Potsdam University intensifies partnership with Namibia!

Potsdam University intensifies partnership with Namibia!

Potsdam, Deutschland - On April 16, 2025, the University of Potsdam further strengthened its cooperation with Namibia. As part of a meeting, the university received the ambassador Namibia, Martin Andjeba. The President of the University, Prof. Oliver Günther, Ph. D., as well as representatives from the areas of biology, botanical garden and computer science, and also a doctorate were also present In the exchange, relationships with Namibian universities were intensively discussed, in particular on the University of Namibia (UNAM) and the Namibia University of Science and Technology. The focus was on research collaborations that focus on important topics such as endangered plants, wildlife management strategies and climate -adapted water management.

research projects and exchange programs

Special attention was given to the idea of ​​initiating a tandem for theses in Namibia. In order to promote the exchange of students, doctoral students and employees, both mobility and study visits in the other country are to be made better known. "The possibilities are hardly known," said Prof. Günther. In June 2023, together with the biodiversity researcher Prof. Dr. Anja Linstädter travel to Namibia to discuss the final project "Namtip", which deals with desertification tilt points in the context of climate change.

The "Namtip" project is funded by the BMBF and aims to attend important research locations in the Waterberg region and to discuss with farmers about the effects of drought and oversawness on pasture vegetation.

biodiversity and social challenges in Namibia

Namibia faces a wide range of challenges. According to information from the international climate coitry, 70 percent of the population rely on natural resources, but biodiversity and protected areas are threatened by population growth, not sustainable agricultural methods and climate change. Protection areas make up more than 40 percent of the Namibia land area, but are fragmented and suffer from inadequate financing and coordination.

A project aims to transform these protected areas into a well -coordinated system, which is also intended to create a protection value through sustainable economic use. This focuses in particular on sectors such as tourism that rely on the preservation of biodiversity. The institutionalization of the approach of biodiversity economy at the national level is intended to promote implementation and financing in order to sustainably improve the livelihood of the population.

long -term goals and strategies

Cooperation in the areas of biodiversity and climate change is also supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The “Biodiversity Management and Climate Change” project was launched in cooperation with the Namibian Ministry of Environment and Tourism in order to improve the state framework conditions for promoting biological diversity. The support of the ministry plays a crucial role here, which includes both political measures and strategies for adapting to climate change.

With these initiatives, Namibia hope to master the challenges and at the same time get closer to the sustainable development goals. The promotion of healthy ecosystems is considered essential to successfully design the adaptation to climate change and to manage natural resources.

The University of Potsdam sees an important step in the increased cooperation with Namibia to work together on solutions for the challenges of climate change and biodiversity. The positive synergies could benefit both the Namibian and the German side.

More information about the projects can be found at uni-potsdam.de, international-climate-initiative.com href = "https://www.giz.de/de/weltweit/24529.html"> giz.de .