Climate Change Research Perspectives in Marine and Coastal Environments of Namibia
摘要
Namibia is the most arid country in Southern Africa, where terrestrial productivity inland is quite limited in most of the country’s regions. Nonetheless, the country is blessed with a highly productive marine environment driven by the Benguela current, which creates a unique coastal environment. Though Namibia’s contribution to climate change is negligible, the arid and fragile marine and coastal ecosystems are quite vulnerable to climate change. With the country greatly relying on its blue economy, the effects of climate change may have serious consequences on the Namibian economy, should mitigation and adaptation efforts not be amplified. Therefore, this chapter focuses on highlighting research perspectives that speak to aquaculture, agriculture, and shoreline dynamics in Namibia’s coastal and marine environment, amidst climate change scares. The chapter also outlines multi-disciplinary research that can be critical in driving the country’s climate change mitigation and adaptation agenda, with emphasis on the coastal environments.