text: NAMIBIA INTEGRATED LANDSCAPE APPROACH FOR ENHANCING LIVELIHOODS AND ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE TO ERADICATE POVERTY (NILALEG) PROJECT
  REVERSE ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION AND MAXIMIZE SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS BASED ON NATURE THROUGH AND INTEGRATED LANDSCAPE APPROACH
  There is an increasing acceptance that sectoral approaches to sustainable land management are no longer sufficient to meet renowned challenges such as poverty eradication, biodiversity conservation, and food production. The pressing challenge of integrated landscape management is to link conservation and agricultural practices, institutions and policies with other landscape-scale activities. Integrated Landscape Approaches in Namibia are identified as key basic frameworks to reverse environmental degradation and enhance livelihoods through nature-based enterprises by balancing competing demands and integrating policies for multiple lands uses within a given area.
  In Namibia, environmental degradation is a complex phenomenon and is not only about the land, but the people. The majority of the population is directly affected by the depletion of the natural resources due to the direct dependant (70% of the population) on natural resources for their livelihoods. This is aggravated by the erosion of the land, water and biological resources to sustain the ever-growing population.
  WHAT DOES NILALEG PROJECT AIM TO ACHIEVE
  The key development challenge to which this project responds to is the need for integrated management of Namibia’s rural landscapes, to reverse environmental degradation and maximize sustainable livelihoods based on nature. Without such an approach, the country’s densely settled northern regions will see increased poverty and inequality, with a continuous decline in forest cover, and attendant loss of biodiversity, soil fertility and carbon sequestration. Therefore, an effective multi-stakeholder approach to integrated landscape management is vital if Namibia is to meet its global environmental obligations and national development goals, addressing poverty and environmental degradation, and achieving inclusive and sustainable economic growth in the long run.