Staff Reporter
THE Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform, Inge Zaamwani, has highlighted the need to strengthen marine conservation efforts, as the 2026 United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Target Tracker indicates that less than 2% of the country’s marine areas are currently under conservation protection.
“The Ministry has identified Ecologically and Biologically Sensitive Areas (EBSAs) and is progressing towards declaring some as protected areas, fulfilling its commitment to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) 30 by 30 target. This target commits participating countries to conserve at least 30% of the Earth’s land, inland water, coastal and marine areas by 2030. According to the 2026 UNEP Target Tracker, our conservation metrics currently stand at 39.92% for terrestrial areas and 1.69% for marine areas. This means we need to do more in terms of marine areas,” Zaamwani said.
She made these remarks at the commemoration of World Ocean Day in Windhoek, held under the theme “Reimagine: Beyond the World We Know, A New Relationship with Our Ocean.”
Zaamwani highlighted the critical role oceans play in supporting both livelihoods and economic growth, pointing out that Namibia’s fishing industry employs more than 19,000 people, with approximately 71% working in onshore activities.
“Data from the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) shows that the fishing industry accounted for 4.1% of Namibia’s GDP in 2024, underscoring its status as a vital economic driver, made possible by the ocean as the foundational habitat for marine life,” she continued.
Considering this, Zaamwani stressed the need to strengthen conservation efforts. However, she noted that Namibia has already taken significant steps to improve the sustainable management of its marine resources.
She explained that Namibia’s marine resource management system incorporates annual scientific biomass assessments, which determine the Total Allowable Catches (TACs) for key commercial species, including hake and horse mackerel, to ensure sustainable utilisation. Other regulatory measures, she added, include closed areas and seasons, mesh-size specifications to reduce juvenile fish retention, and bycatch fees.
“Additionally, the Ministry has adopted an Ecosystem Approach to fisheries harvesting and implements strategies to minimise incidental catches of seabirds, turtles and marine mammals. Namibia is a principal member of the Benguela Current Convention (BCC), collaborating with Angola and South Africa to harmonise regional ocean governance and shared stock monitoring,” Zaamwani said.
According to the minister, the Benguela Current has facilitated Namibia’s development of one of the world’s most productive fishing industries. She added that the Government continues to advance policies and action plans supporting a sustainable Blue Economy, but remains mindful that the successful implementation of its strategy requires a comprehensive understanding of oceanic ecosystems and collective protective efforts, particularly among coastal communities whose livelihoods depend directly on the ocean.
“The importance of the ocean is perhaps one of the least understood topics. The ocean is Earth’s primary life-support system; it regulates our climate, generates over half of our oxygen and sustains billions of livelihoods. The ocean acts as Earth’s climate control, absorbing vast amounts of carbon dioxide and heat from the atmosphere. It provides the primary source of protein for people. This is why it is important that we protect it and keep it pollution-free so that it can sustain us for generations to come,” Zaamwani said.
PICTURED: Scene from the commemoration of World Ocean Day in Windhoek. Photo: Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform.
