Sharon Kavhu
WINDHOEK, Namibia – As the world marks Earth Day 2025 under the global theme: “Our Power, Our Planet”, the Southern African Science Service Centre for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Management (SASSCAL) has reaffirmed its commitment to environmental protection through science-driven innovation.
In an Earth Day (Tuesday) statement, Dr Budzanani Tacheba, the interim executive director of SASSCAL, emphasised the critical role of wetlands in supporting biodiversity, regulating water cycles, and enhancing climate resilience—warning that these vital ecosystems are increasingly under threat from land degradation, climate change, and human encroachment.
In line with addressing these challenges, SASSCAL is spearheading the WeMAST (Wetlands Monitoring and Assessment) project, a regional initiative aimed at mapping, monitoring, and protecting wetlands using advanced remote sensing and geospatial technologies. The project which is funded by the African Union and the European Union under the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES and Africa) programme has been impactful in sensitizing communities on the use of Earth Observation (EO) data in effectively managing wetlands in southern Africa. Through the WeMAST project, SASSCAL developed a geoportal that covers all the four river basins across southern Africa namely: Limpopo, Okavango, Orange, and Zambezi.
“WeMAST exemplifies the power of science and technology in environmental stewardship,” said Dr Tacheba. “By integrating satellite data, ground observations, and analytics, we are equipping decision-makers with accurate, timely, and actionable insights.”
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The project spans several countries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, providing tools for improved planning, early warning systems, and sustainable land and water resource management. These technologies support policy implementation and local capacity-building efforts that are vital to both climate change adaptation and long-term ecological sustainability.
Earth Day 2025’s theme underscores the need for collective responsibility in safeguarding natural resources. According to Dr Tacheba, initiatives like WeMAST demonstrate that “our power lies in knowledge, in partnership, and in innovation.”
SASSCAL, a regional climate and land management research organization, continues to prioritize science-based solutions to environmental challenges, calling for greater collaboration among governments, research institutions, and communities.
“As we celebrate Earth Day, we must transform our power into purposeful action—for our wetlands, our people, and our planet,” Dr Tacheba said.
