Natural Capital and Namibia

     Namibia, since it gained its independence in 1990 has been a leader in protecting its natural land areas.  Today over 42% of the land area in Namibia are a part of conservation collectives. It is also the only country to have maintaining bio diveristy written into its constitution. 
    However Namibia exists in a global market in which commodities are given a set worth and traded between countries and even continents. In this system, each country's improvement and standing in the system is based on the value of it's GDP or Gross Domestic Product. This economic system is often detrimental to ecosystems because it does not account for the ecosystem services and benefits healthy ecosystems provide for a society. 
     Since 1990 the Namibian government has been trying to account for the benefits heathy ecosystems provide the country through assigning economic value to different ecosystem services like pollination, an elephant or water.   While the push for creating a system of accounting for these sources of natural capital started off slow, it was institutionalized in 2013 through Namibia's 2nd report on biodiversity.

 The report shows that by the end of 2018, Namibia should have economic measures for all of its different ecosystem services.  If it is working, we will have to find out.

- Chris

http://www.met.gov.na/files/files/Namibia%E2%80%99s%20Second%20National%20Biodiversity%20Strategy%20and%20Action%20Plan%20(NBSAP%202)%20%202013%20-%202022.pdf