Namibian Bush Biomass: Rangeland Restoration
Namibia's bush-encroachment problem, affecting some 45 million hectares, is being addressed through the Namibia Biomass Industry Group, which grew out of a 2013–2017 Ministry of Agriculture/GIZ de-bushing project.
Image credit
Drone image of rangeland after bush thinning in Namibia. Location context only; not a photograph of project implementation.Location context · Tim Brunauer on behalf of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2024 · Resized; display cropImage source ↗Licence ↗
OperatorNamibia Biomass Industry Group (N-BiG), grown out of the MAWF-GIZ Support to De-bushing Project
EcosystemBush-encroached rangeland restoration
StandardFSC (bush-harvest area certification)
StatusActive
LocationNationwide, bush-encroached commercial and communal rangeland, Namibia
Overview
Inside the project
N-BiG now coordinates value-chain development, energy, biochar, animal fodder and construction material, across more than 1.6 million hectares of FSC-certified encroached land and 300,000 hectares of controlled bush, employing over 11,000 people in harvesting and processing.
N-BiG describes the work as land restoration achieved through commercial incentive rather than subsidy alone.
45M ha
Bush-encroached (nationwide)
1.6M ha
FSC-certified
300,000 ha
Bush controlled
11,300
Jobs in harvesting/processing
Objectives
- Control bush encroachment across Namibia's commercial and communal rangeland
- Develop commercial value chains for harvested biomass
Approach
- Bush-encroached land is harvested under FSC certification, feeding commercial value chains for energy, biochar, animal fodder and construction material.
Explore related climate work
Find other projects and tools for monitoring, restoration and climate adaptation.
Browse projectsBrowse tools