What is NACOMA?

What is NACOMA?

The Namibian Coast Conservation and Management Project (NACOMA) is a 5 year project officially launched in March 2006. NACOMA is co- funded by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) and the Government of the Republic of Namibia (GRN). It is being implemented by the GRN (trough National Planning Commission) and the World Bank on behalf of GEF.

The NACOMA project is part of the GRN’s strategy to promote sustainable economic development in the coastal zone and address its local, regional, national and global environmental responsabilities.

The project is designed to run in parallel with Namibia's decentralization process, which aims to transfer more responsibility and authority to the Regional Councils and Local Authorities.

The NACOMA Project’s Global and Project Development Objective is to strengthen conservation, sustainable use and mainstreaming of biodiversity in coastal and marine ecosystems in Namibia.

The project will support the Namibian Government through Regional Councils, Local Authorities and Line Ministries by putting in place a coastal zone management system for sustainable development of the coast and to conserve its unique environment and biodiversity.

Consequently, the project hopes to address root causes of biodiversity loss and coastal degradation and sustain the environmental and economic potential of the coast through the mainstreaming of biodiversity conservation and sustainable use into coastal policy, legislative framework, and institutional and technical capacity and, by supporting targeted investments for biodiversity conservation in critical ecosystems on the coast.

Over the 5 year life of the project, NACOMA will:

• Enable Namibians to agree on a common vision for sustainable management and conservation of their coast;
• Develop and support the implementation of the Namibian Coastal Zone Management White Paper;
• Support the improvement of the legal & regulatory framework for coastal zone development planning;
• Develop enabling environmental policy, planning framework & strategies;
• Harmonize institutional mandates and roles for coastal zone management and development;
• Provide required training and practical skills to key stakeholders responsible for coastal zone management and development;
• Increase funding for environmental management;
• Improve awareness of environmental problems.

An overall end result of the NACOMA project will be the development of an effective and efficient Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) system for Namibia.

Download the NACOMA brochure: