The motivation for the project is the ecological and socioeconomic importance of the Walvis Bay Lagoon, which is recognised internationally as a Ramsar site and by UNESCO. The lagoon supports diverse marine life, including migratory birds, and provides livelihoods through tourism and fishing. Given that Namport’ s operations are closely linked to the lagoon, the project is essential for understanding and mitigating any potential impact from activities like shipping, ship repair, urban development, and fish processing facilities. Namport sees it as a duty to balance economic progress with environmental sustainability and to ensure operations coexist harmoniously with the natural environment. This commitment is part of Namport’ s ESG & Sustainability Strategy, which embraces environmental stewardship.
The core objectives include establishing a long- term ecosystem monitoring program, analysing the interactions between human activities and natural processes, and supporting Ramsar Convention goals. Specific objectives cover monitoring water and sediment quality, bathymetry, biodiversity across trophic levels, beach morphology, carbon storage, and evaluating existing conservation practices.
Key expected outcomes are the establishment of a long- term monitoring database and the generation of scientific publications and conclusions on the lagoon’ s health. The project is expected to enable Namport to fulfil Ramsar and global sustainability obligations, preserve a vital natural asset, and contribute to climate resilience and biodiversity protection. The partnership, extended for three years (2025-2027) with a N $ 3. 7 million investment from Namport, builds on a previous collaboration that began in 2016.
This project aligns well with the IAPH Sustainability Awards evaluation criteria, particularly the Environmental Care theme. It demonstrates vision and leadership in environmental stewardship, involves cooperation with UNAM, contributes significantly to sustainability and relevant UN SDGs, and aims to deliver measurable impact through monitoring key ecosystem indicators and temporal trends.