Glossary

Benthic: Refers to organisms that live on or in the ocean bed. Benthic epifauna are organisms that live on the ocean floor or upon bottom objects sch as sea anemones and barnacles, whereas benthic infauna are organisms that live within the surface sediments such as clams and worms.

Bill: A Bill is a proposal for Law and if eventually passed and enacted by Parliament, the bill becomes an Act of Parliament (Statute).

Biodiversity: The variability among living organisms from all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial ecosystems and aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part and this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems. It is all forms of life on our planet – including plants, fungi, insects, spiders, fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals – as well as their habitats. Biodiversity also includes the living resources we all use for food, fuel, shelter, medicine, crafts and tools – such as trees, wild animals, crops, livestock, mushrooms and so on. It is fundamental to human development and the well-being of us all. People in rural areas, in particular know the value of biodiversity to their lives. The loss of biodiversity usually leads to poverty, hunger or dependency.

Demersal species: Species that live on or near the ocean bottom.

Ecology: The study of the physical and biological interactions between an organism and its natural environment.

Ecosystem: A system involving the interactions between a community and its non-living environment.

Ecosystem Diversity: The diversity of biological communities and their physical environment. Diversity is determined by the species composition, physical structure and processes within an ecosystem. This is the highest level of biodiversity.

Endangered: A species or ecosystem that is so reduced or delicate that it is threatened with or on the verge of extinction.

Endemic: An animal or plant species that naturally occurs in only one area.

Extinct: A species which no longer exists. The Stellar sea cow is an example of a species which once lived on the Pacific's East Coast and is now extinct.

Green Paper: It is a document produced after consultation with all stakeholders and/or public on issues and proposals for the future government framework of decisions and may pertain to processes, issues or even a particular geographical area like in the case of the coastal policy process in Namibia.

Habitat: The immediate space where an animal or plant lives and has food, water and protection. Habitat loss, which includes the destruction, degradation, or fragmentation of habitats, is the primary cause of decreasing biodiversity.

Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM): ICZM is a dynamic, multidisciplinary and iterative process to promote sustainable management of coastal zones. It covers the full cycle of information collection, planning (in its broadest sense), decision making, management and monitoring of implementation. ICZM uses the informed participation and cooperation of all stakeholders to assess the societal goals in a given coastal area, and to take actions towards meeting these objectives. ICZM seeks, over the long-term, to balance environmental, economic, social, cultural and recreational objectives, all within the limits set by natural dynamics. 'Integrated' in ICZM refers to the integration of objectives and also to the integration of the many instruments needed to meet these objectives. It means integration of all relevant policy areas, sectors, and levels of administration. It means integration of the terrestrial and marine components of the target territory, in both time and space. Definition source: CEC Communication 2000/547 ICZM.

Intertidal: The intertidal zone refers to the areas between the highest tide mark and the lowest tide mark. An area either with rocky shoreline or sandy beach area or mixed Generally a very stressful environment especially the rocky shore intertidal areas submerged twice a day for six hours when the tide rises, experiencing cold water and wave action; and then being exposed to the air during low tides, being subjected to the blazing sun with temperatures of up to 40 °C and losing as much as 70% of your body water to the air.

Introduced Species: An organism that has been brought into an area, usually by humans, where it does not normally occur. Introduced species often compete with and cause problems for native species. Introduced species are also called exotic, nonnative, and alien species.

Invasive Species: An introduced species that out-competes native species for space and resources. Scotch Broom is an invasive species that out-competes local vegetation and results in a monoculture, and hence a decrease in local diversity.

Law: A law is a series of rules that are enforced through a set of Government branches and subject to the Constitution, the supreme law of Namibia.

Marine Protected Area: Any area of intertidal or subtidal terrain, together with its overlying water and associated flora, fauna, historical and cultural features, which has been reserved by law or other effective means to protect part or all of the enclosed environment. (Kelleher and Kenchington, 1992).

Pelagic species: Refers to the open ocean habitat, and pelagic species are those that live close to the surface of the ocean.

Phytoplankton: Algae, microscopic single-celled plants that float in the surface waters of the sea, lakes and rivers. In the ocean they constitute the bottom of the marine food chain. They have been called the pasture of the sea. Like plants on land, they use sunlight.

Plankton: Pelagic organisms that float through the water column, not attached to any substrate and unable to move against the currents and tides. Plankton can be further divided into phytoplankton and zooplankton, meroplankton and holoplankton.

Predator: An animal that hunts and kills other animals for food.

Prey: An animal that is used by other animals for food.

Protected Area: The definition of a protected area adopted by IUCN (1994) is: An area of land and/or sea especially dedicated to the protection and maintenance of biological diversity, and of natural and associated cultural resources, and managed through legal or other effective means.

Renewable Resource: A resource that can be replenished through natural processes within a human life span, if it is soundly managed.

Species: A group of organisms that differ from all other groups of organisms and that are capable of breeding and producing fertile offspring. This is the smallest unit of classification for plants and animals.

Species Diversity: A measure of both species abundance and species richness. An area that has a large number of species and many representative individuals from each species is more diverse than an area that has only a single species.

Subtidal:Below the low tide mark.

Sustainable: A sustainable way of life is one in which human needs are met without diminishing the ability of other people, wild species, or future generations to survive.

Threatened: A species likely to become endangered if limiting factors are not reversed.

Upwelling: Upwelling is one of the few ways in which nutrients trapped in the deeper oceanic layers are brought to the surface, where they can be taken up by phytoplankton and re incorporated into organic compounds. The major nutrients are various forms of inorganic phosphorus, nitrogen and silicon. When organisms die, the organic matter sinks and decays, releasing inorganics nutrients back in the sea. As these microscopic plants from the base of the marine food chain, their enormous productivity supports some the highest concentrations of marine life found anywhere in the world.

Vulnerable: A species of special concern because of characteristics that make it particularly sensitive to human activities or natural events.

White Paper:It is an official publication by the government with a specific position on issues or solution to a problem, which includes proposals for legislation. In the case of the coastal policy process in Namibia, the White Paper can be considered to be the result of a protracted dialogue between Government and the people

Zooplancton: Small floating or weakly swimming organisms that drift with water currents and, with phytoplankton, make up the planktonic food supply upon which almost all oceanic organisms are ultimately dependent. Many animals, from single-celled Radiolaria to the eggs or larvae of herrings, crabs, and lobsters, are found among the zooplankton.