The University of Namibia (UNAM) is leading the development of a Multi-Lateral Environmental Agreement Tracking Platform to streamline national targets and tracking for international conventions such as UNCBD, UNCCD nad UNFCCC. To further its impact, the platform will greatly benefit from the inclusion of integrated, national-scale spatial biodiversity data products that guide strategic land-use planning while considering the trade-offs and synergies between multiple policy objectives (e.g. biodiversity conservation, ecosystem restoration, carbon sequestration, livestock grazing, etc.). These products will be maintained on a cloud-based spatial data platform that connects multiple data sources (from within and outside the country) and will guide the development of a national-scale biodiversity monitoring program that supports continual updates for these products.

The outputs of these data products will directly support broader aims of an existing, 5-year (2020 to 2025) World Bank Global Environment Facility project (the Namibia Integrated Landscape Approach for Enhancing Livelihoods and Environmental Governance to Eradicate Poverty). Partners of this project include multiple agencies with diverse mandates governing land-use management in the country such as the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism.

The key activities and core elements can be depicted and summarized as follows over a two-phase, 24-month duration (Phase 1: 2023; Phase 2: 2024):

1. Definition of policy needs & targets and establishment of an indicator reporting framework to guide integrated reporting (Phase 1)
2. Identification of priority spatial biodiversity data products for tracking targets (Phase 1).
3. Development of spatial data products/indicators for tracking national targets (Phase 1 and 2).
4. Design (Phase 1) and development (Phase 2) of a Spatial Data
5. Design (Phase 1) and pilot implementation (Phase 2) of a data collection/monitoring

Associate Prof. Simon Angombe, is currently the Associate Dean of the School of Agriculture and Fisheries Sciences at the University of Namibia. He received his doctoral degree in Biological Sciences from the Russian State Agrarian University. His professional interests focus on the enhancement and promotion of integrated environmental management. Current projects include the Namibia Integrated Landscape Approach for enhancing Livelihoods and Environmental Governance to Eradicate Poverty: Component 1: Strengthening institutional coordination and governance mechanisms for an integrated landscape management approach a collaboration with the Namibian Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, the Twinlab Molecular Laboratory with the Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, CIBIO, in collaboration with the University of Porto, Portugal, the Mudumu National Park Biodiversity Monitoring Framework with Training Manual in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, and the Enhancing Community Adaptation through Climate Resilient Agriculture: Encroacher Bushes Value Chains initiative in the Otjozondjupa Region, among others. He has over 30 publications and serves on various national boards (e.g., Miombo Woodlands Value Chain), and is an Honorary Research Fellow of the University of Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom.