The extent of bush encroachment and its related negative impacts on biodiversity, water availability, land productivity, and the resilience of ecosystems and livelihoods requires urgent action. Unsustainable bush thinning methods intended to improve the carrying capacity of the land in the short term can worsen degradation and further threaten the resilience of ecosystems and their services. The restoration of 15.5 million hectares of encroached land is a national commitment presented in the NDP5, as well as one of Namibia's climate change mitigation and adaptation contributions to the UNFCCC Paris Agreement. Tackling the bush encroachment crisis is therefore a high-level adaptation priority for the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism.