Namibia
To protect its rich biodiversity, Namibia has established a system of 21 state-managed protected areas with the goal of protecting and conserving biological diversity, and also generating much needed revenue through tourism. These protected areas are being complemented by strong Community-Based Natural Resource Management through communal conservancies. Impressively, the entire coastline of Namibia is protected. Namibia has a rich marine ecosystem, as a result of the Benguela upwelling system, which brings the nutrient rich waters from around 200–300 m depth and fuels high rates of phytoplankton growth, making it one of the most productive marine ecosystems in the world.
Protected and conserved areas designated as global sites of importance |
|
Global designation |
Number of sites |
UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserves |
0 |
UNESCO World Heritage Sites (Natural or Mixed) |
1 |
Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar sites) |
5 |
Source ((Ramsar, 2019; UNESCO, 2019a, 2019b)
Priority areas for conservation |
|
Designation |
Number of sites |
Alliance for Zero Extinction sites |
0 |
Important Bird & Biodiversity Areas |
19 |
Key Biodiversity Areas |
0 |
(AZE Secretariat, 2019; BirdLife International, 2019c, 2019a)