The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) encouraged Namibians to reflect on their relationship with the natural environment while commemorating World Environment Day on 5 June. A media statement issued Thursday by the ministry’s chief public relations officer, Romeo Muyunda, said this year’s World Environment Day is being commemorated under the theme ‘Time for Nature’ to protect all livelihoods that depend on the environment, and more needs to be done to safeguard and foster its ability to sustain livelihoods. He said the theme further recognises that global change requires a global community to collectively take urgent action that can push individuals to think about the way they consume and use the environment. “This will be good for businesses to develop greener models for farmers and manufacturers to produce more sustainably. Governments can safeguard wild species, educators will inspire students to live in harmony with Earth and for youth to become fierce gatekeepers of a green future. But it will require all of us to act,” said Muyunda. He added that the ministry believes natural disasters that continue to disrupt lives at global and country-level such as droughts, floods and diseases are caused by a lack of collective effort towards the caring and protection of the environment. “Therefore, any disturbance to the environment that affects the essential services that nature provides such as raw materials, water, clean air and energy jeopardise life itself. Biodiversity is especially significant to Namibia with about 70% of our people depending on natural resources-based productive systems for their survival,” explained Muyunda. He stressed that the country should be concerned and stand against illicit activities that have the potential to harm the environment, with poaching being one of the biggest threats to the natural environment as it threatens the population of wildlife species such as elephants and rhinos. Deforestation, illegal harvesting of timber and other forest resources have become so common in recent years that the health of precious woodland ecosystems is now under threat. The same can be said about littering, pollution and habitat destruction, Muyunda added.