Key Issues

Major Threats to Our Oceans and Marine Life

The world’s oceans face a wide range of urgent threats, from overfishing to pollution and habitat destruction. Here, we’ve compiled a list of some of the most pressing challenges affecting Namibia’s marine environment today. We recognise that many other serious threats exist, and we will expand this list as our resources allow.

Global Plastic Crisis

The global plastic crisis is choking our oceans with millions of tons of waste every year, harming marine life and contaminating the food chain. Without urgent action, plastic pollution will continue to grow, threatening both wildlife and human health.

Aquafarming

Aquafarming, often poorly managed, can pollute waters, spread disease, and harm wild fish populations. While falsly promoted as a solution to overfishing and food insecurity, it usually create more problems than it solves for our oceans.

Seal Harvest in Namibia

The seal harvest in Namibia results in the killing of thousands of Cape fur seals each year for their genitalia, making it one of the largest seal hunts in the world. This controversial and unscientific practice raises serious animal welfare and conservation concerns.

Overfishing

Overfishing is pushing many fish populations to the brink of extinction, disrupting the delicate balance of marine ecosystems. Unsustainable practices jeopardize food security and the livelihoods of coastal communities.

Marine Phosphate Mining

Marine phosphate mining poses a major threat to fragile seabed environments, stirring up sediment and releasing toxins into the water. Such activities could have devastating, long-term effects on fisheries and marine biodiversity.

Deep Sea Mining

Deep sea mining targets mineral-rich areas of the ocean floor, risking the destruction of unique ecosystems that have taken millions of years to form. Once damaged, these habitats may never recover, and species could be lost before they are even discovered.

Bottom Trawling

Bottom trawling is one of the most destructive fishing methods, scraping the ocean floor and destroying vital habitats. This practice kills countless non-target species and leaves marine ecosystems struggling to recover.

African Penguin and other Endangered Seabirds

The African Penguin and other endangered seabirds in Namibia are facing alarming population declines due to overfishing, habitat loss, and environmental changes. Without intervention, these iconic species could disappear from our coasts within decades.

Image by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Rabies in Cape Fur Seals

Rabies in Cape fur seals is a growing concern along Namibia’s coastline, posing risks to both wildlife and humans. Vigilant monitoring and rapid response measures need to be put in place urgently.

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