Ecosystem-based Adaptation Launched

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EbA (SAP006) is called “Building resilience of communities living in 8 landscapes threatened under climate change through an ecosystem-based adaptation approach in Namibia was officially launched by the Honourable Pohamba Shifeta, minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism on the 6th November 2020, Keetmanshoop, //Kharas Region. EbA project was approved by GCF on 28 February 2019 and is implemented under The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) funded by Green Climate Fund (GCF) through the Environmental Investment Fund (EIF) of Namibia. The EbA (SAP006) project is financed to the tune of Eight Million Nine Hundred and Four Thousand US Dollars (U$ 8,904,000). The project aims towards increasing landscape productivity across targeted 8 landscapes of Namibia to strengthen social and ecological systems that sustain livelihoods at local levels and facilitate value chains of natural resources. 

The EbA Project Grant Facility highlights the Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia’s (EIF) commitment towards addressing climate change. It further highlights the Funds contribution towards the realization of Namibia’s obligations to national and international climate change frameworks. 

 

During his keynote address, Hon. Shifeta indicated that “The Ecosystem-based Adaptation Project as it is known in short is based on the premise that biodiversity and ecosystems provide valuable services that increase the climate resilience of local communities. Activities undertaken as part of this project will maintain and enhance ecosystem integrity to continue to support the generation of food and income in order to reduce the severity of negative socio-economic impacts of climate change on vulnerable rural households. In addition, the project emphasizes on building resilient communities by restoring and maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services, increase habitat connectivity with co-benefits of carbon sequestration and restoring the capacity of ecosystems to regulate water cycles”.

 

The Minister further stated that It is estimated that the project will directly benefit about 60,000 people and an additional 156,000 indirectly, mainly natural resource reliant communities. Between 800 to 1,000 households are likely to benefit through community-level adaptation projects. Over 200 people, constituting of government officials and small-scale farmers will be directly trained in awareness of climate threats and related appropriate responses.

 

The Minister also had the opportunity to officially launch and unveil the logo for the project as well as it website.