Environmental Information Systems Unit 

Government of Finland, Government of the Netherlands

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Mission to promote environmental protection, environmental planning and environmental co-ordination.  Also to support the sustainable and equitable use of natural resources and national development and to protect the environment and human welfare from unsustainable, unhealthy and inappropriate practices." Development of ‘Information and Communication Service for Sustainable Development Project’ in the Environmental Information Systems Unit (EIS). The primary objective of this programme is to provide applicable information to all stakeholders on the changes and trends of Namibia’s environment. This is facilitated by the use of simple but rigorous indicators for long-term tracking and monitoring of the natural resource base and changes in the environment. Such changes may be human induced or natural variability.  The EIS continuously makes environmental information available through different media as to inform Namibians and to develop understanding of our national development goals. Although effortless attempts by the EIS and other institutions to centralize information at an easily accessible point, information (and data) remains scattered, not available, does not suffice or is not scientifically gathered (claimed as 'their own') and stored.
The main objectives of the Unit are to:
• Compile baseline information on environmental processes and issues in Namibia;
• Increase public awareness of the environment;
• Make environmental information available to decision-makers; and
• Promote the wise use of this information in environmental management.

Since its inception, Infocom has completed a number of projects including:
• The Atlas of Namibia: A portrait of the Land and its People.
• Regional Environmental Profiles Project (each Profile culminates in a publication that highlights environmental concerns). This project started its first environmental profile on the Caprivi region in 1995. A set of baseline environmental information was compiled on Caprivi, and a publication has been produced which provides a description of the region and highlights the environmental issues.
• North-Central Profile, a second profile was completed on the Ohangwena, Omusati, Oshana and Oshikoto regions, including Etosha National Park.
• A third profile, The Kavango: Sand and People is the latest in this series of remarkably illustrated books based on plausible scientific, socio-economic, economic, demographic and governance data.
• Each Profile produces a database that is accessible to the general public.
• Information and Communication Service for Sustainable Development in Namibia. This project develops effective monitoring, information and communication systems for environmental and related issues, thus ensuring the availability of relevant information in planning, decision-making and co-ordination processes. Data gathered by this project will be published for both public consumption and the attention of decision-makers.

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