COMPARED URBAN POPULATION VS TOTAL POPULATION

ASSESSING THE RESILIENCE OF WINDHOEK

INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS

ASSESSING THE RESILIENCE OF WINDHOEK

ASSESSING THE RESILIENCE OF WINDHOEK

WINDHOEK: AN OVERVIEW

ASSESSING THE RESILIENCE OF WINDHOEK

WINDHOEK POPULATION DENSITIES COMPARED

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ASSESSING THE RESILIENCE OF WINDHOEK ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS

changing human conditions drive, both directly and indirectly, changes in biodiversity, changes in

ecosystems, and ultimately changes in the services ecosystems provide.³

³ MILLENIUM ECOSYSTEM ASSESSMENT 2005 piii

THE ROLE OF BIODIVERSITY IN A ECOSYSTEM adapted from the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment³

WINDHOEK THREATS TO BIODIVERSITY

ASSESSING THE RESILIENCE OF WINDHOEK

Over clearing of areas =habitat destruction /water run-off /Erosion /depletion

The urgent conservation of the Windhoek underground aquifer

pollution from industrial and urban waste, alien aquatic species and agricultural management practices =Threats to open water habitats

Alien plant species =heavy burdens on the city’s water resources

Proposed developments and heavy industry to the north of the City =destruction of the Klein Windhoek River Habitat.

WINDHOEK THREATS TO BIODIVERSITY

ASSESSING THE RESILIENCE OF WINDHOEK

Lack of access to electricity and fuel-efficient cook stoves =deforestation of slow-growing protected plant species EG the Camel thorn

Over-harvesting and selling the pods of the Camel thorn tree, to feed livestock

Sand harvesting leads = significant loss of Camel thorn trees and the destruction of their important riverine habitat +making the area susceptible to alien invasive species

general Lack of environmental research, lack of awareness under policy makers and insufficient monitoring of the city’s natural resources and systems.

NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN NEIGHBOURS

ASSESSING THE RESILIENCE OF WINDHOEK

ANGOLA

SOUTH AFRICA

ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL SYSTEMS

SOUTH AFRICAN LABOUR STRIKES

ASSESSING THE RESILIENCE OF WINDHOEK

Ministry of Agriculture, Water & ForestryMinistry of Fisheries AND Marine ResourcesMinistry of Environment and TourismMinistry of Works AND TransportMINISTRY OF LANDS AND RESETTLEMENTMINISTRY OF REGIONAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND HOUSING AND RURAL DEVELOPMENTMINISTRY OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICESMINISTRY OF GENDER EQUALITY AND CHILD WELLFAREMINISTRY OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL WELFAREMINISTRY OF VETERANS AFFAIRSMINISTRY OF EDUCATIONMINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGYMINISTRY OF SAFETY AND SECURITYMINISTRY OF DEFENCEMINISTRY OF MINES AND ENERGYMINISTRY OF TRADE AND INDUSTRYMINISTRY OF YOUTH, MATIONAL SERVICE, SPORT AND CULTUREMISISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS AND IMMIGRATIONMINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRSMINISTRY OF FINANCE

mappingASSESSING THE RESILIENCE OF

WINDHOEK

SLOW CHANGING INTERNAL FACTORSlocal governance, infrastructure, land-use & management, human rights, policy making, culture, values, long-term skills transfer

local climate change, animal densities, local habitat stability, crop yields, water, soil and atmosphere quality,

education, attitudes & trends, incentives, bylaws & rulesfires, flash floods, disease outbreaks

FAST CHANGING INTERNAL FACTORS

FAST CHANGING EXTERNAL FACTORS

civil wars, labour strikes (direct), markets, income &

investments, mediaplague or epidemic outbreaks,

seasonal climate changes, floods, drought,

sinkholes

SLOW CHANGING EXTERNAL FACTORS

governance, labour strikes (indirect),

world trends, neighbouring governments,

world economy, skills transfer,

regional development, regional rainfall,

disease, climate change,

regional habitat changes

general RESILIENCEASSESSING THE RESILIENCE OF

WINDHOEK DiversityopennessReserves

Tightness of feedbacksmodularity

Specified resilienceASSESSING THE RESILIENCE OF

WINDHOEK

MAIN ISSUES AND THEIR IMPACTS

ASSESSING THE RESILIENCE OF WINDHOEK

MAPPING SOCIAL NETWORKS

ASSESSING THE RESILIENCE OF WINDHOEK ADRESS IDENTIFIED MAIN ISSUES AND THEIR IMPACTS

ADRESS IDENTIFIED FACTORS OF CHANGE AND HOW THEY CAN BE AVOIDED

ASSESSING THE RESILIENCE OF WINDHOEK General recommendations for WINDHOEK

to foster biological, economic and cultural diversity;

bridge the massive social & geographical divides;

address the explicit lack of education and housing;

kerb social problems like poverty, HIV, violence, racism and prejudice;

reduce the economy’s reliance on external factors;

promote a holistic approach to governance;

promote social networks which would encourage collaborative objectives and

outcomes;

promote sustainable practices and environmental awareness

A new sustainabilityASSESSING THE RESILIENCE OF

WINDHOEK

There are solutions to the major problems of our time; some of them even simple. But

they require a radical shift in our perceptions, our thinking, our values 4

4 CAPRA 1996 p4

ASSESSING THE RESILIENCE OF WINDHOEK Sources

Bravenboer, B. 2004: Windhoek – Capital of Namibia. Windhoek: Gamsberg Macmillan Publishers (Pty) Ltd

Capra, F. 1996: The Web of Life – A New Synthesis of Mind and Matter. London: HarperCollins Publishers

City of Windhoek Biodiversity Inventory. 2009. Compiled by Enviro Dynamics (Pty) Ltd, Windhoek

Madanipour, A. 2003: Public and Private Spaces of the City. New York: Routledge.

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. 2005: Ecosystems and Human Well-being: Biodiversity Synthesis. World

Resources Institute, Washington, DC.

National Planning Commission. 2011: Namibia 2011 Population and Housing Census Preliminary Results

Niikondo, A. 2010: Migrants to Cities and Towns in Namibia: What their Interests are? Polytechnic of Namibia

http://ir.polytechnic.edu.na/bitstream/10628/249/1/Niikondo.%20Migrants%20to%20cities%20and%20towns%20in%

20Namibia.pdf

downloaded 10 October 2012

Resilience Alliance. 2010: Assessing resilience in social-ecological systems: Workbook for practitioners. Version

2.0

Surjan, A; Sharma, A and Shaw, R. 2011: Climate and Disaster Resilience in Cities. Emerald Group Publishing Ltd.