Namibia celebrates World Oceans Day on 8 June and importance of Atlantic Ocean, Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem.
The Atlantic Ocean and its Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem off Namibia’s coast support some of the greatest concentrations of marine life found anywhere in the world. Namibia will be celebrating World Oceans Day on 8 June to raise local and global awareness on the challenges the oceans are facing.
The General Assembly of the United Nations in December 2008 declared that the 8th June would globally be celebrated as World Oceans Day each year. This is to honor the oceans as they provide seafood, generate the oxygen we breathe, act as a huge carbon sink, regulate our climate, supply clean water and provide limitless inspiration and recreation.
The Government of the Republic of Namibia, the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, line Ministries, the coastal Regional Councils and local authorities, the Benguela Current Commission, the NACOMA project and the Confederation of Namibian Fishing Associations are calling on the Namibian public to join in the celebrations and to raise global awareness on the oceans.
Namibia’s World Oceans Day celebrations on 8 June will be centered at Swakopmund. The Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Honourable Berhard Esau, will deliver an official address to the fishing industry and other stakeholders in the Swakopmund Town Hall. The proceedings will start at 09:00, with a welcome by the Governor of the Erongo Region, Honourable Samuel Nuuyoma, after which Mr. Silvanus Kathindi, Chairman of the Confederation of Namibian Fishing Associations, will speak.
Apart from the official celebrations, the public is also invited to a public Lecture by Professor Larry Hutchings, an expert on the World’s Oceans. This will also be presented in the Swakopmund Town Hall at 12:00 and a second time at 18:00. They can also view poster exhibitions of various marine research projects and other stakeholders there.
To contribute and celebrate World Oceans Day in a constructive spirit Namibians and stakeholders are called upon to play their role in making the Atlantic Ocean off our coast a better place. They should all respect the national regulations in place to protect the environment and marine animals.
This responsibility should include the prevention of pollution and the cleaning up of litter and not leaving rubbish or disposing of hazardous substances on the coastline or in the ocean.
Namibians should be changing their perspectives on the importance of the oceans to Namibia and the world and discover the oceans’ beautiful creatures, habitats and how they are all interconnected.
Namibians should get involved in supporting the creation and maintenance of the marine reserves and marine parks.
The marine environment is critical to the natural and cultural heritage of the world. Not only do many marine areas support a great diversity of plants, animals, and natural habitats but the oceans play an essential role in climatic cycles and other global processes.
Marine ecosystems and resources are fundamental to the sustainable development of coastal countries such as Namibia, providing food, minerals, pharmaceuticals, construction materials, and a vast range of other products. They often support growing tourism and recreation industries and play a vital role in transport and in the culture and lifestyle of coastal people.
The Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME) is one of the world's most productive marine environments, not only in terms of fishery resources but also mineral deposits. It is one of the four major coastal upwelling ecosystems in the world, which lie at the eastern boundaries of the oceans.
The high level of biological productivity is the result of seasonable south to southeast winds, which induce upwelling making available an abundant supply of nutrients in the upper layers. These nutrients together with sunlight promote blooms of phytoplankton, rich resources of zooplankton and an abundance of pelagic fish such as pilchard, anchovy and juvenile horse mackerel. These fish shoals in turn provide food for large populations of higher predators such as sharks, seals, cetaceans and seabirds.
A total of 25 species of cetaceans and 493 species of fish occur in Namibia’s waters.
The Benguela is not only critical in terms of the global climate system, but its marine and coastal environments are also potentially extremely vulnerable to any future climate change or increasing variability in climate, with obvious consequences for long-term sustainable management of the coast and marine resources.
Namibia launched the Namibian Islands’ Marine Protected Area on 2 July 2009, paving the way for further similar areas along Namibia’s coast as part of the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management.
The Namibian Islands’ Marine Protected Area covers almost one million hectares of marine and sea area where 10 small islands and 8 more islets or rocks provide sanctuary to an astonishing variety of life. It stretches over 400 km from Meob Bay, north of Lüderitz, to Chaimas Bay south of the harbour town and 30 km into the Atlantic Ocean.
It maintains essential ecological and life support systems, ensuring the sustainable utilization of species and ecosystems and preserving biotic diversity. Seabirds and seals dominate the islands’ flora and fauna. Of the 14 seabird species breeding in Namibia, 11 species breed on the islands and inshore rocks including Namibia’s endangered African penguins and 90 per cent of the world’s endangered Bank Cormorants.
Breeding in the waters of the Namibian Islands’ Marine Protected Area are the southern right whale and Heaviside’s dolphin, with the humpback whale migrating, while the dusky dolphin, the mink whale and killer whale or orca can be seen here regularly.
The islands are biodiversity hotspots, zoogeographic transition zones and internationally known as globally Important Bird Areas. They also provide for the collection of oceanographic and biological data regarding climatic effects and changes, and the response to these by the marine environment.
ISSUED ON BEHALF OF THE NACOMA PROJECT BY: Gys Reitz, Parrot Communications, Tel: 061 – 230 842 Cell: 0811244008 E-mail: parrotcom@mweb.com.na FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Rod Braby, Coordinator of the NACOMA Project Tel: 064 – 403 905 Cell: 0812460996 E-mail: rbraby@nacoma.org.na
Anja Kreiner Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources Tel: 064 – 410 1173 Cell: 0812896878 E-mail: akreiner@mfmr.gov.na
