On April 02, 2019 the Biomass Utilisation by Sustainable Harvest (BUSH) Project of Namibia University of Science and Technology was launched to tackle bush encroachment through three interventions; technology tranfer, applied research and capacity development for a period of 2.5 years from April 2019 until June 2021. The specific sub-projects include the optimising manual bush…
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A delegation of the German Bundestag visits Namibia
Five members of the Budgetary Committee of the German Federal Parliament (the “Bundestag”) visited Namibia from 24 to 26 February 2019. The Members of Parliament were accompanied by a high-ranking delegation. Thematic focus of the visit was forest protection, sustainable forest management, bioeconomy and private sector entrepreneurship. The delegation first travelled to Rundu in North…
NUST on Travelling University assignment with the University of Trier
The University of Science and Technology in collaboration with the Institute for Applied Material Flow Management (IfaS) of the University of Trier, Germany, recently concluded a 10 days pre-feasibility assignment for the development of a biomass hub concept to create added value from encroacher bush. The travelling university consisted of 16 post-graduate students (Masters and…
Bush thinning and value addition opportunities
Bush thinning is integral for sustainable rangeland management in Namibia. At least ten indigenous species are causing the encroachment problem, these includes Acacia mellifera (Black thorn), Dichrostachys cineria (Sickle bush), Terminalia sericea (Silver terminalia), Terminalia prunioides (Purple-pod terminalia), Acacia erubescens (Blue thorn), Acacia reficiens (False umbrella thorn) and Colophospermum mopane. The bush thickened areas fall…
Bush thinning prospects for rangeland restoration and increased agricultural productivity in NDP5
The newly launched National Development Plan 5 is a series of seven plans to implement and achieve the objectives and aspirations of Namibia’s long term vision – Vision 20130. NDP5 has four key goals, namely to Achieve inclusive, sustainable and equitable economic growth; Build capable and healthy human resources; Ensure sustainable environment and enhance resilience;…
Bush thinning could accrue net benefits, economic valuation studies predicts
A study by the Namibia Nature Foundation (NNF) on the Economics of Land Degradation in relation to bush encroachment in Namibia found that bush control and biomass utilisation has the potential to generate substantial net benefits of around N$ 48 billion over 25 years. This is based on various assumptions that 60% (15.8 million ha)…