The Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem
Programme is designed
to improve the structures and capacities of Namibia, Angola and South
Africa to deal with the environmental problems that occur across the
national boundaries, in order that the Benguela Current Large Marine
Ecosystem may be managed as a whole.
These transboundary issues include the migration or straddling of
valuable fish stocks across national boundaries, the introduction of
invasive alien species via the ballast water of ships moving through
the region, and pollutants or harmful algal blooms that can be advected
by winds and currents from the waters of one country into another.
The Programme is funded by the Global Environment Facility
(GEF) which has contributed $15.2 million through the United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for the regional initiative.
The GEF’s funding complements an investment of $16 million by the three countries, and over $7 million from other sources such as the Benguela Environment Fisheries Training Interactions Programme, BENEFIT.
